YouTube video by Brooklyn Shoe Space interviewing Reid Elrod and {{Korbinian Ludwig Hess}
- COVID lockdown loosening
- rode bike every day, avoiding transit
- could work at shop, so long as kept under limit of people per area
- not a retail store, so not as affected
-
Reid Elrod
- started about ten years back
- tried some leatherwork first
- self-taught for a year, hit a block
- Marcell Mrsan was teaching in Budapest, so went there
- took Lastmaker House course to improve fits
- had been doing more American last build-up
- wanted to learn more European, from rough turns
- made all lasts ever since
- in the States, who do you go to? Jones and Vining awful [smiling]
- now in Berlin
- Korbinian Ludwig Hess was looking for another closer and maker
- turned out to be a good fit
- similar philosophy
- not taking own clients anymore, refers them to KLH
- better product from teamwork
- slightly different house style
-
Korbinian
- started in Berlin
- worked at Scheer
- started own shop in Munich
- worked for other shoemakers for a couple years
- owned new shop in Berlin
- Shahiki [sp?]
- learned basics in Japan
- worked in Japan
- came to Berlin to join Korbinian in 2018
- workshop tour
- Mengel machine press to squeeze out water and compress leather
- four-station, foot-pedal sole press
- post-bed sewing machine
- cylinder-arm sewing machine, for most of uppers
- metal last vise
- last knife on bench
- order last blocks from a German company to their measurements
- working on rough turns
- samples
- real gold leaf on outsole and top lift bottom
- black pair Reid did
- show variety and skill of the shop
- showroom
- boot trees
- street view window
- shoes hanging on walls like an art gallery
- couch
- fittings
- Reid doesn’t do the measuring, but it’s done there
- similar measurements to Dominic Casey and the English
- really extensive measurements
- many test fitters
- Korbinian can focus on fit with help in the shop
- design
- happens many ways
- customers have always seen prior work
- some people know exactly what they want
- the best clients have a general idea and give them freedom
- have to get to know the customer
- one customer asked for copies of Korbinian’s old boots
- always give shoe trees with their shoes
- most customers visit
- do a few trunk shows in London and a few cities in Germany
- twice a year trunk shows
- don’t take orders online
- hasn’t done a trunk show in US or Japan
- Reid’s least favorite technique: putting in sock liner
- they never put logos anywhere on the shoes
- signature more in shape than concept
- Reid brought most of the tools he needed
- Reid’s favorite tool a beveled waist iron that he shaped and handled himself
- Korbinian’s favorite an awl haft that a friend gave him
- Reid regrets not shipping files for toolmaking to Germany
- Reid would like to copy a German waist iron they have there
- Shahiki uses a Japanese knife for most things
- Reid: when he wants to do something that might destroy a knife, he uses a European one
- Reid uses a mix of knives
- Reid did shoe repair for seven years, still uses a lip knife
- only repair their own work
- with more free time, Reid would experiment with construction methods, tries to make what he hasn’t seen before
- Reid’s boots: Norwegian stitch with beveled waist, Balmoral
- Korbinian: Norwegian brown Derby out of special old-stock leather, oiled nubuck
- clients’ lasts on the wall
- favorite leathers
- Korbinian: Chromexcel, Horween leathers
- Reid: box calf
- Shahiki: box calf, for shoes
- don’t get the best box calf, but get better Horween
- Louis Vuitton take the first of everything
- where to be in 3-5 years?
- Here!
- both of them
- take apprentices
- if we get more orders
- did some courses
- “You don’t get to learn things for free.”
- bottom making course: at least 12 days
- lastmaking, upper, more days
- only take one student at a time
- only students who already know some shoemaking
- don’t want to spend a whole day teaching knife sharpening
- side projects
- they all have them
- Korbinian has a seamless wholecut loafer going in Chromexcel, for himself
- works in free time
- will hand stitch the upper
- techniques would like to learn
- Reid: riding boot constructions, especially uppers
- old-style turn shoes, but nobody will order
- Reid not planning to return to the US
- German government not a big help for crafts
- Germany mostly orthopedic, lots of it terrible
- more about helping everybody, not picking out people