Inside Stitchdown Expo: the people behind the shoes

At Stitchdown Expo, you could watch someone shine a shoe, see cobblers at work and talk to makers about the materials and construction of the pairs on their tables. You could also get your feet measured and learn what a better fit might actually mean for you.

For someone who cares about how things are made, it was a little like heaven.

On November 6 and 7, Stitchdown Expo returned to Artifact Events in Ravenswood for its second Chicago edition. Across two floors, footwear makers, leather specialists, repair professionals and enthusiasts gathered around shoes, boots and the work that goes into them. This year, the Expo teamed up with the Super Trunk Show, bringing its dress-shoe community into the room too. The organizers said more than 1,500 enthusiasts and makers came together over the two days.

An introduction to Stitchdown

Stitchdown is an independent publication and community devoted to footwear: how it’s made, how it wears and the people who care enough to understand the difference. Founder Ben Robinson has built a place for that curiosity online, and the Expo brings it into a physical room.

Ben told me his own journey began after he broke his foot. Looking for shoes that worked for him led him into the details of footwear, then deeper into the people and processes behind it. What started with a practical question became a world of reporting, conversation and community.

When Ben and I first spoke, we connected over the people behind the shoes. I was thinking about Chicago’s fashion ecosystem and how to make artisans, material specialists, cobblers and makers more visible. Ben knew a world I was still learning, and I knew people in other parts of the industry. I saw an opportunity to connect them.

A conversation around footwear. Photograph by John Jarrett.

Good people making good things

Before the Expo, we had a chance to put that idea into practice. In October, Stitchdown, Ford General and CFC brought people together for Made Common during Chicago Fashion Week. The idea was simple: create a room for people who make fantastic things to meet each other.

I helped get Made Common onto the Fashion Week calendar, and CFC also helped promote the Expo. So I’m not a detached observer of this story: I wanted this community to meet more of ours, and vice versa. Seeing the Expo in person made that connection feel even more worthwhile.

Chicago is an international city. What I appreciate about what Ben has built is the way it connects people from here and across the Midwest with makers and enthusiasts from around the world. The organizers’ roster included Chicago names like SERES Footwear, Production Mode and ALL WE REMEMBER, alongside people and businesses working in other parts of the world. They brought different experiences to a shared appreciation for making something well.

Beyond the finished pair

What struck me was how much of a shoe’s life could be understood in one place. There were materials and finished footwear, people answering questions about fit, and craftspeople demonstrating the work of repair. There was a shoe-shining championship, too: a room paying close attention to the skill and patience it takes to care for an object.

Walking through the Expo brought me from materials and making to the care that happens after a purchase. I don’t think one label can describe an entire industry. For me, circularity is a reason to pay attention to what happens after we bring something home.

Hands working on footwear. Photograph by John Jarrett.

Shoe-shining at the Expo. Photograph by John Jarrett.

“Buy or make things that are built to be repaired. Use them! A lot. Fix them if they break, and care for them along the way.” Ben Robinson shared that advice in written responses to CFC.

You don’t need to become a footwear expert overnight. Start with a few questions: Does this pair actually fit my feet? What is it made from? If a sole or heel wears down, what can be repaired? Who has experience working on this material? The answers depend on the specific pair, so ask the maker or a qualified repairer rather than assuming every shoe can be rebuilt the same way.

The connection doesn’t end when the room closes

I love meeting people who are as passionate about their thing as I am about mine. There is only so much time in a day, and some people dedicate their lives to understanding a craft. Getting to hear what draws them to it and what they’ve learned along the way is its own kind of education.

The makers in that room don’t stop working when an event ends. They make, repair and build businesses year-round. For CFC, the question is how we keep those connections going: through stories that make the work visible, a directory that helps people find one another, and more opportunities to connect.

For me, awareness and access can lead to action. Sometimes that begins by asking someone about the shoes on their feet.

Explore Stitchdown, Ben Robinson and Stitchdown Expo in the CFC Fashion Directory.

Read more: Inside Chicago Menswear Day · ALL WE REMEMBER and a more considered way to make clothes