Hello everyone, and welcome to another of my articles. For 2025, I’m providing an update on CustomWelt, which offers made-to-order, customisable dress shoes.
For those unfamiliar with the brand, I run CustomWelt, and have written both an introductory article as well as an in-depth spotlight on the brand. If you’re interested in learning more about the shoes, do check out the abovementioned articles.
It’s been a year since I started CustomWelt, and in the time since, we’ve fulfilled a substantial number of orders. It’s also been a joy to see some of the customers’ orders, such as the striking pair of patina purple Oxfords pictured above. The feedback (regarding quality to price ratio) has also been fairly good across the board, with one exception – the lead time.
Currently, the lead time for our made-to-order Goodyear-welted shoes is 4 weeks, which is already substantially faster than comparable European alternatives such as Carmina’s custom programme. Still, some have said that 4 weeks is too long, as they require the shoes urgently for their wedding/photoshoot/suit fitting/interview/etc, with the timeframe sometimes being as short as a week. As such, we’ve been searching for ways to bring down the lead time for those who need a quality pair of dress shoes quickly.
I’m happy to announce that CustomWelt now offers an express service called 7-Day Rush, with a one-week turnaround time for custom dress shoes. Most of the regular customisation options are available, including ten different styles of shoes. The main compromise is the construction—for 7-Day Rush, the shoes are made using the Blake-stitched construction instead of the Goodyear-Welted construction.
Dress shoes generally come in three different constructions: cemented (usually associated with off-the-rack shoes), Blake-stitched, and Goodyear-welted, in ascending order of quality. The important thing to note is that for both Blake-stitched and Goodyear-welted shoes, the shoes can be resoled, which indefinitely prolongs lifespan. Both come with differing benefits: Goodyear-welted shoes are generally accepted to be more durable and will get more comfortable over time as the pliable cork filling adapts to the wearer’s feet after repeated wear. However, Blake-stitched shoes are more comfortable right out of the box due to their inherent flexibility. As such, if you’re looking for immediate wear (say, for an upcoming wedding/interview/photoshoot), a Blake-stitched shoe may actually be the better choice. For more information, I actually wrote an article on this topic here.
Aside from reducing the lead time, we’ve also expanded on our personalisation options. For example, customers can now opt for text/drawings on the soles of their shoes. This should appeal to those commissioning the shoes for special occasions – you can upload handwritten text of your wedding date/names to be engraved on the soles, making them even more special and personal.
There are also more sole options now, such as the “leather mountain” option pictured above, which provides the wearer with more grip and traction. However, most of these added options are only available for the regular Fast Lane shoes (which takes 4 weeks), and not for the abovementioned 7-Day Rush.
Those interested in commissioning a pair can use the promo code “WAHSOSHIOK” to enjoy 10% off your order. After the discount, the Standard Collection can be had for just $359, while the Patina Collection (like the above) would cost only $449. Ultimately, I’m proud of Customwelt’s offerings and am happy to be able to offer quality, European-made MTO dress shoes for a relatively affordable price. There’s nothing quite like us in the local market, and I genuinely believe that CustomWelt delivers great value for money, especially if you’re looking for more striking styles. Dress shoes don’t have to be an afterthought – they can be statement pieces as well.
Customise your pair of CustomWelt dress shoes here.
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P.P.S: Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wah so Shiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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P.P.P.P.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
