History savoured in bespoke Wootten shoes
Ross Wootten began making bespoke shoes in the 1970s in South Australia, having trained under master Belgian shoemaker, George Koleff. With afternoons spent eagerly watching on in his father’s tiny studio fused in his memory, Jess Cameron-Wootten continued in the family footsteps, crafting shoes from scratch.
The founder of Wootten, Jess handcrafts footwear, leather bags, tech sleeves and aprons for gents and gentleladies. The Wootten studio and shop space in Prahran, Melbourne, offers a small-run, classically designed range from brogue, oxford and derby styles, as well as a cycling shoe. But it’s Wootten’s bespoke shoe service that is the real head-turner, allowing your imagination to form an idea for your perfect shoe, before Jess adapts the ideas into reality.
The bespoke service sees measurements taken and leather and materials selected, before hashing out the design, practical requirements and construction methods of your pair of shoes. Leathers can range from calf, kid and kangaroo, to crocodile, snake and barramundi, with the label’s particularly dashing aprons coming in leather and Japanese denim. Watch the brand’s behind-the-scenes film here.