Over the past 10 years, the footwear industry has experienced a meteoric rise in both traditional craftsmanship and handmade footwear. These changes are highly visible in most regions of the world, particularly on the African continent, and particularly in Cameroon, where LEGENDS COLLECTION LTD is based. There has been a marked shift toward unique styles, individualization, customization, and personalization, all of which are increasingly determining factors in shoe consumer purchasing decisions.

The marked shift toward personalized, custom-made, comfortable, and unique pairs of shoes has ushered in a new era in shoe design and manufacturing. Artisans and sculptors now serve as a bridge between tradition and modernity, and their role within the local fashion industry is becoming even more relevant today. Amid the evolution of traditional shoemaking techniques, there’s a general tendency to get bogged down in buzzwords: handmade, handcrafted, bespoke, custom, etc.
So, you may be wondering, where’s the difference between these terms?
Handmade shoes are designed and crafted entirely by hand, while handcrafted shoes involve the use of some machinery at various stages of the manufacturing process, but still require significant manual labor to complete several elements of the manufacturing process.

The artisans who design and produce handmade shoes are typically highly skilled, using centuries-old traditional shoemaking techniques and tools, investing considerable time in the process, and therefore setting a relatively high price for a single pair, which can typically take several weeks to design and complete.

The aforementioned terminology should not be confused with bespoke or custom shoes, which are shoes produced exclusively for a client. The shoe last (a replica of the foot) is designed to exactly match the customer’s foot shape, and a prototype shoe is produced using relatively inexpensive materials for fit testing. Once the fitting is finalized, adjustments are made if necessary, and confirmed by the customer, the actual pair of shoes is then produced using premium materials.
With the growing trend toward handmade and custom-made footwear, purchasing a custom-made shoe from a reputable manufacturer like LEGENDS COLLECTION Ltd is a significant value-for-money choice.