Shoelast makers

Shoelast makers made shoelasts or shoe trees which were wooden bases or moulds on which shoes were built. A completed pair of shoes were placed on the shoelasts and the shoes' uppers were dressed to form a finished product. Shoelasts were made in different sizes, styles and fits. They were mostly used by shoe manufactures and cobblers. Shoelast makers were usually Chinese Hakka, and were usually situated in the old Chinatown area.

History
Shoes took over clogs as a preferred footwear amongst Singaporeans and so shoelast making became an important occupation. The golden age for this industry was the 1970s when there were many shops along Middle Road. This was because there were many shoe making factories in Singapore then and the demand for shoelasts was high. Most shoelast makers however later settled at Malay Street. During the war, shoelast makers served Japanese customers as well. The price of shoe trees doubled after the war, amounting to S$20 for a pair. In the decade that followed shoes of various designs were imported from Hong Kong and other foreign countries. This brought down the price for a pair of shoelasts to S$8-S$10 in the 1950s. The local shoe makers then decided to compete with their foreign counterparts. Their decision brought fortune to the shoelast industry. They sold shoelasts to shoe-making companies that made shoes which were similar in design to the imported ones. The designs of shoes in fashion kept changing increasing the demand for shoelasts which poured in until 1983. In 1986, the price of shoelasts for men's shoes was S$18 and for women's shoes, S$17. Shoelast makers also catered to individual needs. Customers with defective feet or those with feet of different sizes often came to them for their custom-made shoelasts. These customers then handed over the shoelasts to their shoemakers to be made into proper shoes. In 1980s bigger companies entered the field, but business started dwindling from around 1983 onwards when the shoelast industry was affected by the 1983 world economic recession.

Jobscope
Most of the shoelast or shoe tree making process was manual. A paper pattern was drawn out and a block of Chengai wood was cut and sawn to fit the paper pattern's specifications. This formed a raw shoelast. A piece of iron was cut according to the size of the sole and moulded onto the sole of the shoelast. The presence of iron was to serve as a barrier when the shoelasts were manufactured into shoes later. During the process of making a shoelast into a shoe, nails had to be hammered into it. The iron prevented the nails from sticking out from the insides of the shoe soles. Iron were used until rubber soles came into existence in the 1970s. Rubber soles made the use of nails unnecessary and made the need to mount iron plates onto the shoelast soles redundant. Finally, the shoelast was polished with sandpaper and waxed. This arduous process was made easier with the introduction of machines that sawed and planed the wood. Machines also helped to further cut the rough moulds into the desired shape. Otherwise this too was done manually. Manually, it took four men to produce three or four pairs of shoelasts daily. With machinery, thirty pairs were produced daily.

Development
The shoelast industry initially faced a bleak future with a growing trend to purchase branded imported shoes, which were once considered luxury goods. As affluence grew, more and more Singaporeans preferred to buy branded imported shoes rather than the local imitation of imported shoes. The preference for sports shoes increased too. Furthermore, shoelast makers themselves did not wish for their offspring to continue this toilsome trade. Branded footwear flooded Singapore markets with their sleek designs, comfortable fits and competitive prices everywhere. The demand for shoelasts thus dwindled with shoelast making an extinct trade in Singapore today.



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References 
Lo-Ang, S. G., & Chua, C. H. (Eds.). (1992). Vanishing trades of Singapore (pp. 70-74). Singapore: Oral History Department.
(Call no.: RSING 338.642095957 VAN)

Sullivan, M. (1993). "Can survive, la" cottage industries in high-rise Singapore (pp. 82-84, 91-93). Singapore: Graham Brash.
(Call no.: RSING 338.634095957 SUL)


Further Readings
National Archives of Singapore. (n.d.). Archives & Artefacts Online, Singapore. Retrieved on January 6, 2003, from http://www.a2o.com.sg/public/html/ 



The information in this article is valid as at 2003 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Commerce and Industry>>Labour and Employment>>Vanishing Trades
Shoemakers--Singapore
Skilled labor--Singapore
Science and technology>>Manufacturing>>Clothing and accessories
Business, finance and industry>>Economics>>Labour economics



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