FAQ

SECTIONS

• Fit & Comfort
• Crafting & Production
• Footwear Design

 

FIT & COMFORT

 

What are some common fitting problems you regularly help solve?
These are the most common fitting problems we encounter on a regular basis. If your specific situation is not listed here, please contact us to check if we may help with your specific situation.

• Not enough space for your insoles or orthotics. Our remote foot shape acquisition process allows us to obtain the exact shape and dimensions of your insoles or orthotics
• Wide or narrow forefoot widths
• Large or small forefoot girths
• Sensitive big and/or small toes
• Too much or too little toe box room in the front of the shoe
• High or low insteps
• Large or small instep girths
• Wide or narrow heel widths
• Low ankle bones
• Pinching in the back of the heel
• Sensitivity to pressure in specific areas throughout your feet
• Bunions

Would it be possible that my bespoke shoes don't fit?
It is possible that by mistake we use a different client's foot information to craft your shoes, but in order to avoid this simple mistake, after we finish making a pair of bespoke shoes, we proceed by applying our reverse engineering process to the interior of your bespoke shoes, to make sure that the dimensions we obtain match the dimensions of your original foot molds and fitting preferences before we ship them out to you. If despite our quality control processes you still encounter any problems once you receive your shoes or boots, please call us at 212-903-5650 or email us at info@bondenoshoes.com so we may help you resolve any problems with your order.

What if my feet are two different sizes?
Actually we expect your left and right foot to be different sizes. After all, we have yet to see two feet that are exactly the same. When we begin crafting your shoe lasts, we first take foot information from the longest foot to craft that shoe last, and then we take foot information from the shorter foot to craft the second shoe last. We follow this order to achieve the highest level of comfort for both feet while keeping both shoes the same length. In the event a client has one foot that is considerably longer than the other, and making both shoes the same length create a tripping hazard for the foot that was shortest, we would recommend for the shoe made for the shortest foot to be shorter than the other shoe so that ease of walking and safety are set as the number one priority, instead of aesthetics.

What is the largest and smallest shoe you can make?
The longest bespoke shoe we can make is 15.3 inches long or 39 cm. This is equivalent roughly to a US men's size 18. The smallest shoe we can make is 5 inches long or 13 cm, equivalent to roughly a US toddler size 8.

Is there a limit to how wide you can make your shoes?
So far we have not come across a client with feet so wide that we have not been able to make shoes for.

Heel height
The standard heel height for a dress shoe is 2 cm or 0.78 inches. For high heel women's shoes, we can craft heels up to 4 inches tall.

Medical conditions
Although we are not a medical shoemaker, our custom shoes are able to provide comfort for most foot problems depending on how advanced the medical condition is. Please reach out to us and learn to what degree we are able to help your specific situation.

Fit recreations
If you are interested in recreating the fit of your most comfortable pair of shoes or boots, please reach out to us directly at 212-903-5650 or info@bondenoshoes.com. Men's dress shoes seem to be the most difficult shoe category to shop for because they can easily create discomfort and cause damage to our feet. If you happen to own a pair of shoes that have become very comfortable over the years through regular wear, they have essentially become a negative mold of your feet, holding extremely valuable and accurate information about every contour of your feet. Our fit recreation process can recreate this exact same fit before the leather starts to crack.

• Reverse Engineering & Bespoke Last Sculpting: we use our proprietary reverse engineering process to obtain the exact dimensions of the interior of your dress shoes or boots and proceed with our model rebuilding process to sculpt the left and right shoe lasts from scratch, which is the mold used to craft your final shoes. This set of bespoke lasts can be repeatedly used for future orders. We never mirror copy the left shoe last dimensions to the right shoe last or vice versa as we have yet to come across two shoes/feet that are exactly the same even if the shoes were originally ready-to-wear shoes.

CRAFTING & PRODUCTION

How long does each pair of shoes or boots take to craft? 
4 months

What is your workmanship warranty?
We offer 12 months of workmanship warranty from the day you receive your order. 

Where are Bondeno's lasts and shoes crafted?
Bondeno's shoes are crafted in Italy from beginning to end by our 6th generation shoemakers since 1908, using traditional Italian shoemaking techniques that we active work towards passing them down to generations to come. Our last makers are also in Italy and are 3rd generation last makers since 1949.

What is a bespoke custom made shoe last?
A custom made shoe last is a block of wood or other material shaped in the form of a shoe that contains the foot dimensions of the client. Thanks to this mold, the leather upper is able to keep its shape once the mold is taken out after the shoes have been completed.
We never make adjustments to numbered stock lasts. The left and right shoe lasts are individually carved from scratch to properly fit each foot.

Do you charge a fee to make my personal custom lasts?
We do not. The cost of making your personal lasts are included in the price of your shoes or boots. Traditionally, shoemakers have charged for the making of custom shoe lasts as it is time consuming and requires a consequential amount of expertise. The use of your own bespoke lasts to craft your footwear come included in the price of each pair of shoes or boots. They will be stored at our warehouse in Italy to be used every time you place a shoe or boot order. We only charge for this service when the client wants to purchase and physically own his own shoe lasts so a different shoemaker may craft shoes for him. In this event, our bespoke shoe lasts and boot lasts may be purchased at $1295 per pair.

Can you take into consideration my orthotics or insoles when making my shoes?
Yes, as long as you include and place your orthotics underneath your feet during the foot shape acquisition process. This allows us to have a clear picture of the shape of your feet and the position of your toes. This way, when we make your custom lasts, your orthotics would have become part of the volume of your feet. Also, when making your shoes, we will not add an insole so that your orthotic becomes the insole for your custom shoes unless otherwise requested. If we were to add insoles to your shoes, the addition of your orthotics would add too much height to the heel area of the shoe and you might have trouble walking in them as the heel could easily slip out.

FOOTWEAR DESIGN

Style Recreations
Although our classic collection is limited, we are able to craft almost any dress shoe style. After all, every shoe pattern design we create is custom drawn on the bespoke shoe lasts of the client from scratch. If you order a "FULLY CUSTOM DESIGNED" shoe or boot, our bespoke specialist will be working with you to arrive at the style and color that you want to commission.

Color Recreations
We are able to recreate hand-painted colors from a picture provided by a client but we do not offer the recreation of multi-tone mixed colors.

Is your question not answered here?

If your question is not here, please call us at 212-903-5650 or email us using the form below and we will respond with a detailed answer.