Last month we opened the doors to our studio as part of Sussex Craft Week and for those of you who couldn't make it here's a chance to step inside our workshop and take a look around...
Our workshop is pretty compact but we somehow manage to cram in everything that we need, and more. Among the essentials are a cutting table, leather storage, sewing machine, skiving machine, workbench, lasting peg, back part moulder, sander and finishing wheel, sole press, embossing machine, materials library, shoe storage and packing table.
On the work bench are some of our best selling chestnut Wren Boots at various stages of the making process. It's always nice to be able to show you how the patterns and the leather come together from flat cut outs to become a three dimensional shoe. 
This is our shoemaker Tom, he's one half of Chapter 2 and has been honing his craft in shoemaking for over 20 years. When we create any new style Tom will create several samples and prototypes to make sure we have the look and the fit just right before we start production. All our sample development is done right here in our East Sussex workshop.
From time to time you'll find a true bespoke pair on the work bench being made for an individual client (not a style from Chapter 2 but a design of their own request, made to fit their feet). The process of making a pair of made-to-measure shoes is very personal and begins with a discussion with the shoemaker about what you're looking for and what issues or challenges you have with your feet. Measurements are taken and a last is made specifically for your feet and the type of shoe that's going to be made. It's a long process which requires several rounds of prototypes to get the shoe to fit your feet perfectly.
We're often asked why the cost is so high for this service and the answer is that with a made-to-measure pair everything is made just for you; the last, the pattern and all the components. Everything is bespoke and crafted by hand as a total one off. For those of you who are interested, a pair of made-to-measure shoes starts at £2000 and we're able to make everything from loafers, to sandals, high heels, boots and everything else in between.
Talking of heels, what you probably don't know is that our shoemaker Tom is the best shoemaker in the UK at hand making women's high heels. If every shoemaker has their niche, heels are actually his speciality. Young fashion designers or someone with a special concept or project often find Tom to help realise the types of shoe projects that traditional shoemakers just can't do. With an eye and hand for luxury fashion he's made shoes for fashion shows, art projects, films and graduation collections here in our workshop.
Setting up the workshop for the open studio gave us the perfect excuse to dip back into our own personal shoe archive. Sitting atop the skiving machine are a pair of shoes from Toms own collection; a two tone calf leather oxford with a lacquered wooden heel. Hand made around 2008/9 ish.
When you step into the workshop it smells like leather. Tom and I don't smell it anymore as we're so used to it but it's something that most visitors comment on straight away.
We have lots of different skins of leather, all rolled up so they don't crease and stored in our specially made shelving both up high and underneath the cutting table. While of course we have plenty of classic leathers we also have a huge variety of unique skins including snakeskin - real and printed, sheepskin, metallics, croc and lizard textures, leopard prints and ponyskin. The list could go on.
We offer lots of these special leathers as part of our Made to Order service where you can choose to make your favourite pair of Chapter 2 boots in a one off statement material, hand crafted right here in this space. For more details head to our Made to Order pages.
All our Made to Order boots come with this beautiful sunflower detail on the leather sole as we like to consider all the details on a shoe, even the ones which aren't seen by most people. They're part of what makes our shoes so special.
So, what's happening in the workshop at the moment?
We're busy developing a new shoe for Autumn. It's a shoe version of our iconic Jackdaw/Harrier Boot so has got a real retro feel about it. There's a sneak peek of an upper mid process here by the sewing machine, and I'll be sharing more very soon so watch this space...
