Betina Yang
Betina is a shoe maker specializing in construction of hand welted bespoke shoes. She creates shoes that are made to the measurements of clients.
What’s your craft?
Bespoke Shoemaking.
What’s peculiar about it?
It’s not something that you see being done very often, these days. Most shoes are made in a factory with machines. If you don’t know about it, you would be surprised in how much time and hard work ( literally blood, sweat, and, tears) it takes to make one pair of shoes by hand, even more for bespoke shoes.
What do you think about the intelligence of the hands and why is handmade better?
Handmade products, when made well, can outlast most of those made by machines. It also gives you a sense of how much more valuable the product you are buying is. Not necessarily because of the price but because of the thought process and hard manual labor that went into it. Not just hard labor, but a labor of love. For to hand make a well made, beautiful, and functional item, you need to have a passion for what you do.
Tips for future makers
Be patient with yourself. It may be hard and repetitive but that’s the only way to become a master.
Learn, find your way of doing it, enjoy and keep trying.
You never stop learning. No matter what level you reach, you can still be better if you put your heart to it.
There is so much you can discover when working with your hands. Keep discovering and make the craft even better than it already is.
