Basic Shoemaking – preserving a tradition

SATRA recently took delivery of the first edition printing of this major publication.

As regular readers may remember, SATRA’s ‘Basic shoemaking’ articles appeared as a serialisation in this magazine between 2009 and 2012. Written by SATRA technical experts, the articles described and outlined the entire shoemaking process – from pattern cutting to final inspection and shipping. The series was immediately popular, and within the first year we received numerous requests for the knowledge to be made available in one publication. Keeping this in mind, once it was complete work commenced on reformatting the entire content to produce a traditional-sized book.

The Basic Shoemaking book is a limited edition printed on Royal Octavo 150gsm silk paper, hard cover bound in library buckram and silver foil blocked. It contains 44 chapters, each of which takes the reader through a particular stage in the footwear manufacturing process. Shoemaking reference works of this nature have appeared occasionally in the past, but industry opinion is that an updated version is long overdue.

Basic Shoemaking will be of value to anyone working within the footwear manufacturing sector, including designers, developers, technologists, operatives, supervisors, managers and directors. It will also be useful to sourcing companies, retailers, product developers, and components and materials suppliers throughout the footwear supply chain. Indeed, as well as for the specific technical content it contains, we envisage that Basic Shoemaking will be prized in its entirety for preserving in print a tradition that has been all but lost in many countries. Please visit www.satra.co.uk/bookjan14 to acquire a limited edition copy while stocks last.

The book was printed and bound in England using traditional methods and, as shown here, SATRA’s technical and editorial contributors were invited to inspect the craftsmanship when the first edition print run was delivered fresh from the bindery.

Photograph shows a number of SATRA’s technical and editorial contributors inspecting the first edition print run of Basic Shoemaking. Standing from left: Austin Simmons, Mike George, Andy Bingham, Darren Roberts, Mark Southam, Tom Bayes, Ray Wisken and Stuart Morgan. Seated from left: Kala Tidball-Wykes, Debbie Reed, Lynne Brent, Sue Winckle and Daniel Cotter.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 14 of the January 2014 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

Other articles from this issue »

---