An Interview with German Bespoke Shoemaker Louis Lampertsdörfer, Founder of Mogada

Mogada is a Munich based Germany bespoke shoemaker, I came across its astonishing shoes on Instagram. I didn’t know much about it such as the people behind, the history or its reputation domestically. I shamelessly asked to have an interview to know more, and was warmly welcomed by the founder, Louis Lampertsdörfer. I surprisingly found his learning experience in shoemaking is prestigious.

What is your journey in shoemaking?

I have always been a great admirer of well made shoes and decided to set up my own brand quite early at the age of 18. Back then I had just finished school and worked at a shoemaker in Munich for some time to learn the basics. I then started attending University and used my holidays to work at other shoemakers and gain more experience. Back then shoemaking remained more of a hobby though. After graduating I then decided to work in shoemaking full time. I sent out applications to the bespoke workshops that I admired and was lucky to be offered an apprenticeship at Gaziano Girling to be trained by Daniel Wegan who was running the Bespoke Department back then.

After finishing the apprenticeship I remained at Gaziano Girling and worked as a Bespoke Shoemaker for them and was able to gather more experience and keep learning and develop my own style in making shoes.

After training and working in the Bespoke Department of Gaziano Girling in the UK, I returned to my hometown Munich to set up my own shoe brand, Mogada in 2020.

Are you shoes made in house and fully handmade?

All our Bespoke shoes are made entirely in-house and are fully handmade. I measure the customers, carve the lasts and cut the patterns and then make the shoes entirely myself.

Our ready to wear collection which will be available soon is made in cooperation with an Italian shoemaker and is partly made in our workshop and in Italy. The leather is selected and cut by me and then sent to Italy where the shoes are hand lasted and hand welted. The shoes are then sent back to Munich where the finishing is done in our workshop.

Germany has a lot of famed bespoke shoemakers, how does Mogada position with them?

There aren’t that many bespoke shoemakers in Germany compared to other countries. I think each one of them has their own style which is cherished by their customers. Since I was trained in England, I think my style is rooted in English shoemaking but I definitely also gather inspiration all over the world.

I am also a great admirer of French and Italian shoemaking which definitely reflects in my work.

How to describe the shoe aesthetics German people appreciate?

I would say rather conservative and classic. When building a collection of shoes I think classic styles like a black Oxford definitely make for great cornerstones of the collection, so these styles are a great start. When making a pair of bespoke shoes I think it is good to choose a style that you will also still like to wear in 20 years from now, thats what these shoes are made for, becoming a life long companion. So I recommend my customers to choose something their eyes won’t get tired of so easily.

Still the fun with bespoke is also that anything is possible and everything can be customized to the clients imagination, whether it is shape, color or material.

Most of my customers aren’t from Germany though, I was lucky to build up a European wide customer base, with France, the Netherlands and Switzerland being the main countries that I visit for Trunk Shows.

Lately I have also started taking remote bespoke orders from International customers, for example also from China, or the US and I would love to also set up trunk shows there in the Future.

Could you tell us Mogada signature lasts and models?

Since all of the work so far are bespoke shoes there is no signature last yet because every last is made uniquely for the customer. I have created a last for the Ready to wear collection which I call Contemporary Round, its toe shape is between a pointy almond toe and a classic round toe. It serves as the starting point for the ready to wear collection and many customers have appreciated this modern yet classic toe shape.

In terms of signature models I think since Mogada is a fairly young brand it is too early to say. There is one style called “Corinth“ which will be part of the Ready to wear collection and which is a full brogue Oxford based on the model which I made for the 2019 world championship in shoe making in London.

I would like this style to become one of the house styles since it has a great emotional value for me and was one of the first designs I made on my own.

Do you think German customers have wider feet than people from England or France?

No, one thing that is for sure is that each foot is unique and when making bespoke shoes it is necessary to consider everything, from the foot shape to the fit preferences of the customer.

What kinds of service do you offer except bespoke shoemaking?

Except bespoke shoes we offer made to order hand sewn leather goods like cardholder, watch straps etc.

By the end of the year there will also be the Ready to wear collection with its first styles being available for direct order.

What is your plan for Mogada?

For me the most important thing is to develop a good connection with my customers. I like the personal aspect of bespoke shoemaking, getting to know the customers and understanding his preference for style and fit. Mogada should be a place that customers trust and where they feel well taken care of when it comes to building up a collection of shoes.