When you go shoe shopping, you might find a pair of shoes that look great but don’t feel as comfortable as you’d like, or maybe they feel great, but you can’t find a style to match your personality. Shoes that are “off-the-rack” aren’t always a perfect fit.
How do you buy custom shoes – and why might you want to? Well, oftentimes, there is a mix of different reasons why you would need or want custom shoes. A custom orthotic can be created to alleviate pain associated with high arches, painful joints, or back pain. Others may choose a custom shoe simply because it perfectly fits their foot. And still, others may just enjoy the freedom and personalization associated with customized footwear.
While a large portion of people may be okay with buying ready-made shoes, not everyone has luck finding the right fit or style. Whether you have physical ailments associated with poorly-fitting shoes or you just want a chance to have a one-of-a-kind accessory, there are customized shoes out there for you.
Customizing Your Footwear with Orthotics
If you are having problems with your feet, custom made shoes, called orthotics, can help ease the pain that comes from a variety of problems like,
- Painful pes cavus (or high arches)
- Painful joints due to pressure
- Back pain due to feet problems
- Prevents injuries or sores (helpful for those with diabetes)
- Helps realign joints to prevent further issues
- Helps to preserve your hips and knees
- When your feet aren’t properly absorbing the pressure of walking or running, your knees and hips are forced to absorb it, which they aren’t entirely made for.
- Helping to stabilize destruction or deformities in the foot
Orthotics are most definitely not a fix in and of themselves, but they can ease the pain that comes from the foot, knees, or hips due to injuries. In addition, custom orthotics can help stabilize your gait to help prevent further pain and injury.
Orthotic Inserts
Orthotic inserts are also available over-the-counter, in three different thicknesses or “volumes,” to accommodate for how much room they will be able to take up in a shoe. For instance, if you have a close-fitting cycling shoe, you’ll choose a low-volume insert. If you’re wearing a chunky work boot or ski boot, you’ll choose a high-profile insert. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of the OTC options a little later on.
Depending on the symptoms you’re trying to correct, you may find your solution in a ready-made insert. However, many people choose to seek the advice of a podiatrist and go for the custom-made option to fit the exact shape, size, and curvature of their own feet.
Custom Fit or Design
If you aren’t looking for a shoe that will fix a specific problem or pain, you can still get a custom shoe. Most custom shoes that aren’t made to fix a problem are all about the looks, materials, and individuality. The top reason’s that you would get custom shoes made if you don’t need orthotics are,
- You can design every single thing about the shoe! You can change the material and color of every part, including the stitching and soles.
- Handmade shoes usually last longer than shoes made in mass quantities in a factory due to the higher quality material used when hand stitching and cutting.
- You will never have to worry about your size and color being out of stock. Ordering custom made means your shoes are always available.
- In the case that your feet aren’t the same size, you can get different sizes for each foot, and they will still match perfectly.
- When buying tailored for your shoes(often called bespoke shoes), every measurement is specific to your feet, the comfort that will come with the shoes specifically made for you is unmatched.
How to Buy Custom Shoes
Buying custom shoes can be a lengthy process from the time of inception and design until you slip the perfectly-fitting pair on your feet.
Orthotics – Determining Your Need
If you think you need orthotics, the best thing for you to do first is to visit your family doctor or a podiatrist. Either of these will be able to help you figure out if your reason for wanting orthotics is valid or not. If you have an injury or a large issue with your muscle, joint, or nerve, orthotics will not fix the problem, and oftentimes not help your pain until the issue is fixed.
Once you see your doctor, they may start a physical assessment to help you figure out what exactly you need the shoes to help with. This will require a full history of your health including,
- Weight
- Height
- Your average level of physical activity
- Any medical conditions
- Any previous injuries
- Any surgeries
Prescription or Ready-Made?
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Custom
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Ready-Made
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N/A
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$19.99 ($19.99 / Count)
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Knowing this info will help your doctor figure out what kind of orthotics will help your concerns. Following your assessment, the doctor will make a diagnosis unless further testing is needed. Then you will need an impression mold of your feet; this is used to create an orthotic shoe that is specifically made for every curve and angle of your foot.
When choosing an orthotic over-the-counter option, you can either chose based upon what the product says it is made to fix, or you can have a foot scan at a kiosk in a store. The scan can give you several specific sizes and styles that can help with issues like,
- Back pain
- Heel pain
- Pain associated with minor injuries
- Specific sport-related support
- Severely flat foot
The difference between over-the-counter orthotics and custom prescription orthotics is usually compared to the difference between OTC reading glasses and prescription glasses. While one works for some people, it definitely won’t fix everyone’s problems, and some people need something stronger and more modified specifically for them.
Unfortunately, most custom prescription orthotics are not covered by insurance because they are considered nonessential or elective treatments. Prescription orthotics can be very expensive, and oftentimes, those who need them cannot afford them. Therefore, most people resort to the kiosk/foot scan type orthotics.
One-of-a-Kind Shoes Made for Style
If you are looking for custom shoes simply for the design or fit aspect, you have a multitude of options with places you can go to design your shoes. Some major brands allow you to mix and match colors and designs to come up with your own individual look. But there are also craftspeople and artists who can design something absolutely one-of-a-kind.
Customizable Options
You can go online to most major shoe retailers and design your shoes to match your personality. You can change several things about shoes like,
- Color
- Design/patterns on the material
- Type of material
- Embroidering
- Color of logos, laces, or the soles.
However, the downfall with this process is you only see the colors on a computer screen, which oftentimes don’t match up perfectly to what we see through our eyes, due to screens distorting color. You also do not get the benefit of trying the shoes on to find a perfect fit.
Handmade Options
There is also a huge market online for custom shoes that artists paint, draw, or create themselves to sell. This market is widely popular due to the huge market there is for individualistic, artistic, functional products right now. Basically, an artist will create a page or online storefront for their “shop.”
They make prints or custom designs on shoes based upon their liking and artist niche, you then can buy a one-of-a-kind, hand-drawn, and designed pair of shoes. The biggest draw to this type of product is that no matter what because these designs are hand-drawn, you will never find another shoe that is perfectly identical to yours.
This is also a great way to support local art and help someone small make a living rather than feed into big corporations. More and more, artisan products are prized for their quality and design, as well as their ability to stand the test of time.
Getting a Perfect Fit for Custom Footwear
If you want a perfect fit, you must go to a maker that specializes in custom measurements and fits. You also have a couple of options here when trying to find your perfect fit. You can,
- Have a foot scan and be matched with perfect fit insoles, socks, and shoes with traditional sizes.
- Go to a tailor and have them make shoes specifically for your feet based on measurements of every angle, curve, and inch of your feet.
Why Go Through All the Trouble?
Having your foot scanned and matched with insoles, socks, and shoes of traditional sizes is by far the best way to get fit with shoes before going to have shoes made for you. These shoes are usually described as “shoes that hug your feet in all the right places and don’t leave space for injuries.”
This allows for several problems to be avoided that usually come with buying traditional sizes of shoes like:
- Rubbing that can cause blisters
- Too much movement in joints which can cause injuries
- An issue with not knowing the right socks to wear with what shoes for maximum comfort
- Overall comfort issues
- The possibility of having shoes fit differently on both feet.
Tailored to You
Now, if you choose to go somewhere to get your tailored specifically for you, from scratch, this can turn into a very lengthy and expensive process, so you need to be prepared.
Some places will allow you to send your measurements to them through e-mail, phone, or mail. They usually have a list on their website of what measurements they need and other specificities. Then there is usually a catalog of different styles and customization options you can choose from.
Normally, companies have websites that allow you to be able to shop tailored-to-fit shoes from the comfort of your own home. However, some companies are still very much into the process of each customer coming into the store for the process. Usually, it is a multi-step process:
- The first time you would come into the shop, you would be measured and pick your style and design. Usually, the person making your shoe would have all of this written down and sometimes draw up a sketch for you.
- After a wait time, which is usually anywhere from 6-9 months, you would be asked to come back into the store for a fitting visit to make sure the shoes fit you well, and no adjustments are needed. It is important to be very specific and voice any concerns you have, as, after this visit, it is very hard to get things adjusted or changed.
- If the fitting goes well, you can expect to have the shoes cleaned and polished; they make your payment and take them home.
- If your shoes still need an adjustment, you will have to come back another time for another fitting appointment. Then process through that to see if you are ready to take the shoe home or not.
The Expense of Custom Shoes
Custom shoes can get very pricey very quickly, so when starting the process of shopping for custom shoes, whatever the reason, you should have a bit of money saved up and ready.
Prices differ depending on what reason you need custom shoes, but you can usually find something in your price range if you come into the process aware of what you are doing and what products you do and don’t want.
Orthotics
Orthotics can help a list of issues and pain points in your joints and muscles, so oftentimes, the prices that are associated with orthotics are understood and worth it. Prescription orthotics are more expensive but usually not covered by insurance; however, once again, the price is usually with the end result of fixing or helping an issue.
| Over the counter orthotics (not kiosk or foot scans) | Usually range from $10 to $80. These are not designed for your individual feet; they are made for specific problems but don’t seem to work as well as custom made orthotics. |
| Kiosk or foot scan orthotics | These can range anywhere from $100 to $200. In very rare circumstances, insurance will reimburse a portion of your total, helping to offset that cost. |
| Custom prescription orthotics | Can range from $400 to $600 on average. Insurance is more likely to help offset the cost of prescription orthotics but, on average only cover 40% to 50%. |
Custom Design
If you are in the market for shoes that are tailored to fit you or match your design or personality more than a mass-produced shoe, then you are looking at a higher price point as well. When a company cannot mass produce a shoe, it automatically markup the price of almost $100 as a starting baseline. So, custom shoes’ average price varies quite a bit.
| Custom-designed, traditional sizes | Usually, you can design a shoe and checkout with a starting price of about $170. However, you can easily reach $500-$600 depending on the retailer, and the specific unique qualities you add to your shoe. |
| Custom designed by artists | Hand-drawn, already finished custom art pieces can range from $400-$1000. Usually, the lower price is for lower quality shoes and smaller designs. You can also request a custom design that you made or ask the artist if they can draw something specifically for you. This can range from $600-$1100 depending on how intricate the design is. |
| Tailored to fit shoes | These shoes are extremely high priced due to most of them being handmade once you order them. Every single piece of leather and other material is cut for your specific shoe. Tailored shoes can range anywhere from $1,200-$10,000. |
Why Are Custom Tailored Shoes so Expensive?
It’s true that custom shoes can really break the bank. Like anything tailor-made, quite a lot goes into the design and production, as well as the quality of materials and the time of the artist. The end cost all depends on quite a few things.
- The time it takes you to complete the shoe making process. Usually, 6-9 months to complete.
- Usually, handmade which increases the labor costs
- Type of leather and other material used
- Usually, hand-sewn or molded
- Name brands are marked up more than lesser-known shops. However, name brands have made a name for themselves for a reason
- There is a list of bespoke shoemakers that are top 10 in all of the world, their shoes always start around the $5,000 mark and top out at $10,000
Finding Quality Tailored Shoes
When you start looking for quality tailored shoes, there will be a lot of places that claim one thing, but the most important thing you can do is research. You will need to pay special attention to a few details so you can verify the authenticity of the company.
- History of the company: While some companies that are newer might be perfectly fine to use, companies that have been around longer, or who have served many generations are more likely to have more quality results.
- History of the tailor: Someone who has been handmaking shoes for several years will yield better results than someone who is new to the shoemaking business
- Customer reviews: This is very important, but this can also be difficult to find and figure out real customers from planted reviews by the company. Your best bet is to read a collection of positive and negative (if there are both) and take a bit from each. You are most likely going to get a good idea about the company from how customers are writing about them
- Call and ask questions galore: It is perfectly fine to call and ask questions about the process and their quality. The best format to set up this conversation is to call as a customer who has never ordered shoes before. This allows you to ask any question without the company being too shielded.
Not doing your research could easily place you in a situation where the shoes you want are nothing like the shoes you actually receive. Or even they look like exactly what you ordered, but they may not hold up to the standard they claimed they would. Most times, working with a reputable artist or cobbler helps to ensure you receive a product you will be happy with.
Caring for Custom Shoes
Due to the high price tag associated with custom shoes, you want to take the time to maintain them. The care and upkeep of a custom item are crucial to protect your investment. A high level of care allows them to stay of the highest quality much longer. It is important to know how to care for your shoes before you bring them home, so you can have the right tools and products on hand when you need them.
Orthotics
- Take orthotics out of your shoes to let them dry and air out at the end of the day.
- Only wear your orthotics in the footwear they were designed to be worn in
- Do not leave them where they can be exposed to heat damage or freezing temperatures
Custom Designed, Bespoke or Custom-Tailored
- Buy the specific shoe cleaner as directed by the maker of your shoes
- Only clean according to the designer’s instructions; never use abrasive and harsh chemicals or brushes
- Avoid wearing your shoes in inclement weather
- Make sure you know how to protect them from the elements
- Take care when putting your shoes on and storing them. Don’t allow them to be crushed or flattened as it can damage the design and overall shape.
- Purchase a shoe tree. This helps your shoe keep its shape, as well as the cedarwood absorbing smells and moisture that could damage the finish.
- Get into a routine with your polishing. This is the best way to keep your shoes looking like new
- Swap out your soles regularly. Depending on how often you wear them, your soles will wear down and no longer be as comfortable as when you first got them.
- Replace your laces regularly to keep looking nice and help keep that tight fit.
Custom Shoes, What Suits You – and Your Pocketbook?
You may still wonder whether custom orthotics, custom design, and bespoke shoes are worth it. Well, are they? Realistically, this answer will differ from person to person, depending on their needs, wants, likes, and dislikes. If you are a picky person, or someone with sensitive feet, you will probably tell the difference between traditional, mass-produced shoes, versus custom orthotics or bespoke shoes.
| Over-the-counter orthotics | An inexpensive fix and may do the trick for many people. They sure are popular enough. However, they are not made specifically for your feet or your issues, and they wear down pretty fast due to being mass-produced. You are looking at a pretty high rate of replacement – usually twice a year. Customer orthotics tend to last five years or more. |
| Custom orthotics | More of financial investment, but medically proven to help reduce pain and pressure in joints. More widely accepted as worth the price you have to pay to have these. The science backs these shoes, showing the results of joint damage and pain from before the use of orthotics versus after. The testimonies from real-life customers also speak volumes when they are regularly saying they have less |
| A custom-designed shoe from a specific artist or craftsperson | The price tags are pretty steep for a seemingly simple design process. However, it all depends on how highly you value the hard work it took to make the shoes, and how important it is for you to have one-of-a-kind shoes. The customers who speak the highest of this process are usually artistic people who are highly individualistic and prefer to support local art any way they can. |
| Custom-designed shoes from major shoe manufacturers | Significantly more expensive than a standard model by a manufacturer. Give you the flexibility of design, but you are still limited to only expressing yourself in a certain color palate or combination. They are modifiable, not “custom.” Still, people are more willing to pay the price tag when the name brand is one they value and is a high-quality producer. Most people choosing this option enjoy showing off both the brand, as well as their own style, by making their own design choices. |
Are Custom Shoes Worth It?
Overall, custom shoes can be a very beneficial avenue for any person. Whether it’s easing up pressure on your joints or having a pair of shoes that no one else in the world will have, custom shoes are a huge way to express your individuality and have something specifically made for you. While most things are mass-produced today, having something individualized is a characteristic a lot of people desire. Shoes are a great place to start.
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