HOW IS A SHOE LAST MADE?
A last is designed for the shoe manufacturer and the original last was cut from a block of wood by hand. Now these are produced by a three dimensional CAD CAM system.
- Template designed and cardboards cut outs made.
- Material then cut to the required shape.
- Model made to check dimensions at specific places – once satisfactory production of whole size range made.
- Working last cut into two pieces & usually hinged together – so that it can be removed easily from the shoe without damaging it.
When a bespoke shoemaker creates a last for a customer and their feet, a new last won’t be made. Instead, extra pieces will simply be ‘tacked’ on to the existing last to cater for the ageing foot.
IMPORTANCE OF THE LAST
The original designer of the last has a difficult job as they need to create a last shape based on average feet and an average fitting and to suit any style. This aesthetically acceptable shape of a last must play its part in creating shoes to accommodate feet which can be far from aesthetically pleasing – at times a balance needs to be struck between how nice a shoe looks and how practical the shoe is. The best last designers can do both!!
The last model maker has to have a full knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the foot and be aware of the changes for gender and age. A last which has been designed for a women 25-35 year old women with a 5C fitting will be different to that of a last designed for 70 year old women of the same size 5C. The older women’s last would need to have a slightly narrower back because women’s feet become bonier in the heel as they go into their senior years and a last for the younger women would need to have a rounder cross section.