As a bespoke shoemaker with a very high market share in Central Europe, Maftei has a lot of customers in Austria and Germany, and many customers in Western Europe or Asia only learned about this brand when they arrived there, and then spread its reputation little by little.
Because of the markets and customers he serves, Maftei’s shoes, at their roots, retain the taste of traditional Austro-Hungarian shoes, strong, durable and rugged.
Just like many German bespoke shoemakers, they are more concerned with orthopedics (foot health). Aesthetically, Mr. Maftei may understand the mainstream market, including what kind of craftsmanship is hot, but he doesn’t follow it too much. I don’t even think Oxford is the mainstream there (but the Ersherzog, or the Viennese, is still Oxford).
But when I really looked at Maftei’s masterpieces, I realized that the craftsmanship is just a choice, not an exception, and Mr. Maftei’s love and boldness for colour may not be too far behind many young shoemakers. Maybe it’s because the older you get, the more innocent you become?
Let’s take a look at Maftei’s colour palette.
Signature colour
It is the red patina of Ersherzog. In Hugo Jacomet’s book, this shoe, this color, is also shown as the biggest feature of Maftei.
This style is the Viennese signature and offered by Scheer and Saint Crispin’s (both from Austria), but Maftei has made it his own label with this patina.
Pink
Mr. Maftei definitely loves pink, and there are more than one pink suit in his wardrobe, and he loves to wear it!
What about the shoes?
Maftei entered the mainstream of European vision by making two pairs of Bespoke shoes for ShoeGazing’s blogger Jesper, one pair is his craft label, Seamless Wholecut, and the other is Derby, but both pairs are the tenderest pink.
In addition to these two pairs, there is also Cherry, which is also a shoe as its name indicates, and then on the suede, it is also not missed, Lukas is pink and purple, and the lining leather and insole leather follow the same colour!
Purple Brown
This is the colour seen on Schubert and Mozart. At first glance, it is not surprising, just dark brown, but if you look closely, you will find that this brown is actually achieved by painting purple little by little, which is very surprising.
Dark brown is a more versatile shoe colour than black, and I think this subtle innovation can be Maftei’s label on everyday shoes.
Tan
Another Maftei colour derived from a classic color, Tan. Tan is actually a bit notorious because it’s certainly the most common color for leather shoes, but it’s only easier to wear in the summer, because clothes and pants are a little lighter in the summer, and in other seasons, the color won’t find your way home, and at the same time, it can be cheap when paired with dark clothes and pants.
Maftei’s yellowish brown colour is a little more red than the common Tan colour, and then the colour is a little darker, and the brightness is greatly increased.
It can be said that it is a summer color that has improved a lot in texture and grade.
Summary
It is true that there are too many brands in the world, but establishing your own label is what every brand should strive for, because time will remember.