The Art of Personal Fit – Customizing Your Saint Crispin’s Shoes
A Shoe That Begins With You
Some shoes begin on a shelf. Others begin with a conversation.
At The Hand, our partnership with Saint Crispin’s invites clients to create something far more personal — a pair that carries their preferences, proportions, and personality. Every Saint Crispin’s Made-to-Order (MTO) pair is the result of dialogue between artisan and wearer, guided by experience and craftsmanship.
“It’s about trust,” says Dennis van de Water. “You tell us how you live, and we translate that into a shoe.”
In our new video, Dennis walks through the Saint Crispin’s MTO experience — a process that celebrates patience, detail, and individuality.
Watch the video here:
From Consultation to Creation
Every journey begins with fit. Clients start by trying on reference pairs in-store to determine their last shape and size. Small adjustments can be made to refine comfort or silhouette, ensuring that the shoe feels natural from day one.
Once fit is confirmed, the creative possibilities unfold. The leather — from soft suedes to fine crust calf — defines the character. The patina brings tone and depth. The welt and sole determine structure and personality. Stitching, perforations, and burnishing complete the story.
And then, the real magic begins in Brasov, Romania. Saint Crispin’s artisans transform these ideas into form. Over the course of eight weeks, each pair passes through dozens of expert hands — cut, sewn, welted, and finished entirely by hand. Every pair features details that few shoemakers still master: wooden peg connections used to attach the waist, ensuring longevity and balance; and the option of a Norvegese stitch, a hand-welted construction with dramatic texture and strength. These small details make each pair not just elegant, but enduring.
The Beauty of Crust Leather
One of Saint Crispin’s signatures is its use of natural crust leather. Instead of using pre-dyed hides, the workshop hand-dyes each upper to the desired color after the pattern has been cut. This labor-intensive approach means no two pairs are identical — every patina is slightly different, shaped by brush, pigment, and experience.
The result is not only a rich tone but also a living surface that develops character over time. A pair of Saint Crispin’s becomes more beautiful the longer it’s worn — a testament to the maker’s philosophy that true luxury improves with life.
The Hand x Saint Crispin’s
Saint Crispin’s embodies everything we admire at The Hand: craftsmanship without compromise, individuality over mass production, and authenticity at every stage.
At The Hand, we guide each client through the MTO process — from last to leather, from sketch to sole — ensuring that the result feels effortless, elegant, and unmistakably theirs. Whether you’re seeking a versatile loafer, a refined Oxford, or a made-to-order boot for winter, the possibilities are endless.
For Dennis and the team, the joy lies in witnessing transformation: “When a client receives his pair and says, ‘That’s exactly what I imagined,’ that’s the best moment.”
Read our first story – Introducing Saint Crispin’s →
Experience It for Yourself
Visit our Saint Crispin’s collection to explore the possibilities, or book an appointment to design your own pair with Dennis and the team.
Explore Saint Crispin’s Collection →
