Proper_Last

For all of its importance to the fit, style, and function of today's footwear,
the last is still one of the least expensive, if not the least expensive
component of a successfully made shoe. Unlike other components, a
last can be used over and over, usually for the life of the style unless it
gets damaged or lost. So, with such a robust return on the investment,
why not take special care to make sure the last does what it is supposed
to do...make the shoes look right and FIT right?

With the technology that is available today there is no reason not to
insure that the lasts your company's shoes are made on is designed
with the fit features needed to satisfy your customers. Backparts can be
digitally standardized by category and heel height to insure consistent,
proper fit throughout a brand's lines from season to season. The only
reason we all have so many different sizes among the shoes in our
closet is the lack of attention to last development by many of the shoe
companies we are loyal to. It's bad enough when sizes vary from brand to
brand but when we have to buy different sizes within the same brand just
because you changed styles...that's inexcusable.

There are many "secrets" about lasts that many companies are simply
not aware of. These secrets go far beyond the sometimes mystical
practice of last model making. Did you know...

That software exists that allows you to create new last styles at
your desk in a fraction of the time it used to take on the
workbench?
That virtually every reasonably large last factory in the world is now
using digital data instead of wooden models to run their pairs and
that this data can be imported and exported in generic formats so
that all companies can communicate with each other?
That a digitized last can be "offset" to simulate the material
thicknesses in the shoe for better, faster, and more accurate sole
mold production?
That with a bad last you have virtually NO CHANCE of making a
good shoe, no matter how nice the style may look?
That your customer's lasting (pun intended) opinion of your shoes
is based much more on how their feet feel when they take the
shoes off than how their ego feels when they put them on?

If you didn't know these things, you have no excuses now. Why continue
to let factories on the other side of the world who have never been taught
anything about the American foot decide which last your shoes should be
made on? It really doesn't matter to me if you use me to develop your
lasts or if you go to another last company with experience in American fit
to have it done. Just make sure this simple, yet crucial step in your
product development cycle is done by someone qualified to give you the
results you want and need.