Shoes have been an important clothing accessory for thousands of years and firmly assume the role of fashion staple in many parts of the world. At Heatwave, the complex process of creating fashionable designs that combine style and quality is one that requires our utmost effort. Our design philosophy is based on the principle that every pair of shoes we create are travel companions for the journeys that women endeavour on, and that, crafted thoughtfully and lovingly, a good pair of heels can empower a woman in her daily life. It is this belief that continually spurs our company to exert the greatest quality control, precise techniques and attention to detail that we can.

The crafting of a shoe first begins with an idea. Heatwave closely follows worldwide trends to track the latest developments in fashion while producing original designs that are in line with our focus on classic, elegant creations. This initial part of the shoe-making process relies on the artistic expertise of our designers: possible materials are considered, rough sketches are drawn and the overall look planned, all the while keeping in mind that the envisioned design should come together with our technical expertise to provide the greatest ease of movement and comfort. When these decisions are made, we create our shoe last, a 3D mold that imitates the look of a human foot. As this is the prototype upon which the full dimensions and general silhouette of our shoes depend, this is the most important part of our design process. It has taken our manufacturing team several years of practice to ensure that our shoe lasts match the general shape of a typical foot, and we have continually adjusted its form in an effort to provide the most comfortable fit to as many women as possible.

Of course, we have to take into account that everyone’s feet are shaped differently. This is why there are thousands of shoe lasts at our factories at any one time, as we require separate lasts to not only allow for varying proportions and designs, but also to accurately reflect the left and right side of the feet. Our team has invested much effort in ensuring that each contour is to our exact specification so that each shoe last will not only assist in the creation of a comfortable design, but that the final product will also follow our delicate signature Heatwave cutting. This serves as a blueprint for the construction of our insoles, outsoles and uppers, of all which are drawn and cut out of our materials of choice accordingly.

We prize a combination of comfort and style in the creation of every single upper – the part of a shoe that rests on top of the feet and first thing a customer might notice at when first considering its overall design. This is why our in-house design team personally sources for fabrics that balance attractiveness with quality from around the world. A lot of issues are considered besides that of looks: Is it durable, is it on trend, will the material be comfortable, is it thick enough, does it suit the design? Once the materials are chosen, we cut out the fabric according to our selected design and always join it with lining to protect the skin from chafing. We strive to make our stitching as unobtrusive to ensure a clean look and minimize any potentially uncomfortable rubbing against the skin. If our design calls for embellishments, these are always sewn to it by hand. The human touch has always been an essential part of Heatwave’s workmanship, and we balance the use of automated machinery with the skilled hands of our manufacturing team at every level of the shoemaking process to create products with the best finishing possible.

As we understand that a shoe should feel as good as it looks, we also expend special effort on the parts of our shoes that may not be so obvious at first. For example, we make sure to include a layer of cushioning on all our insoles to provide extra comfort and make it a point to use sturdy heels that will not wobble but provide a steady support for the feet. We also invented our exclusive Heatwave outer sole, a non-slip, supple blend of rubber materials that provide a firm but flexible hold on the ground. It is important that our crafting process embraces these fine details so that the final product will come together as a good quality shoe, something we believe is one of the simplest forms of luxury that should be accessible to as many women as possible.

The most critical portion of the shoe-making process is putting all our separate parts together to form the final product. When we have completed the design of our upper, we lay it securely on the shoe last while placing our insole directly beneath the shoe last at the same time. Then, considerable strength is used to manually stretch our upper over the last so that the ends of the fabric can be hand-glued down right under our insole, effectively fixing the upper in its final form. Our signature Heatwave outer sole is then glued to the insole, trapping the fabric in between. At this point, our carefully chosen heel is also glued on and nailed in firmly. The experience and skill of our manufacturing team is key during this part, as they have to ensure that there are no visible glue stains or remaining gaps between the materials.

Once these steps are completed, the shoe is left overnight to settle, following which careful checks are conducted ensuring that the finishing is up to our standard. If so, the extra layer of cushioning is glued to the inside of the shoe and the entire product is complete – a neat, seamless creation.