Markus Scheer

Indulging the foot

• Markus is the seventh generation in his family to make shoes
• Scheer’s extensive collection of leathers is world-famous
• The company produces fewer than 300 pairs of shoes each year

Markus Scheer is the seventh generation in his family to make bespoke shoes, working in a company that dates back to 1816. He trained in the craft of shoemaking with his grandfather Carl Ferdinand, shortly after leaving school. For more than 200 years, Scheer has been considered Vienna’s most prestigious workshop for bespoke shoes, its high quality craftsmanship and elegant shapes appealing to royalty around Europe. The workshop has been in central Vienna since 1870. Here, visitors can breathe history as well as innovation – a combination that has been crucial for the company in every decade of its existence. Behind everything is Scheer’s passion for the health of one of the most important parts of the human body: the foot.

Interview

©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

How do you define the role of feet and shoes?

Feet reflect your character and so does your shoe. Shoes are highly functional objects, but their form’s aesthetic mirrors the wearer’s personality in public. Intrinsically, it’s all about indulging the foot. Outwardly, we build the nicest shoe, which inwardly feels like walking barefoot on a cloud.

Does your vast collection of lasts and leather inspire you?

The lasts [wooden forms shaped like feet] tell the story of each of our customers, and our leather collection contains both contemporary hides and 200 year-old rarities. That’s exactly the world I’m dealing with: tradition and vision, which means being sensitive to the character and physical needs of every single customer.

Have feet changed throughout the centuries?

As far as we know, yes. The lasts of the 19th century show us delicate and slim foot shapes. In Europe you can hardly find healthy feet without any deformation or malposition. We have to protect what carries us through our lives with the best and most natural material – leather.

Do you produce other objects besides shoes?

Not every part of our leathers can be used for shoemaking, so it was a matter of thinking sustainably and economically to use the equally fine remaining material for accessories; belts, bags and purses complete Scheer's world of craftsmanship.

Markus Scheer is a master artisan: he began his career in 1992 and he started teaching in 2016

Works

©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

Where