Preserving the Soul of Shoemaking
For a look behind the curtain, we ventured to Lewiston, Maine, to document and exhibit EasyMoc’s artisan workshop — where the team works to preserve the tradition of indigenous, iconic, and hyper-fly genuine hand-sewn moccasin construction. This small team, comprising a fraction of Lewiston’s industrial shoe-making history, remains one of the few production studios that specialize in this largely hand-made footwear. We are honored to have access and present a look into this rare craft with our exclusive producer of moccasins, which puts centuries of knowledge and skill into each pair.
Greg Cordeiro brings over 15 years of product design and development experience to his love and passion for Maine’s moccasin tradition. As the luster wore off with each exposure to the realities of big brands and manufacturing, Cordeiro returned to the fundamentals and origin of American footwear with genuine handsewn moccasin production in his New England home. Once the bastion of shoemaking in the United States, the remnants of the moccasin tradition are at dire risk of disappearing along with the institutional knowledge of those few remaining makers. Roughly a decade ago, the EasyMoc workshop was assembled by finding a handful of craftspeople with over 300 years of footwear-making experience. At the pinnacle of the craft sits Peter, the 88-year-old who has been hand-sewing for 60+ years.
Amongst the shoe industry’s vintage archives in Lewiston, EasyMoc discovers and institutes tradition beyond the making. Their iconic Last is adapted from a 70s LL Bean form, designed explicitly for genuine handsewn. It has a higher sidewall and an exaggerated, radiused edge to accommodate wrapping the vamp leather to sew the toe plug. While a dedication to history is evident, EasyMoc combines the benefits of modern Vibram Soles and Ortholite comfort footbeds and looks to sustainable sourcing practices.
For a genuine hand-sewn moccasin, the production is reversed from industrial shoe manufacturing, as are the terms. The vamp leather fully wraps under the Last and is closed with a moccasin seam by placing the top toe plug and sewing these pieces together with just an awl, needle, and thread. There are no guides or pre-punched holes — a genuine handsewn is achieved by eye and muscle memory. The leather is tacked on to the Last and is gathered with lasting pliers and thread as the hand sewer makes its way around to close the seam, conventionally with a hand-sewn kicker on the heel to close the pattern in the back.
As the upper is an entire shoe with a leather bottom, EasyMoc Littleway or Blake Mckay stitches a full leather midsole and/or sole directly to the bottom of the upper. The sole is pressed, cut, and buffed by eye to trim the blocker soles down to specifications, creating a fully re-craftable moccasin. EasyMoc represents a marriage of all the best qualities in hand-made footwear from old traditions for modern life and style.
