There is a moment in the bespoke process when time stands still. It’s when the shoe takes shape but isn’t finished yet. The upper is already sewn, the leather has taken the shape of the foot, but the bottom is not yet complete. That moment we call it the “welt test” – translated from English try-in welt – and it is one of the most fascinating of the entire route.
At this stage, the customer can wear his shoe for the first time. It is not yet finished, of course. But the shape is the definitive one, the sensation on the foot already begins to tell. In the photo, you can see an authentic example: a trial shoe assembled completely by hand on a custom last, with the welt sewn with waxed hemp thread and impregnated with pitch to ensure waterproofing and durability. A long and silent work, started from the block of raw wood, passed through the cutting of the leather and the construction of the model. Every seam is handmade, every line follows an ancient logic, made of precision and listening.
The welt test is also a moment of mutual trust: the craftsman observes, listens, corrects. The customer perceives that nothing is left to chance. It is the passage in which the shoe begins to tell something more personal: not only how you walk, but also who you are.
