A New Bespoke Shoemaker Born In The U.S.A!

Francis Waplinger is a bespoke shoemaker from NYC who does everything himself; from the measurements, lasts, and crafting, his work is incredible! Let's meet him and learn about his process!
#nyc #shoemaker #kirbyallison

Contact Francis Waplinger

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Let's Meet A Bespoke Shoemaker from NYC!
00:00 Introduction
02:40 Francis' Inspiration
05:17 Black Captoe Oxford
6:51 Burgundy Captoe Oxford
7:35 Museum Calf Captoe Oxford
8:41 Tan Derby
10:19 Francis' Journey into Bespoke
14:20 Francis' Methodology
18:29 Why Go Bespoke?
24:13 What's Your Process?
34:17 How to Reach Francis
36:14 Prices
37:36 What Is Francis Wearing?
38:58 Italian VS American Process
42:05 Francis' Goals
43:06 Closing

WHAT IS KIRBY WEARING

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[ImNumber]

The US needs more bespoke shoemakers. The US is the largest bespoke shoe market, so it makes sense to have more bespoke shoemakers

[TrashfordKent]

thanks for highlighting this and giving Francis a platform to show his work.

[amadejpesko]

Great to see some new faces in the world of bespoke shoes.

[roblqz]

Impressed. Thank-you Kirby, and Guest FRANCIS.

[gregorythomas]

Trained in the right place for style. Will check this guy out for sure! Interesting conversation. Many American brands were top shelf back in their day. I even have an older pair of AEs that are just amazing. Leather like butter and just flawless. Sadly today AEs are poorly made and I buy elsewhere. Looking forward to seeing what he has here in the good ol' USA!

[paulthompson]

I'm here for the passion absolutely love and somebody finds what they love to do to help others

[jakeMontejo]

Always interesting videos. I will probably never be a part of this world, but the topics are interesting- nonetheless. This gent, compared to the other cobblers, seems to be the youngest and most unrefined on camera, but you can feel his passion.

[TitusGidel]

As a Shoemaker from KENYA 🇰🇪 I do like this

[francisstephen]

The saddle shoe is really good, a traditional American aesthetic and very stylish and elegant!

[JAG]

Great video and glad you are from Dallas, TX like myself because I am born, raise and live in Dallas

[uptowned]

I have more than 200 pairs of bespoke shoes at home and I still can't get enough! Have you ever heard of the old master "Ramadan Deral" from Istanbul? You should visit him as well!

[Iberian]

Hello Kirby, maybe when you begin traveling overseas again, you can visit Casa Fagliano. Yes they make mostly boots, but they also make oxfords, JLC Reverso straps, etc. I think it’d be a great trip for your team and a nice interview.

[wizaxed]

Kirby - You ask great questions. Great interview of this guy! Those are some really nice looking shoes!

[ericrickert]

This was a really nice explanation of this process. At this time, a bespoke shoe is outside of my budget, but I certainly do want to have them at some point.
My primary takeaway, for now, was about shoe trees. I had to pause this video to look at your 27 Jul 2018 video about the shoe trees. Here is what I learned: I use shoe trees, but I use them incorrectly (darn...)--I was not using them with shoes tied (I have a few loafers so those are ok). Every Allen Edmonds shoe I have that is re-crafted I always pay extra for the shoe tree (ensures I get one that fits my shoe). The reason I took note of this was I saw the shoes with shoe trees in and the shoes were tied. I think though, that my shoe trees are somewhat effective, but I am modifying how I use them now to get the desired result. Meanwhile, I will check out your shoe trees and try them. Thanks for all you do!!

[StarWarriorMusic]

Francis is probably my best bet to have the ultra rare vintage City Club model i want. i bet he would be able to make the ones i want (or at least get super close to them). I will always want a pair of originals but they are basically un-findable.

[Iberian]

The widow’s peak feature on the captoes is certainly unique.

[trevorbain]

Grea video once again Kirby. Does Dominic Casey not do the full process himself in England?

[maxhearld]

Kirby to my knowledge you have never done anything on fine revolvers a classic gentleman definitely carried a fine revolver

[pedrovilchez]

Hope one day can buy the reddish shoes .just beautiful

[bryancheron]

Wait, so his goal is 24 pairs of shoes a year. Even if all of those are first-time clients, meaning $3, 200 each, that's a gross revenue of only $76, 800. Then he has to pay for materials, equipment, not to mention whatever a shop in New York costs. How is he surviving on this?