Craftsmanship
Premium Craftsmanship from the heart of Florida.
Design / Pattern
At Henschung, we take pride in the craft of masking a last and sketching directly onto the tape. This approach ensures perfect proportions for every design. This traditional technique is a rarity in contemporary shoe design. Once the pattern is finalized, it moves to the pattern development department where it is graded to maintain consistent design proportions across all sizes.
Clicking / Closing
Bottom Stock
After the upper is finished, it is hung until it is transferred to the ‘Muller’—a warm, damp room that keeps the upper soft and flexible. This process helps the leather conform to the shape of the last before it reaches the Lasting Room. In Bottom Stock, all components for the shoe’s bottom, such as the insole, soles, and ribbing, are prepared. Leather soles and insoles are cut using press knives and produced in our Earls Barton factory, ensuring quality control throughout the process. Skilled workers then attach the canvas ply rib to the insole, where the welt will be affixed later in production.
Lasting Room
At this stage, the last finally meets the upper. The insole is temporarily stapled to the bottom of the last, allowing the lasting process to begin. The upper is first molded onto the heel of the last, followed by toe lasting, where the upper is pulled over the last by the lasting machine. Each shoe is then side lasted by hand, ensuring the upper is precisely lasted to give the finished shoe its true shape.
Making Room
A crucial step in this department is ‘Welt Sewing,’ where the skilled ‘Welt Stitcher’ sews the welt to the rib attached to the insoles. The welt is essential in the Goodyear Welted process. The shoe bottoms are filled with cork and wooden shanks to offer breathability, insulation, and support beneath the insoles. Then, the soles are stitched to the welt, allowing for easy sole replacement without impacting the uppers. After the soles are attached, the shoes undergo ‘Bottom Levelling,’ rounding the soles to match the last’s shape.
Finishing Room
A typical Henschung shoe requires over 200 operations during production, and here the finishing touches are added. The sole edges are smoothed for a refined look before wax is applied to create a rich shine. We dedicate as much care to the sole as to the upper, using a hot wheel in the ‘bunking’ process to give each sole its unique detailing. The final stage in the Finishing Room is the essential burnishing, where a mop wheel with ‘cutting wax’ burns the leather to create depth of color and character.
Shoe Room
Before reaching our customers, each pair of Henschung shoes must pass through the Shoe Room. Here, they are ‘antiqued’ with antique creams to give a rich patina and ‘mopped’ for a lovely shine. Final checks ensure the shoes meet strict quality controls established since 1979. Only after receiving approval from the Master Inspector can the Henschung and Goodyear Welted stamps be applied. Laces are threaded through the eyelets, and the shoes undergo a final inspection before being placed in our boxes, ready for delivery.
