Shoeing the fashionable
OBSESSED with shoes and liking the designs of Africa Fashion House (AFH), we chatted with business development officer Lawrence Umoroko, who explains the measures it takes to make a shoe.
AFH is a 100% black-owned brand. It specialises in quality bespoke designs using different sorts of local and international fabrics. It was established in 2014 by Cynthia Umukoro.
The inspiration to launch the brand came from her friends, who loved the clothes she made and would always ask her to create something for them as well.
One dress became two and now, AFH has three branches in Midrand, Pretoria and Centurion.
One might think that making a shoe is a lot of work, however, at AFH, few yet careful steps are taken to make extraordinary shoes.
Lawrence takes us through the process:
The shoemaking process begins with a client enquiry.
We stock a catalogue of over 75 leather and fabric combinations with almost any imaginable style possible.
A client's foot is measured on a carbon template where the size of the foot is traced out. After fabrics and styles have been selected, the actual work begins.
Each pair of shoe is cast over a shoe last matching the client’s foot measurement, and then top leather is stretched over the last before the shoe sole is added.
Holes are punctured for shoes requiring laces before the product is packaged for delivery.
For more information, connect with AFH on www.africafashionhouse.com