The Goodyear welt is a traditional method of construction for men’s dress shoes with an end product that is incredibly durable and easy to re-sole!
Charles Goodyear Jr. (the son of Charles Goodyear) invented the machinery for the Goodyear welt in 1869. The machine could quickly stitch the welt, upper, and soles, and soon replaced hand sewing in production. The welt is a strip of leather that sits between the insole and the upper of the shoe. It is stitched along the perimeter of the outsole*, making it easily replaceable and adding significantly to the lifespan of your shoes . Even though a Goodyear welt is one of the more time consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive of the traditional construction methods, it is still used by some traditional shoe manufacturers because of the integrity of the shoe.
*The outsole: The material on the bottom and exterior of the sole. The part of the shoe that comes into contact with the ground.
See all the Goodyear Welted Fluevogs.
