Guccio Gucci was born in 1881 into an Italian family of leather goods makers. Gucci opened his own leather goods store in 1921 making saddles and horse-riding accessories in the softest Italian leather. An equastrian flare remains a part of the Gucci house we see today, particularly with the horsebit addition to the classic Gucci loafer. However, horses may not be the only animal to love Gucci… A naughty dog left these brand new loafers unwearable. Learn how our shoe specialist was able to open the structure of the shoe to recreate the dog chewed panel.
Our varied and specialist atelier endeavour to breathe new life into the items you thought were well past repair. Send us images for a preliminary quote or book a collection from wherever you are in the world.
We recently saw a pair of the classic Gucci loafers, loved by the owner and, unfortunately, by the owner’s dog too. Having been mistaken for a rather expensive chew toy, the heel on this brand new pair of shoes had been chewed and completely torn. We took them straight to our shoe specialist for an assessment to see how we could repair them. The entire heel panel would need replacing with specially sourced leather to match the original.
First, our shoe expert carefully separated the outsole from the upper using a heat source. Fully opening the shoe meant we could access the seams on the back of the loafer and assess the original construction. Understanding the constructional components allowed us to recreate a replacement panel for the damaged section.
Next, our artisan unstitched and separated the damaged back of the shoe from the sole. Our sourcing expert searched for replacement leather that would match the texture and colour of the original. Using this, we could replace the back, outer and lining, with an invisible mend.
We created a card pattern using the damaged leather as a guide. From this template, we could remake the heel panel from newly sourced leather. Finally, we lasted the back of the shoe and fit the newly made panel. We attached this with nails following the original construction.
The heel area reinforced with nails so the sole doesn’t separate from the upper after prolonged wear – that enabled our seamless repair. As a result, of this construction, we were able to seamlessly repair these shoes. This construction method is rare in contemporary designs and more in line with old fashioned shoemaking.
Repaired and restored, you’d never know the tumultuous history of these Gucci loafers. Just make sure you keep them away from puppies!
Read about some of our favourite repairs of dog chewed items. Learn how our atelier got creative to repair the chew in a Saint Laurent crossbody.
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