In the heart of Paris, right next to the luxurious Bristol hotel, well dressed men and women suddenly forget all about their elegant suits or tight skirts and crouch-down in the middle of the street, trying to sneak a peek… On the other side of the tinted window sits Alexis, a proud young shoemaker working for Walter Steiger Bottier – the only workshop of the brand where you can order a pair of shoes made-to-mesaure.
Working only with metal tools and wooden forms, Alexis and his colleague Michel fabricate shoes in a traditional manner, “this is how shoes were made 200 years ago”, he smiles, “Every pair of women shoes represents about 35 hours of manual work; boots take at least 10 hours more. A pair of men’s shoes takes at least 45 hours too, because everything is sewn by hand”. Right now Alexis has about 25 pairs in progress, but he doesn’t seem too worried about the work load, “it’s always like this…”.
Walter Steiger’s name might not ring a bell to every other girl on the street, but in the right kind of circles (where Beyonce hangs out, for example) the designer’s shoes are well celebrated since the 70’s for their clean innovating lines, bold colors and perfect finishing. Over the years, Walter Steiger’s shoes walked down many fashion shows (Chloé, Kenzo, Oscar de La Renta, just to name a few), and the ready-to-wear collections (made in Italy) are now sold all over the world.
A year and a half ago, when the world financial crisis was at its peak and everywhere businesses were looking to cut down their losses, Walter Steiger turned the opposite direction. With the opening of his Parisian atelier, he placed himself in the “Haute couture“of footwear.
Why opening an atelier?
“I think that Walter (…wouldn’t it be nice to be on a first name bases with him?…) wanted to open a place like this for a long time”, says Alexis. “He learned the secrets of the trade in such a workshop, in his father’s atelier. Then, as he got into the fashion world he had to leave these old methods behind.
In the modern world, people were replaced by machines and the knowhow of shoe-making is slowly, and naturally, disappearing. But if there’s no more power tomorrow, we can still make shoes and all those production lines can’t”.
To you, what’s the difference between good shoes, and shoes of poor quality?
“First of all – the materials. Whether it’s in our ready-to-wear line or a custom-made pair, our shoes are made of the same leather, the finest in the market. It’s a crucial part of our quality charter.
Secondly, the comfort – we don’t give our models their shape by chance. We know the foot, the places where it could get sore, and we do everything to ensure the most comfortable shoe possible. That goes for the ready-to-wear collection as well, to a certain level, of course.
Here, when a client comes in we decide on a design and then do a trial shoe. It’s a model made of tissue that I cut open in different places to look at the person’s foot inside. I make corrections according to his or her particular needs and the final product is perfectly adapted to the client. It’s half orthopedic really”.
How long does it take from the order to the final product?
“There’s a certain delay. Some clients come and ask to have their shoes ready in three days but that’s just impossible. Sometimes we have to order a special kind of leather, and then there are the hours of work… In general, it takes about two months from the command to the delivery, but if a client is in a hurry and we have the right materials we can sometimes have the shoes ready in a month”.
How much does a custom-made pair of shoes cost?
“For women, the prices start at 2,200 € and for men at 4,300€. But the sum can climb up pretty quickly”.
Alexis grabs a pair of croco-boots and explains: “one of Walter’s trademarks is the one-piece leather boot. Here, nothing is sewed, except for the zipper. A medium size crocodile costs at least 500 € before taxes, but to make a pair I need 2 BIG crocodiles, one for each foot. Also, they need to have similar looking skin so the left boot wouldn’t be so different from the right boot… in the end, a pair like this cost 10,000 Euros”.
Do you “repair” costumers’ tasteless choices or do you fulfill all their fantasies?
“Sometimes we try to give our opinion or suggest other options, but in the bottom line, the customer is the one who has to wear these shoes, so they get to decide”.
At this point of the conversation, having had one or two laughs, I would normally stop addressing Alexis with the respectful and distant french VOUS and pass on to the more familiar TU. Yet, looking around all these perfect shoes he created (made them from scratch!), I just couldn’t. I went along addressing him with the respect he deserves.
How did you get to work in a place like this?
“Actually, Like Walter’s father, my dad was a shoemaker too and every day after school I went to his workshop, waiting for him to finish his day. When I got bored, he gave me bits and pieces of leather to make little objects with. In the end, I got in a training program (without even telling my dad). I’ve been doing this for about ten years now, and it makes me happy”
Have you ever tried on a pair of high heel shoes? Have you any idea how it feels like?
“NO! Ho no, I respect shoes too much to do that”.
One day, maybe, we’ll get to be one of Alexis’s customers (but I’m going to go with the odds and say it isn’t very likely). Until then -
Can you give an advice to women when they buy shoes, high heels in particular (I have a drawer full of beautiful pairs I use for only five minutes at a time)?
“Yes, you should pay attention to the arch of the foot, it has to be maintained, the shoe needs to support all the parts of the foot. Also, the leather needs to be tight, because it relaxes later, but you shouldn’t be in pain in any way. If it hurts – don’t buy”.
Hmmm… Not buying shoes that hurt our feet? Why didn’t I think of that before?
Steiger Bottier
33, Avenue Matignon 75008 Paris
Luckily, just 20 meters away you can find the ready-to-wear boutique for lower budgets (approximetly 390-600€ for women’s pumps, 480-1200€ for men’s shoes).
Walter Steiger,
83, Faubourg St Honoré
