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Craftsmanship

THE QUALITY OF MATERIAL

Materials Unusual in Sneaker Production

The various leather materials and finishing methods are seldom used in normal sneakers. SPINGLE challenges to produce sneakers with different leather textures, patterns and expressions.

The natural leather chosen includes kangaroo, cow, horse, pig, camel, goat, sheep, crocodile, python, lizard, eel and even rare occasions shark, etc. They are processed by printing and pleating. The natural leather is also dyed different colours for each pair of shoes. Then they undergo washing process.

SPINGLE-SPM272-BROWN

SPINGLE-SPM110-Red-1

One and Only Sneakers Created by Handcraftsmanship

We value quality so that sneakers are under strict quality control. All the sneakers undergo vulcanization process, and the heating, carbonization, shrinkage and discoloration processes are checked.

Each pair of sneakers is different with their own distinctive unevenness and wrinkles. As all the sneakers are handmade, each pair of sneakers is one and only in the world.

In order to deliver sneakers to customers that they have never seen before, we will continue to challenge ourselves all the possibilities in the future.

WHAT IS THE KILN-FINISHED METHOD?

The distinctive design and basic production process of Spingle sneakers are born in America in 1839.

As a special feature of Spingle Move, the threaded outsole is a unique design. The design enhances functionality and appearance of sneakers. The bottom of sneakers are strongly attached and bound to the body of sneakers, and which is hard to peel off. To result in this kind of firmness, the sole went through a vulcanization process.

Through the vulcanization process, the rubber outsole is strongly attached to the body of sneakers by the application of heat and pressure, and sulphur was added. The vulcanization process was invented by an American inventor Charles Goodyear in 1839 (more than 170 years before), as a basic method of making sneakers.

The craftsmen glued the upper part and outsole of sneakers together by hand and the unique sneakers were created real. However, the rubber outsole is still soft. By applying the vulcanization process, the upper part and the outsole are allowed to be attached tightly to each other.

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Spingle-vulcanization-1

More effort, time and craftsmanship are involved in making sneakers.

The sneakers are pressurized and heated in a kiln under more than 100 degree Celsius in one hour. When the process is completed, the door of kiln will open upward with a roar sound and smoke inside will leak out.

Full of hot air, white smoke and the scent of rubber, the craftsmen take the rack out. The sneakers are temporarily managed by cloth and string properly to prevent changing shape. Then, in order to stabilize the shape of the heated sneakers, they are cooled down by a large fan.

The vulcanization process is a basic and essential craftsmanship that requires a lot of time and effort than you imagine to compensate the low productivity. Therefore, the number of company applying the vulcanization process is drastically reduced. Currently, the companies in Japan that are still applying vulcanization process remain three, including SPINGLE. The plant of SPINGLE has more than 75 years of history, continuing to maintain the vulcanization process and share its good quality with the world.

Voices from Maker

We bring to you the voices of the craftsmen, invaluable in the making of SPINGLE shoes.

Sole Attachment

Sole Attachment (Kimura)

It is difficult to adjust the sole to match each shoe’s condition as the sole is attached.

We undertake finishing work to complete the sole attachment. To prevent gaps which may make the sole peel off, we take into consideration the condition of the upper material and choose appropriate glue to match.

Even with the same material, each shoe’s leather shrinkage is different so delicate adjustment is necessary and even now, to curve the end up is difficult.

When the material is difficult to glue on we are quite nervous.

A word to our customers

There are many color variations, so we hope you can enjoy choosing your shoes and wearing them in many situations.

Toe Tip Lasting

Toe Tip Lasting (Simogaichi)

We do lasting work by making sure that the shoes are of the same width and there are no size differences down to the millimeter, adjusting the upper to the wooden last to ensure there are no wrinkles.

The difficult part is to make sure that there is left and right symmetry in the materials. Furthermore, when the materials change, the way the hide stretches and point to point areas are slightly different, so the handwork must be done properly to match left and right and achieve balance.

If the left and right widths are different or the height is not right, the look will be wrong too, so we are making our best effort to align the shoes using analog measurement by the millimeter to ensure there is no difference and that the width is the same.

A word to our customers

We want you to really get into your shoes and get a lot of use out of them and think ‘these are really great shoes!’

For those who really want to treasure wearing their shoes, we’d be happy if you could treasure them by cleaning them correctly when they get dirty.

Lasting

Lasting (Segawa)

In order to make the look or the feel when you put your foot in not bad, we use a type of side lasting, in which a machine is used to pull over the front side, and then the outer and inner sides are matched to the last (foot mould).

Of course there is an impact on the look of the shoe, but according to the amount of stretching, the height of the shoe opening is changed, and it may become hard to put them on, so we are careful with this work.

A word to our customers

I like to go on drives, and these shoes are easy to drive in, so when you go sightseeing, I think you can enjoy these shoes both for driving and for walking.