This week we've got a chat with Andrew Turriff, a Canadian shoemaker who studied at Cordwainer’s Footwear Design program in London, worked for some big sneaker brands, and did pattern work for fellow Canadians Viberg and time in the orthopedic world before deciding to make a zero-drop, anatomical, barefoot shoe with of top-end materials—and also make it resolable, which it’s otherwise quite tough to find. 

Turriff Functional Footwear's launch model recently became available and I’ve been wearing and loving the shoes for over a month now. Are my feet stronger? I have no idea. Am I a barefoot shoe zealot now? Nope! But I legitimately love the shoes Andrew’s created. 

Our chat that gets deep into the science behind barefoot shoes, the technical construction and design aspects of Turriff Footwear, and the shoemaking journey that provided the building blocks for what’s certainly been one of the more interesting pieces of quality footwear I’ve worn in a while. 

https://www.turriffshoes.com/

Matt Priest, President and CEO of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, came on the Shoecast the morning after 104% tariffs on Chinese goods into the US hit in a rapidly-moving-target trade war with the United States and just about every other country. 

What ARE tariffs? How might tariffs and general uncertainty impact massive shoe brands? Smaller ones? Made-in-USA footwear? Retail prices? What's kinds of supply chain breakdowns have already happened and what might be next? How does the lobbying work that FDRA does function and benefit the footwear industry? And why is everyone suddenly really, really mad at Matt? 

After a half decade of relentlessly shaming him into it, last month we finally had Derek Guy on the Shoecast—you know, Menswear Guy from Twitter, the style sage behind the Die Workwear podcast on Blamo and his own Die workwear blog, and plenty more. 

That first episode—pretty much an hour and a half of shoes Derek likes and doesn’t, with way even more depth than I bargained for—was so good that we had to have him back on for a bonus episode. 

This time we get into a bit more on Derek himself, including his earlier days as a forum nerd and how the whole Twitter thing happened—plus his thoughts on house shoes, Reebok Pumps, why the emotional durability of things we buy is so important…Dainite nipples?… and why he sometimes wishes he was a little bit nicer. 

Andy is BACK for a Shoecast bonus episode—to field listener questions and let us all know how to tell when's the right time to condition leather shoes (and why you shouldn’t condition outsoles), how to unsqueak your shoes, why PH basic=bad, how shoe care misinformation spreads, and plenty more, of course including cheese. 

Check out Andy's main episode here: https://www.stitchdown.com/stitchdown-shoecast/shoe-leather-care-101-andy-vaughn-pure-polish/

And Pure Polish's site and product range: https://www.purepolishproducts.com/

Jamie Thomas is one of the most revered skateboarders of all time—and also a footwear designer and serial skate shoe brand founder. The release of his latest project Warsaw seemed as good an excuse as any to have Jamie take me through the history of skate shoes and the sponsorships that arose around them, how and where they're made—and with what materials, constructions, and performance considerations—and how the landscape of one of the world's most influential types of footwear has shifted over the decades. 

Here’s my chat with Jamie Thomas, on the Shoecast. 

Jamie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiethomas/

Warsaw: https://warsawltd.com/

Jamie Thomas' 1997 Leap of Faith jump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqqPCqyAfl4

The idea that well-made, resoable footwear can last almost literally forever is one of its core allures—but it’s a promise that simply won’t come true if it’s not cared for properly. Especially the leather. 

But what’s the best way to do that? And for different types of leather? Well you’ll know a ton more after my fantastic chat with Andy Vaughn, owner of Pure Polish, the Oregon-based company whose emphasis on 100% natural, non-toxic leather care products is fulfilled thanks to the kind of experience and knowledge that comes with obviously researching and making the stuff—but also personally restoring over 100 pairs of vintage shoes—all of which we got out of Andy over the course of a fantastic episode. 

Get ready for the most fun you’ll ever have learning about Bentonite clay, along with where things can go VERY wrong, Andy’s Universal Care Truth Trinity, why brushing is so essential and if the fancy ones are worth it, and plenty more. 

Time to keep it clean, keep it conditioned, and keep it protected, with Andy Vaughn, of Pure Polish. 

It's our first-ever BONUS Shoecast episode—in a brand new format called Shop Talk. 

The idea is simple: 

-1 moderator (Ben from Stitchdown)

-2 guests—this time, Brett Viberg of Viberg Boot, and Shuyler Mowe of Nicks Boots.

-3 questions apiece—which can be about absolutely anything, and the other guest MUST answer meaningfully. 

And boy did it end up being hugely revealing, and insightful, and just damned interesting. And fun! 

Hope to see you in the Discord! And right here for more bonus episodes, coming very soon.