July 12, 2021

Shoegazing's Jesper Ingevaldsson on The Dangerous Fallacy of "Handmade" Shoes, The Coming Dress/Rugged Crossover, Who Needs Bespoke, and Plenty More

1 hour 20 minutes

It's completely possible that Jesper Ingevaldsson knows more about shoes than anyone alive. Jesper IS Shoegazing, the seminal and just monumentally good blog covering quality footwear, mostly in the classic dress category. Over the past decade he's taken a keen journalistic eye and an endless sense of curiosity, and educated millions on shoe construction and finishing while also presenting a razor-sharp review of the industry at large.

The thing that I love most about Jesper is that he knows his stuff in a way few do in any field—and yet he's not someone who sees his personally preferred, dressier lane as the only correct course for a shoe-lover.

His appreciation of all quality footwear is beyond evident as we get into the crossover between his nerdy world and Stitchdown's: why aren't more people in his wintry home nation of Sweden wearing more rugged boots? (Well luckily they're starting to, actually...) What is and isn't truly "handmade," how should brands market their products honestly, and what do we need to understand as customers? Why are we all so obsessed with buying shoes and boots on sale when it threatens the very existence of the makers we so dearly love? Why do we buy four or five pairs of expensive footwear that don't get worn enough when one bespoke pair might be the thing that we really need?

These questions and plenty more we discuss—including the correct pronunciation of Swedish shoe store Skoaktiebolaget—are relevant to everyone who loves any kinds of welted shoes. And Jesper's episode is an absolute must-listen.

This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, where you don't NEED an engineering degree to buy their engineer boots...but it helps.

Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera

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2026 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 4—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.

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