By hand, for feet

Making a pair of handmade shoes takes around 100 hours
Korbinian's greatest inspiration is the customer
One customer crossed the Sahara wearing his shoes

After meeting a theatrical shoemaker, opera student Korbinian Ludwig Heß fell in love with the craft, changing from singing to shoemaking. His two-year training started in 2009 in Vienna at the world renowned Rudolf Scheer & Sons, followed by stints in different countries across Europe. This shaped his vision for bespoke shoemaking and taught him how to incorporate new techniques and styles into his work. Korbinian is a stickler for detail and works entirely by hand; he doesn't even use electricity in his Berlin workshop, which opened in 2017. A meticulous process comprising at least three appointments with the customer and the production of two pairs of fitted shoes results in one-of-a-kind footwear, crafted according to the feet and personality of the wearer.

Korbinian Ludwig Heß is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2009

Discover his work

Discover his work

Balmoral wingtips

Wholecut 1

Max Maria boot 2

Max Maria boot 1

Wholecut 2

INTERVIEW

Shoemaking, to me, is the perfect combination of fine, precise and hard, rough work. It changes your perspective and the way you see life. It almost becomes the link between a human being and the planet; the whole painstaking process brings you down to earth.

I work according to centuries-old techniques, trying to filter them through a modern eye and sustainable appeal: no wastage of materials (we even make some of our glues), leather sourced from local tanneries, contemporary design and impeccable working conditions.

Shoemaking in a way was terminated in Germany after World War Two, therefore at the moment there is no such thing as a German style, while there is one elsewhere in Europe: functional and sturdy shoes in Hungary and Austria, elegant in France and England. I’d like to bring ours back.

The perfection of imperfection. A bespoke shoe has to fit the customer and each customer is different, so there can be different results. But in the end, a bespoke shoe is well made when the customer is happy with it.