The Sifr Artisan Footwear Photo Essay and Factory Walkthrough

Below is a short walkthrough around the factory that was responsible for our Footwear range. As you can see, the factory combines orthodox techniques with newer machines to hit the sweet spot with regards to Footwear Manufacturing. It is a beautiful setup that has craftsmanship at the core of the company's ethos.

Gluing Table. Our soles waiting to be attached onto the footwear.

As you can see, this factory still uses some older machinery that is not apparent in more modern footwear operations.

The welt that's being used on our Desert Boots. These come in long strings and are cut according to shoe sizes.

Our "Suresh" slip-on. Named after one of our company members. He inspired us to create this specific style. Thank You Mr. Suresh for this one.

"Suresh" unfinished.

The chipped/raw green on the conveyor system gives the factory a certain feel we can't quite put our fingers on.

Our visit was conducted on a Saturday afternoon which explains the quiet, almost eery feel about the place.

Belstaff work! Counter-Sample below.

German Machinery. Durkopp does all sorts of other sewing machinery. Check their site for a list of other products.

Unfinished soles.

The view from up above.

Not sure what this machine was. If any of you readers have an idea. Let us know.

Final product from the line. We were inspecting some of the finished goods to see if they were up to scratch. Everything worked out great. When you see these shoes at our retail stores, do yourselves a favor and take note of the product in it's entirety; check out the gold print on the insoles, notice the marigold emboss on the outsole, feel the leather, try it on knowing that you can put your faith in us to create a good product. It just keeps getting better every time. We stand for a whole lot more than just making things for you to buy.

-ssm

Pre-BluePrint Photo Essay

Above is the mini sample room we worked with someone else to open up specifically for Sifr's production. This venue is a specialty in doing short-runs that's ideal for our retail platforms. Higher quantity of styles in controlled quantities to minimize any wastage or overstock while keeping things fresh. The beauty of this small factory is the close-knit association with each other. At Sifr, there's a feeling of responsibility to the workers there and to ensure that production is always running to create a good/sustainable working environment for them. Your purchase counts a whole lot more than on a surface level.

The production team trying to figure out the intricacies of the Poncho that we created. Everyone was baffled but we eventually figured it out. It's a beautiful piece with many functions. You'll see it in stores by August. Look good in the rain!

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Thought this might be an interesting post for some of you. As you may know, Sifr took part in the Blueprint Tradeshow at Marina Bay Sands last month. We decided to do it on a whim and realized that we had to create an in-depth collection in a short period of time. At the same time we were in the midst of doing the second range of Sifr Artisan Footwear that we've recently launched already.

This is a Photo Essay that documents the hectic 3 month ride that included picking fabric, finding correct thread, sourcing trims, fitting shoes, preparing collaterals and meeting deadlines; all in the name of "design". Sit back and enjoy!

Grading patterns is time consuming and there's no other way to do it. This is one of the processes of manufacturing that is key in achieving the best fitting product.

We produce at the factory for a company called "Carol Hochman Designs" and this is a dress form specially made for them to fit their sample size. We should soon get our own dress form but we still prefer fitting it on a human being. You get a better result every time when you incorporate movement, etc into the fitting process.

We're pretty technical now with preparation. All garments are prepared using the most comprehensive tech packs, etc. The efficiencies here will be noticed through future pricing of all our garments very soon.

A new take on the 3d Volume Pocket for our second interpretation of the Journey Shirt. Notice the top pocket layer slightly smaller than the bottom to create a little detail.

Nelly is a new member of our team (blue stripes). She was studying at Lasalle here in Singapore. Apparently she was the baddest out of the lot. Skilled, talented and most importantly...Highly organized! We sniped her and sent her back to Indonesia.

Studying the technicals of the garments. Making sure binding is done correctly inside most of the pants. Be sure to look out for the clean finishing in the Cargo Pants we're doing.

The factory in the photo above is divided into two sections. Bulk production on the left and sampling on the right.

One of the most tedious processes in production; ordering matching color thread. This can be one of the few processes that can really delay production. Remember that all garments using different fabric weights will require different thread gauges. Some stretch fabrics also require Nylon thread, etc. Exhausting just writing about it.

Our beautiful selection of shirts using past blocks. We paired voile, sheer fabrics with sturdy cotton to create some layering effects. These were received positively at Blueprint.

Here's our stock-lot fabric supplier showing us some fabrics we've never used. Jacquards, Knits, polo fabrics, etc for us to use. We're still contemplating as to when we'd like to include this in our Tangs programs.

This is our Poncho all wrapped up and ready to go. All 3 metres of it, with multiple zippers wrapped and folded into a compact bag for easy storage.

We did some Gabardine flat front pants in stretch fabrics for the show. You'll be seeing these in August as well.

A shot of the bigger factory at the end of the day.

This was slightly discomforting. On the 16th of May before the start of the show, some of the last few garments were still wet and drying at the factory when they were clearly supposed to be at our office.

These garments were late for the first day of the show and luckily enough we had someone bring them over for the second day. Our entire lineup was complete by the second day when some of the other buyers showed up.

The one positive thing to take from all these preparations was the ability to meet deadlines. 3 months ago, we set the deadline for getting everything prepared for Blueprint and we did just that. This is including the setup of the booth as well as tagging all garments, creating linesheets, collaterals and look shots. We know that future deadlines will be met accordingly from now on if we're well prepared. Luckily for us, we have a strong team that can take charge of their individual tasks. Teamwork was apparent throughout the entire process and is a good sign for the future.

-ssm