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Regular
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ABOUT CARE: When the leather we use is made at the tannery, extra oils and waxes are “hot-stuffed” into it, making the leather water resilient, so after repeated wettings the leather doesn’t stiffen and crack. Its natural open-grain surface is not lacquered to be shiny. A light application of any leather-care product will prolong leather life and improve appearance. For a shinier look, use a waxy shoe polish.
ABOUT FIT: When you first put them on, pull them onto your bare feet. The fit should be snug, but not so tight they hurt. They will soon stretch around your step, and your footprint will sink into the moldable leather insole. After the first several hundred steps, they should be comfortable with regular socks. To hasten the molding of the leather to your feet, you may soak the shoes in warm water for a few minutes, then stand or walk in them barefoot for a while, and let dry. If you plan to wear them with real thick socks, tell us, and we will jump the sizing up some.
ABOUT ARCH SUPPORTS: Do healthy organs need mechanical supports? If you have medical foot problems, see a doctor and you may be prescribed an orthotic device. We do not do orthopedic prescriptions. We make foot-shaped shoes and sandals, and we laminate a curve into the soling under the arch of the foot, because that is the shape of feet. This “leaf-spring” arch in the sole is not an orthotic device— it is flexible. For an extra $10 we can stiffen this arch with a built-in crepe lift between the soling for whoever tells us they need extra arch support. If you would like us to build footwear to wear your orthotic in, we can make Custom Patterns to make that work. We need to trace and measure your foot twice, once barefoot, and another standing on the orthotic. This will give us the information we need to build more room into the shoe to accomodate the orthotic.
ABOUT SOLES: Regular vs. Traction-Tread. Both are Vibram brand soles and will provide a good balance between comfort and durability. The Traction-Tread sole offers better traction in winter conditions but, like a snow tire, it is prone to wear faster than the Regular sole due to its more aggressive profile. Both soles can be fitted with our Heavy-Duty Heel option.
Traction-TreadRegular
ABOUT HEAVY-DUTY HEELS: Our standard sole and heel is a Vibram Evaflex, which is made of a soft polymer that gives good wear, cushioning, and is lightweight. If you wear your heels down quickly, or only on one side, then for an extra $10 we can grind off a layer of the Vibram heel and attach a harder heel. The heel then lasts longer, but the shoe is heavier and the world underfoot feels not as cushy. Often, a worn-over shoe only needs an $10 heel.
ABOUT COLOR AND GRAIN: We have leather tannery-dyed brown, and black. From each skin we cut pieces with smooth-grained surfaces and pieces with pebble-grained surfaces, little bumps on it. The smooth grain is denser and the pebble grain is softer. We can also do suede-out. Swatches of these leathers can be sent upon request.
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ABOUT DELIVERY TIME: If we have what you want in stock, we can ship it the next day. If we have to make them up, allow two to three months for delivery of summer and fall orders, and a month or two from January to May. This is an approximation and can vary. These long lead-times are because we do orders on a first-come-first-serve basis, and we pile up the orders in the summer and fall. We wish we could get the shoes to you quicker, but we can only do what we can do, one pair at a time. Feel free to call at any time about your order’s status. If you absolutely need them sooner, ask and we may be able to do that.
ABOUT WHETHER A REGULAR SIZE OR A CUSTOM FIT: If you’re not sure, call us and we’ll try to reckon what you would feel comfortable with. Or, send us the foot tracings, and we can look them over, then phone you to talk about what would work well.
ABOUT CUSTOM-PATTERN RE-ORDERS: If we’ve already made custom patterns for you and you want to re-order the same style, there is no extra $40 Custom charge. If we have your patterns for one style and you want another style, half the work is already done, so it’s $20 instead of $40 for that.
ABOUT RESOLES: We service what we make. Just send worn-out Fernand Footwear to us, with your instructions, return address, and payment ($35 for resoling and reconditioning, $9 return shipping, plus 6% sales tax if you are in Michigan), and we will replace the Vibram soles, put on a heavy-duty heel if you want (an extra $10, see above), fix any stitching if needed (no charge), and recondition the leather. If the leather is still in good shape, a new sole is worth it. If you have worn your heels greatly to one side, a heavy-duty heel is recommended.
Home Trace Your Feet Styles & Prices Order Here
What We Do Where We're At Who We Are
(800) 419-8621