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Large Size Shoes for Women has provided this information on basic shoe construction to help our customers better understand the five main types of shoe construction. Shoe construction is essentially the manner in which the sole is attached to the upper. This is done by sewing, cementing, heat molding, nails or tacks. Several different factors will determine the type of construction the manufacturer will choose for a particular style. Cost, apperance and weight are the three main factors that determine the type of construction that will be used.
Cement Process (Most popular construction of women's shoes)
Cementing is the process used in well over half the shoes built today. First introduced in 1928 this type of shoe construction offers a sturdy, light weight and cost effective way to build shoes. The process is actually quite simple. The outsole is attached to the insole and underflaps of the upper by a bonding cement. Between the outsole and insole is a layer of filler material (usually ground cork) to create a flat footbed.
Genuine Moccasin Construction
This is the oldest form of shoe construction and is still used today. A true moccasin construction simply wraps the upper around the foot or last and is sewn together at the seam created under the foot or last. A machine made moccasin will look the same but the upper will not wrap the foot or last. A machine made moccasin will attach a sole to the underflaps of the upper, usually cemented.
Stitchdown Process
The stitchdown process is one of the oldest and simplest methods of shoe construction. In it's basic form it consists of stitching the underflaps of the upper to the sole. This is referred to as a single-sole stitchdown and needs no insole. It is an easy and inexpensive type of shoe construction.
Heat-Sealing Process
There are two types of heat-seal construction, vulcanized and injection-molded. Vulcanized is the process where the rubber sole and heel as one unit are heat-molded to the upper. The injection-molded process is the same except that the sole and heel unit is thermoplastic instead of rubber. The thermoplastic is injected into a mold and heat sealed to the upper. Both methods make for very sturdy and long wearing footwear.
Goodyear Welt (Very rarely used for women's shoes)
This process has been used for centuries and became very popular with the invention of the sole-stitching machine. It is regarded as the king of shoe construction because of its structural integrity and craftsmanship. It is used today in better grade men's dress shoes. The welt is a flat narrow strip of leather laid over the top edge of the outsole. A four-layer sandwich is created, outsole, welt, insole and underflaps of the upper. These are stitched together for a very sturdy type of shoe construction. The Goodyear Welt process is easily re-soled.
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