Spokane, Washington, USA-based shoe company specializing in work and casual boots using stitchdown, Goodyear welt, and Norwegian rolled welt constructions
offers extended sizing with lasts in a wide range of length and width combinations
pays largely piecework, though work is done on-premises
“Handsewn” Construction
White’s uses a distinctive hybrid of nailed heel seats and waists with Norwegian welt foreparts for its highest-end styles.
Leather insoles are channeled by a handcrank machine, without feathers. The uppers are then welted around the foreparts, with the welts standing up against the uppers, rather than laying flat against the bottom. The forepart lining is trimmed, the upper is slashed behind the joints, and the upper over the forepart is beaten out to lie flat. The welt is rolled over itself and the inseam, cemented to the turned-out flange of the upper, and beaten flat to it. Both welt and upper flange are rapid stitched to the midsole or outsole by a stitch line running from heel breast to heel breast.
Some styles get a further outside line of outseam stitching from starting and ending just behind the joints. The welt may be trimmed back to just outside the first line of stitching, so the second line goes only through the upper. Or both welt and upper may be rapid stitched together a second time.