Behind the Brand: Solely Original
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A pair of bespoke shoes are your own pair of glass slippers, not too small, wide, narrow, or big, they fit just right. Bespoke shoemaking is a skill that has been used by artisans and companies since the beginning of time. In the late nineteenth century, the popularity of handcrafted shoes began to wane because of industrial mass production. However, the craftsmanship of custom made shoes is still around and these shoes can be purchased from individuals, groups, or companies dedicated to keeping the art alive.
Trailblazers like Solely Original modernised the process of custom made shoes for women with innovative Precision Fit technology and automated 3D tool for visualisation of your own shoe design. Bespoke shoes are all about you, so we strive to provide quality shoes that fit your needs in addition to affordability, stylish design and speedy delivery.
Why our bespoke shoemaking process is so special
Going beyond the technology, our bespoke shoemaking process also considers other important aspects such as production time, fitting & adjustments services and price, as you can see below.
Time of Production
Traditional shoemakers can take six to nine months for your first pair to be received. We aim to deliver our custom made women’s shoes within four to six weeks (for standard option) and two to three weeks (for Express Service option), always focusing to provide consumers with the best quality of shoes.
Fitting & Style
Another question that arises is about the fitting and style of the shoe. Traditional bespoke shoemaking require a minimum of three in-person appointments to discuss fit and design before even making the shoes.
We have automated this lengthy process by allowing consumers to use an online 3D designer tool to design their own shoes, for example high heels or wedding shoes. They are then sent a Precision Fit kit (which is available for worldwide orders and only takes eight minutes) to get a cast of your foot for us to capture your measurements. The end result is stylish and comfortable women’s shoes.
Alteration is the nature of bespoke shoes: we will make the necessary adjustments free of charge to fit your needs/desired fit – customer care and well-being is the most important thing to us! Some bespoke shoemakers charge extra for additional alterations or do not offer alterations in-house so consumers are sent to outside cobblers which range from £ 24-60.
Clearly, Solely Original have improved the bespoke shoemaking process and made the time to produce and deliver the shoes more accessible and convenient to our consumers.
Price
Besides the process, many consumers ask about the price of bespoke shoes. Traditional bespoke shoemakers’ prices can vary on average between £2800-5000, unlike Solely Original who asks for about 10-15% of those prices. Our customers receive the same quality craftsmanship, that is about £240 – £400 depending on the style of shoes.
Often the traditional bespoke shoemakers use basic construction techniques, selection of materials, or even simply their reputation to determine the price. In our case, we use a base price for each type of shoe then add to the price with a selection of materials, decorations or bespoke fitting.
Overall, Solely Original offers consumers a more affordable product of the same quality with a more straightforward pricing model.
It’s all about you
The important factor to remember is that the focus of bespoke shoemaking is YOU. With us, YOU are the designer, editor-in-chief, controller, and consumer for your bespoke shoes. In the end, you do not need to wait a long time or pay hefty costs to obtain your own pair of custom made shoes: you can be your own fairy godmother and make glass slippers that are perfect for you.