Taiwan-headquartered, China-based supplier of rubber outsoles, midsoles, and heels
Stitchdown Interview
Part 1
- founder Chao-Yung Lin
- did marketing masters in Colorado
- top of several 14ers in Danners and old Irish Setters
- traveled to all 50 states in 2 years
- integrated marketing communication
- environmental NGOs
- Betty went to same masters
- father Johnny had stroke, wanted her to come back to her
- worked at rubber sole factory
- collector of vintage soles and heels
- eBay addict
- once bought some Cat's Paw on eBay, messaged the seller, bought the whole stock from a closed shoe repair shop
- before boots, sneakers, Air Jordans
- moved to China
- factory worked for Clarks
- into the sales department with Betty, who speaks Japanese
- had previously registered Dr. Sole brand
- Johnny's nickname as head of R&D
- three Chinese product patents
- 2011-12: reactivated Dr. Sole brand for work boots
- Johnny died in 2016
- designed 10 models
- demoed on own boots
- Kiya of Self Edge messaged about using for ACE Boots collab
- kept sharing resole results
- Viberg used Raw Cord on Boondocker service boots
- Wesco had anniversary heels and soles made
- too small to compete with Vibram
Vibram is like Coke and everyone likes it. Dr. Sole is like Dr. Pepper. Not everyone likes it, but when you do, you are obsessed with it.
- steps
- design
- mold making
- compound formulation
- sole making
- finishing
It takes years to master any single procedure.
the first reaction was always "No." I needed to show them that it had been done many decades ago.
- changed from coal to biofuel power
- can't be 100% green: rubber from petroleum
- recycled materials
in 2011, it was almost a taboo
open secret
- indicate the percentage
- hit: 30% recycled in various colors
- always hand-draws designs
- mold draft
- mold making "equivalent to making an artwork"
- making:
- precision everything
very similar to baking a cake
- Burlap soles inspired by old product
- coffee grounds inspired by local coffee shop that collects and reuses grounds
- didn't work
- pulverized oyster shells
- UV reactive
- transparent
- US cobblers and Indonesian makers asked for thinner → Supergrip full soles and half heels
- reduced nail holes: don't need so many nails
Part 2
- no cobbling experience before
- moved back to Taipei
- moved HQ to Taipei
- local cobblers couldn't keep up with jobs
- lots of visits to Goodyear welt factory customer near factory
Every time I saw the workers doing their job at the shoe factory, they seemed very skilled, making me believe it was an easy task to resole shoes by myself.
- first 10+ pairs "disasters"
- practiced on own and brother's boots
- Handmade Shoes for Men by Vass
- YouTube
- results on Instagram
Cobblers are one of the most generous species I've known...
- first new hire for cobbling knew nothing of leather boots
- now chief cobbler
- team of four (including Lin) now
- first 10 pairs done with all hand tools
- bough a sanding machine
- bought Landis K
- hand stitching
- nothing wrong
- can reuse existing holes
- takes 1--2 hours per pair or more
- spent a year learning the Landis
- Wesco with stacked leather spring heels inspired from 1950s Wescos
- Pioneer shoe brand
- Pioneer last
- nubuck underappreciated, hard to handle because absorbs everything
then we found out that the lace-to-toe system is a very smart way to adjust the fit, making it easy to fit the feet in various widths
- working on service-type boot