Chapter I · The Atelier
The bespoke commission begins with a wooden last shaped by hand, and ends with shoes that exist for no one else.
A bespoke shoe begins with a conversation. What you wear, where you walk, how a shoe should feel after twelve hours. From there, a last is carved to fit the measurements.
Every operation is done by a skilled craftsman. The leather is cut, the upper clicked and stitched, the welt sewn through the holdfast by hand, the sole laid and trimmed at the bevel.
When the shoes leave the atelier, your personal last stays behind on a shelf marked with your name. Every future commission begins there.
In-Atelier Visit
A two-hour appointment at our Copenhagen atelier. Both feet are measured and traced. We discuss how the shoe will be worn, the climates it will see, the silhouette you have in mind, and the leathers that match your eye.
The Wooden Last
Your personal last is carved and it mirrors the measurements that were taken. Afterwards it will live on a shelf in the atelier with your name on it, for every future pair.
First Fitting
A trial shoe in plain leather is built on the last and fitted on your foot. We walk, we adjust, we mark up the upper. The last is refined, sometimes a second trial is built before we are satisfied.
Clicking & Closing
The finished leathers are selected together. The upper is clicked from the chosen hide, every panel laid against the grain, then closed. Linings are skived to a fraction of a millimetre at the seams to ensure a smooth transition.
Lasting & Welting
The upper is lasted over your wooden last and left to set. The welt is sewn through the holdfast by hand, the cork bed laid, the sole stitched and the heel built lift by lift.
Delivery
The shoes are polished, dressed in cedar trees, and presented in our atelier or delivered to you. We walk through care, the first conditioning, and the rotation that will give the pair its longest life.
Carved by hand, kept on our last bank for every commission to come. Yours, by name.
A trial shoe and, when necessary, a second. The fit is the work; nothing leaves before it is right.
Resoles, re-welts, recrafting. A Gabuu bespoke pair is built to be repaired and worn again, and again.
French box calf, museum calf or Russian leather, you choose with us at the bench.
A pair of solid shoe trees included with every commission.
A standing invitation to visit the workshop, watch the work, and meet the craftsman building your pair.
A Commission Begins
We accept a small number of bespoke commissions each year. The first step is a measurement appointment in our Copenhagen atelier, or a virtual consultation if you prefer.