The Quest for a Last

A last is essential for most shoemaking. It is the shape of the foot that the leather is stretched around (lasting) to form the shoe. The last determines the toe shape and heel height of the final shoe. Since not many people make shoes anymore, it can be difficult to source lasts for your own shoemaking that are well matched to your feet. I now own five pairs of lasts from three different places.

The lasts I used at Shoe School were originally from NZ shoe designer Minnie Cooper, who sadly went out of business in March '18. Understandably, Shoe School did not want to sell me their pair. A friend suggested to email Minnie Cooper and ask if she had any left (in true NZ style!). She very kindly sold me this pair for $25. Unfortunately, it was not the same last style I used (the style number differed by one number).

They are still very nice but the metal plates (used to protect the soles during machine lasting) will need to be removed before I can hand last them. It's not an easy task as the plates are glued down and nailed in with ribbed nails. Consider this when buying old lasts! As you can see, I removed one plate and temporarily ran out of motivation to remove the other after accidentally slicing my finger!

The second pair of lasts were new and purchased directly from Shoe School for $120. She only sells one women's style at the moment. You can find them on her website here: http://www.shoe-school.com/shop/shoeschool1 They will also need to be widened and shortened slightly for my feet, despite already being a wide style.

The remaining three pairs of lasts were purchased from Bruce Miller, one of the few last makers left with an extensive collection of vintage lasts. After several email exchanges and posting him a paper tracing of my feet, he selected three pairs of vintage lasts. He explained that shoe sizes used to be made in 12 different widths, from 'AAA' (very narrow) to 'EE' (very wide). The bright blue pair are a very close match for my feet and are a 'EE' width. Modern shoe factories in China and Vietnam do not want the expense so only make their shoes in one width, usually somewhere in the middle of the range to fit the most people possible.

I purchased these lasts for $30 each while visiting Mr Miller during my recent holiday in Melbourne, Australia. I was lucky enough to hear about his 60 years of experience in the shoe industry and see some of his old grading notes. He even showed me gigantic lasts he made for The Lord of the Rings films. Tragically, he now has so many unused lasts with the death of the Australian shoe industry that he sometimes gives them away to the poor for firewood! If you would like to purchase second hand lasts from Mr Miller, his email address is bamiller@netspace.net.au

Finally purchasing lasts online or from antique shops can be difficult because most people use them as ornaments and only have one and/or don't include all of the measurements you need. I have yet to purchase any lasts online but I have seen them on websites like Ebay and Etsy. I recommend using the word 'pair' on your search to narrow down the relevant results as well as looking for letters that would suit the width of your foot. This also filters out most of the listings for old shoe repair anvils that are frequently mislabeled as lasts.

Modifying shoe lasts either by shaving them down or building them up with EVA foam or vege tan leather is a skill in itself, so finding a lasts that closely resemble the shape of your feet will make it easier to start shoemaking. My next pair of shoes will be made using the bright blue lasts from Bruce Miller which don't require modifying. I will post photos of last modifications as they happen.