Materna Shoes at Mahlerstraße 5.

Rare wood-pegged shoes

Wood-nailed or wood-pegged shoes, “holzgenagelte Schuhe” as they say in German, are rare, and fine wood-pegged shoes are very rare. Most shoemakers left, who can make them properly are in Austria. Among them Materna could be the number one. That is my impression.

Today master shoemaker Martin Dellantonio runs the shop in Mahlerstraße. He took over the business in 2008, when Materna himself, Georg Materna, retired. He had been the owner since 1973.

Shoemaker Benjamin Schwarzel.

Wood-pegged shoes versus hand-welted shoes

All things being equal most shoe enthusiasts will rate hand-welted shoes above handmade wood-pegged shoes. However, in reality fine wood-pegged shoes will beat many hand-welted shoes.

I discussed the differences with shoemaker Benjamin Schwarzel, right hand to Martin Dellantonio at Materna. He admitted that in theory hand-welted shoes would be more durable, because you can re-sole them more times. On a practical level, though, you can have wood-nailed shoes for years like welted shoes, if you take care of them.

Benjamin Schwarzel also rejected the claim you sometimes hear that wood-nailed shoes will be harder to your feet than welted shoes. When well-made you will experience the same comfort in wood-nailed shoes as in welted shoes.

Are wood-pegged shoes more stable? I forgot to touch upon that with Benjamin Schwarzel. Some connoisseurs think that.

Wood-pegged shoes are three to four hours faster to make than hand-welted shoes, Benjamin Schwarzel told me.

Materna Shoes in Vienna

I got the impression that Materna has a lot of attention to the lasts. I don’t think they reach the level of Scheer but they definitely put more effort into the last making than, say the shoemakers in Budapest.

In terms of style Materna’s shoes follow a conservative Austrian tradition. You don’t see super narrow waists or long flat toes as you do on many bespoke shoes from Japan, Italy, France and sometimes even from England.

On the other hand Materna’s style is not clunky at all. It is just subdued compared to the current international Instagram fashion in bespoke shoes.

The start price at Materna for bespoke wood-pegged shoes or bespoke hand-welted shoes is 1650 euro.

Bespoke shoes samples from Materna

Immaculate oxford button boots.

Plane derby shoes.

Loafers in shell cordovan.

Monk shoes.

Brogue oxford shoes.

Wholecuts.

Visit Materna.

The Rudolf Scheer storefront at Bräunerstraße in Vienna.

Old Rudolf Scheer

Vienna still has eight to nine bespoke shoemakers. In the group it is fair to say that Rudolf Scheer & Söhne holds a special position. Founded in 1816 it is the oldest bespoke shoemaker in world, even older than John Lobb in London.

Traditional Vienna shoe with a central hem from toe to laces.

Family-owned business

The amazing fact that the same family has owned the shop since 1816 also gives an aura to the firm. Today it is 7th generation embodied in Markus Scheer that runs the business.

Add to that the historical client list with numerous emperors and kings.

The last shall be the first.

Attention to fit

Apart from that there is no doubt to me that the shoemaker makes very fine shoes too. I saw a lot of attention to fit. Markus Scheer carves a last from a fresh piece of wood, and he and his staff make a proper trial shoe for the customer.

In regard to design Scheer offers more options. My impression is, though, that they follow a conservative pattern with no extreme toe or waist or suchlike features. Overall, their shoes appear slightly more sturdy than bespoke English or bespoke French shoes, like fine leather shoes in general do in Central Europe.

In the workshop on first floor.

Trial shoe in Scheer’s workshop

Clients’ trial shoes on shelves.

Expensive shoes

History and quality come at a price, of course. I was quoted 5.000 euro for a pair of shoes. That is about the same as Cleverley and John Lobb in London charge and somewhat more than Benjamin Klemann in Hamburg.

Waiting time is a barrier as well. Currently, you have to wait one full year at Scheer for a pair of shoes.

Stay tuned for more accessible bespoke shoemakers in Vienna.

Photography: Sartorial Notes