Size matters

The main photo was taken by my mom. It shows my own pair of classic Oxfords, which I made myself. Wearing handmade shoes is truly special, but the real reason was to double-check my skills in shoe last making, because proper fit is the ultimate and most difficult field test.

The truth is, I'd never had shoes that fit so perfectly before this little experiment of mine. If you want to ask someone, "What is the ultimate satisfaction?" ask me. Man, I can hardly explain it to you!

Flow is the most important thing. Flow is everything. I got this from the music industry. In music, you look for: health, beauty, truth. Every time I mention spirituality in shoemaking, that's exactly what I'm talking about.

Health. When you hear a sound and know it's coming from the right place. Your body is functioning properly, and the sound is produced without any harm.

Beauty. Do you like what you get? That's right up there with "truth." It's the most intuitive feeling. "You either move or you don't" – something like that.

Truth. That irreplaceable factor. The most important. The most wonderful. The most cherished. It's when you listen to a sound and think to yourself, "Man, I get it. I get it without a problem."

—Do I know what I want?—Yes!

—Do I want to be the best at what I do?—Yes!

—Does anything else matter?—No!

That's certainly an exaggeration. But that statement, in its essence, says where I stand. The search for the perfect fit was the driving force behind my initial interest in bespoke shoemaking. It was clear to me that "bespoke" meant exactly that. So, fit is paramount, the king. The idea behind a pair of shoes would then be the queen. At the end of the day, appearance also matters.