Angel Fiorito-Leddy
Fine Leather Designs
FOOTWEAR AND CUSTOM CLOTHING
"My Italian Grandfather told me that he had worked in a shoe repair shop in Italy as a boy, before coming to America."
Angél has made leather footwear and clothing since 1977, when she apprenticed in the art of custom fitted soft sole shoes with master shoemaker Scott Taylor in Eugene, Oregon. During that time she also studied tailoring and pattern-making in college.
Following her apprenticeship, Angél began to design premade comfortable casual slippers, sandals and accessories. She also became a teacher, taking on several apprentices over the years.
In addition to a full line of sheepskin slippers and shoes, Angél offers custom and orthopedic designs for folks with special needs. This includes designing a shoe for someone who is paralyzed, to a shoe made from the persons foot cast, to custom leather clothing, and more. The leather products she makes feature American washable leathers.
PROCESS
She uses very basic tools, cutting the leathers with knives or scissors, razor tools for shaving areas where the leather needs tapering, and a mallet for hammering outer soles on.
The only electric equipment she uses is an industrial Pfaff sewing, a sander (on some styles, to smooth out the edges after soles are attached) and a Dremel.
For custom fitted soft soled shoes, she makes a doc tape foot cast as the pattern. Many of the custom shoes and clothing she makes only require drawings, measurements and perhaps foot tracings.
