the idea

Air Gian was born during the second lockdown as a hobby, from a great passion for sneakers, especially vintage ones.

Thanks to the photos on the internet and various videos I reconstructed a pattern that could be as close as possible to the original one.

When the pattern was finished, I bought a side of vegetable tanned leather and I started preparing the elements and doing various tests, the goal was to prepare all the material and then contact a shoemaker to make the hemming (sewing operation) and to assembly on the soles, recovered from a current model, manufactured by Nike.

I prepared the pieces, I dyed them with a special product and I recreated labels and logos of the past, I then personalized and screen printed them.

the problems

When starting a new project, especially if in an unexplored field, you need to be prepared to manage the unexpected.

To proceed with the construction of the shoe I contacted various shoemakers to receive quotes. The prices were really high compared to expectations; fortunately, a professional, against his interests, advised me to contact Montebelluna, home to an important footwear district, where many shoemakers rely on operations such as hemming due to lack of time and machinery.

After a series of phone calls, I identified a company available to help me, so I left for the city of shoes.

Here I immediately confronted the owner who, as soon as he saw the pieces I prepared, complimented for my patience and started laughing jokingly with his collaborators; he explained to me that the leather I had used was absolutely not suitable for creating a comfortable shoe; however, he offered to give me his time to explain me how a shoe is created, providing me the correct materials.

preparation

In order to create a shoe we start from the last, its shape recreates the proportions of a human foot and allows the shoe to be designed and assembled.

We start by covering the latter with paper tape, it is detached and spread on a sheet, thus transferring a three-dimensional surface on two dimensions, thus creating the base. At this point the shoe can be designed. The templates of the various components are then obtained.

Those can bet used to cut out pieces to create a prototype and if this is successful they can be digitized to proceed into production.

the components

The number of components to make a shoe is truly remarkable.

In addition to those visible externally there are as many internal elements essential to reinforce the structure and to guarantee the solidity of the finished product.

the process

The footwear industry, despite some technological innovations, is still very artisanal.

With the digitized model we start from the CNC cutter to obtain the components.

We then move on to the hemming.

Then the shank, a process that uses a thermal shock to give a rough shape and thermoform the internal reinforcements.

The assembly consists in fixing the upper to the insole, by means of the last.

It is sanded to remove excess material.

You can now glue our upper to the sole. To ensure an excellent grip, you switch to one

pressurized chamber that creates the vacuum.

It ends by sewing the sole along the perimeter.

Here the video of the whole process: