The inventive duo is not only manufacturing some of the finest pair of bespoke shoes, but also started an Online-Shoe-Repair-Service to take care of apparel that is priced significantly lower than their usual suspects.
This way, Vickermann & Stoya have established the perfect formula to operate in an analog fashion, whilst embracing the digital age to its fullest instead of being intimidated by Bits and Bytes.
Upon entering their showroom and manufacturing workshop, it is hard not to be in aww by the calming atmosphere of pure beauty and craftsmanship gently whispering to anyone stepping foot into this biome of perfection.
Founded in 2004 by Matthias Vickermann and Martin Stoya, the company’s history is an impressive tale of skill, pinpoint precision and constantly adapting to the everchanging world we live in.
On a global scale, the shoe industry is the world’s largest user of leathers, manufacturing 14 billion pairs a year. From those, approximately 11.5 billion are produced in Asian factories, while Germany contributes around 25 million pairs of leather shoes per annum – 240 of those coming directly from Vickermann & Stoya’s workshop.
Each pair of bespoke shoes tells its very own narrative, always entangled between customers’ expectations, individual anatomical quirks and awarding oneself with everlasting luxury.
Matthias Vickermann is not only the public face representing the brand. Because, of course, excellent shoes require excellent service, too.
Vickermann is used to meet, measure and manufacture at the convenience of his customers – be that at a private residence, at the office or even on vacation.
There is a lot of thought and anatomic knowledge going into the creation of bespoke shoes, and Matthias Vickerman is just the right fit to accompany his clients throughout the journey.
Vickermann takes pride in what he has to offer. To him, bespoke shoes are not merely trustworthy companions to carry oneself through life, but even more a statement regarding individuality, culture, health, and sustainability.
While Vickermann & Stoyas customers have no doubt about the outstanding quality they are about to purchase, also the general public is aware of the pristine quality Martin Stoya and his small team are able to deliver.
This has brought the company numerous awards, recently being lifted into the Olymp of Florian Langenscheidt’s encyclopedia “German Standards – Brands of the Century.
With their core business of manufacturing bespoke leather shoes carrying the name internationally, the shoemaker-duo are also tapping into new fields.
Vickermann & Stoya have recently launched an online Shoe-Repair-Service by the name of ShoeDoc. The premise is rather simple, yet genius. People can send inn their shoes – or any leather product for the matter – to be serviced by the same people who have catered to the upper class exclusively until now.
Rather than getting rid of your everyday boots or opting for a new leather purse, everyday people simply let the ShoeDoc operate on their beloved belongings. This way, favorites are being preserved while also making an enormous impact on saving the environment through sustainability.
Making use of social media and clever marketing, Vickermann & Stoya have embraced digitalization, enabling themselves and the brand to interact with their audience and costumers directly.
Even with all this success evidently carrying Vickermann & Stoya to new heights, the Black-Forest craftsmen aren’t done yet.
Being equipped with the most comfortable shoes imaginable, Matthias Vickermann still stays restless when it comes to manifesting new ideas into reality.
Together with the University of Maastricht, Vickermann is currently developing a substitute leather fabric to further emphasis on sustainability by acknowledging the planets limited recourses.
So while the number of shoe repair workshops in Germany has decreased from 16.000 workshops to only 500, with only 10 bespoke shoemakers still up and running, Vickermann & Stoya are sure to be keeping both tradition and profession alive for decades to come.
