Introducing Goodyear Welt

We are excited and proud to introduce the first offerings from our Goodyear welt program. Welted boots and shoes will continue to release on our webshop and at participating retailers this Fall season. We will continue to offer both Stitchdown and Naildown boots, making our factory one of the only facilities in the world that can execute these three manufacturing methods under one roof.

Goodyear welting is a shoe making method that was invented in 1869 by Charles Goodyear Jr. The process calls for a leather strip (the “welt”) to serve as an attachment point between the shoe upper and the sole. It is one of the oldest and most traditional manufacturing methods still in use today. It is a time consuming and expensive process utilized only by the most respected shoemakers in the world.

In our case we will be making footwear with a breast-to-breast or 270 degree welt, while still nailing the heel of each boot on individually. On the inside all of our products will be made exactly the same way. The high quality internal materials that define our company’s philosophy – brass nails, leather heel counter, insole and midsole, steel shank, etc. – have all remained.

The transition to offering welted product has taken years and significant investment in personnel and machinery, but it is something we feel strongly about. It will allow us greater flexibility in the materials we can use and will produce a more refined finished product. A welted shoe also more accurately represents the last it is made on, which has become increasingly important to us as we continue to put time and research into developing new shapes.

When Edwin Viberg founded our company in 1931 he hoped and planned to eventually offer Goodyear welted footwear. Almost 85 years later we have been able to take the next step in the company’s evolution while staying true to Ed’s original vision and commitment to quality.