Styles: welted and double-stitched
All shoes from lászló-Budapest are either welted or double-stitched. Both styles are closely related, require a lot of manual work in production - and have a long history.
The better-known welted sewing method in particular is still regarded as the pinnacle of manufacturing techniques. It owes this reputation to elitist shoe lovers who for generations have taken nothing for granted. Out of snobbery? ... That too! Welted shoes radiate a proud beauty that makes connoisseurs and aesthetes happy, even if, or perhaps because, these shoes refuse to be purely utilitarian.
But that is not the real reason for their high prestige. The welt sewing process, which also applies to the machine-made version known as "Goodyear welt", is based on a perfectly perfected craft technique that still offers advantages in terms of durability and comfort - we have already mentioned the beauty - that other shoes cannot match.
Welted - the premier class
The shoemaking technique of welt sewing has been around since the uniquely creative era of the Renaissance. At the time of Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer and the discovery of America, resourceful shoemakers developed a new technique that used a double sole and double stitching to produce shoes that were more durable and kept their shape better than any of the "windy" reversible shoes that had been common until then. This was particularly popular with the up-and-coming urban patricians and remained in use among the nobility and bourgeoisie for centuries. Until, in the century of industrialization, the ingenious Württemberg engineers Andreas Eppler and H. C. Gros invented sewing machines with which the soles of welted shoes could also be sewn on mechanically, i.e. "stitched in" (1874) and "doubled" (1875).
Ancient machines for modern requirements
After Eppler and Gros sold their inventions to the American manufacturer Charles Goodyear, the new machines spread quickly and also came to Europe in the 1880s. Here they were rented out to European shoe factories via a subsidiary of the United Shoe Machinery Company (USMC), a powerful American trust.
From the outset, these new machines were so technically advanced that they were and are basically incorrigible. It is therefore not at all surprising, but only logical, that our shoes from lászló-Budapest are sewn in a traditional Hungarian shoe factory on ancient machines - because they meet all modern requirements.
Double-stitched - technology for connoisseurs
Much less is known about the history of double-stitching. In terms of technical history, however, it is hardly younger than frame sewing. In fact, hardly any historical sources or models older than two hundred years have survived.
The earliest evidence of the distinctive appearance of double-stitched shoes are mainly old copper engravings and paintings from the Alpine region, in which shoes with two seams accompany the decorative costumes of hunters and hikers.
The double stitching technique, which works with two seams and two soles like welt stitching, produces particularly sturdy shoes. The decisive factor here - both visually and technically - is the mechanical connection between the sole and the upper part of the shoe thanks to the special stitching, which is different to welted shoes and in which both seams remain visible on the welt at the end of the manufacturing process.
Leather sole - it can also be a little more
lászló-Budapest chooses the double stitching technique to make models even more stable and resilient. We always combine this technique with a double leather sole.
Our classic "Istvan" Budapester emphasizes its typical robustness with the double-stitched double sole. The traditional nailing of the outsole in the form of small pyramids, each consisting of six metal pins, further emphasizes the characteristic Budapest look.
Our fashion-inspired "Francesco" and "Alessio" models are also double-stitched. The decorative double stitching in combination with the double leather sole gives them a striking, down-to-earth look that harmoniously balances the modern design.
Our welted models are available with either a single or double leather sole as standard. Only our English-inspired classics "Henry", "George" and "Edward" do without double soles. With their classic, formal appearance, they benefit from the elegance of the single leather sole.
The pricking and doubling of welt and double seams
The components of a welted and double-stitched shoe are identical. However, they are joined together differently when making the bottom. In both styles, the upper leather, which has been stretched over the last, is first sewn together with the welt and the insole lip in the first "single stitch seam". The different position and further processing of the welt distinguishes the welted shoe from the double-stitched shoe.
In welted shoes, the welt is positioned in such a way that the first single seam later disappears inside the shoe as soon as the sewn-on welt is folded down and the outsole or midsole is "coupled" to it with the second seam. With double-stitched shoes, on the other hand, the sewn-on welt is bent at right angles to the outside and then the outsole (midsole) is visibly sewn or "doubled" onto the welt next to the single-stitch seam.
Elegance and down-to-earthness
Because the welt, on which both seams remain visible, protrudes slightly beyond the shoe outline in double-stitched shoes, the shoe - and the foot in it - appears somewhat more compact and down-to-earth in appearance.
In contrast, the sole width can be varied on welted shoes. The further away from the edge of the sole the insole lip is positioned when building the bottom, the less the welt and the sole will later protrude over the sole of the foot. This means that the shoe - and the appearance - can be kept very slim and elegant.