Bespoke Shoes

D’BOISS uses Enzo Bonafe’s Bologna workshop in Italy, using highly qualified and experienced craftsmen to create unique shoes according to the customer’s specifications and precise measurements.

History of Enzo Bonafe par D'Boiss Handmade Bespoke Shoes

For over forty years Enzo Bonafe has been producing Bespoke footwear, for a refined and demanding male clientele. The use of high quality materials and the most traditional craftsmanship techniques, allow us to create a high-quality product, which will satisfy every client's personal needs. Year after year our handmade bespoke shoes have been worn by popular politicians, businessmen and financial managers around the world. These clients have often been fascinated by the incomparable quality and style of our classic shoes.

Bespoke means designing and manufacturing shoes to conform perfectly to the client’s wishes both in design and most importantly the clients foot and fitting. This process is carried out in the workshop in Bologna Italy and will take approximately 3-4 Months. Each pair requires an average of 50 hours of work.

Master Boot Makers Roy Dobbs and Luke Dobbs will follow the client through the process which starts with a series of foot measurements and foot drawings. The client then chooses the model or their own specific design, toe shape, leather, as well as the heel height and shape, sole, trims/laces and linings and any other details required. Following the first appointment, the shape of the foot is sculpted out of wood in our Bologna atelier.

The client returns for a second appointment after approximately 2 months to try on a pair of half made shoes. This allows the craftsman to further refine the precision of the last and fitting that will be used to finish and create the desired pair. The third appointment consists of the final fitting and delivery after 3 months. Here the client will start the journey with their completed bespoke footwear.

Every pair of D’Boiss shoes created in the bespoke workshop in Italy is designed to offer the client many long years of comfort. The shoes are able to be repaired and maintained many times giving the client a long life with their shoes. To this end, he will be advised as to the best way to care and maintenance of their shoes upon receipt of them.

Our shoes offer not only quality and timeless elegance, but unique comfort. They have no generic size or width; they will fit only the client who ordered them.
Planning and cutting

Our shoes are often born of the wishes or specific needs of our end client: the product is then enhanced with the utmost personalization, which starts with the planning and shaping phases. The cut of the vamp is done exclusively by hand, to ensure that only the best leather is chosen for a specific model.

Connecting

Each pair of our vamps is crafted from beginning to end by a single person. This guarantees a precise and accurate semi-finished product, perfect even in the smallest details, visible and not.

Assembling

The shoe, literally, "takes shape." This is mostly done by hand, with pliers, hammer and nails, just like the handmade tradition demands. The machinery helps the artisans somewhat. It can't however be a substitute in any way for the taste and the expertise of workers with decades of experience.

Flattening

A very specific operation, perhaps not used in "modern" footwear. Nevertheless, an essential step for us, in order to give the shoe the right "edge" and to get the vamp to fit perfectly on the last. The only tool used by the artisan, in this instance, is the hammer.

Preparation, Stitching and Flattening of the sole

Before and after the stitching of the sole, many tasks are necessary to bring to completion the creation of a reliable and comfortable shoe. They are very specific tasks, crucial in making the product unmistakably unique.

Cleaning and colouring of the sole

Another task that can only be undertaken by expert craftsmen with a discerning eye. The coloration and polishing of the sole and the heel, besides beautifying the shoes, also eliminates those small defects that are present in a material like leather.

Polishing

All our shoes are polished on the lasts by using only the best creams: no sprays or polishes cover the beauty of the leather used. The final result is a clean shoe that shines naturally. It does not matter how long it takes to achieve this goal.

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