behind the seams

Owning a pair of Ildikó Gál custom-made shoes is one of the best long term investments a man can make to his wardrobe.While mass produced shoes have a limited life span, bespoke footwear – if properly maintained – can last as long as 10 or 15 years without losing its shape or support.

Wearing poorly made shoes can be painful, put tremendous stress on your spine and ultimately affect the way you walk. A pair of custom-made Ildikó Gál shoes is much more than a fashionable luxury item – it is an essential ingredient for treating your feet like royalty.

In the selection of materials, we employ a traditional attitude. We use a plant-based agent for tanning and the world’s very finest leathers. The sewing thread comes from the strongest plant fibers. All of the work, from designing and cutting, to sewing of the welt, attaching the sole, stitching and buffing, is painstakingly done by hand.

Our bespoke footwear is made to fit your lifestyle as much as your feet. Each pair is a work of art with enduring qualities. Like a fine wine, bespoke footwear from Ildikó Gál will improve with age. The secret mystery behind the uncompromising quality of our footwear lies in the hands of the third generation artisans who passionately produce each pair by hand, one step at a time.

What’s important to know about Ildikó Gál shoes?
All of our custom fitted shoes are made with the world-renown Redenbach leather soles.  This German tannery company, founded in 1871, is considered the gold standard bearer for the manufacture of durable, cellular sole leather. The company uses the century-old, classic method of oak-bark ground tanning to ensure the strongest, most long lasting quality of leather.

Proper care for your custom shoes from Ildikó Gál is essential to maintaining them for many years.  This means you should not wear them every day.
The leather takes in moisture and so it is advised that for every day of wear, you should set aside your shoes for a day to
dry out the moisture. Our non-varnished aspenwood shoe trees will aid in the drying process.
We use solid brass nails by Gowi in all of our footwear.  Gowi has been in business since 1915 and has been producing brass nails for custom shoes since the 1950s.
Ildikó Gál footwear comes in a variety of skins and can be tailored to meet the specifications of its customers.
These include:

• Calf skin
• Cowhide
• French calf
• Buffalo
• Shell Cordovan from Horween
• Crocodile
• Alligator
• Stingray
• Ostrich
• Shark
• Python
• Lizard