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Although WEN Tao is not a shoemaker, as a cobbler, he has become a name that cannot be ignored among all leather shoes lovers.

When someone wants to resole, install toe plate and attach rubber piece to the outsole, it is impossible not to think of him at the first time, because his work is the finest and best.

In 2023, he joined the Oct Tenth team.

I think as a media to promote sewing shoes/gentleman shoes/handmade shoes (I most approve of the first one, not emphasizing craftsmanship, but emphasizing its durability and sustainability), it is not a flag-waving cry for the brand, or where there is discount information, it should always be settled on people. Practitioners, consumers and bystanders are the subjects that make the circle of an article more vivid.

Let’s come to the story of WEN Tao.

Is WEN Tao your real name? Introduce yourself, age, hometown and hobbies.

WEN Tao is my real name. I grew up in Dujiangyan, Chengdu.

Hobbies are ordinary watching movies and listening to music podcasts, but the biggest hobby is work.

How did you come into contact with sewing shoes?

At first I studied percussion, and many of our schools played heavy music.

I think the shoes worn by their favorite musicians are quite cool, which aroused my interest, so I slowly began to understand these shoes.

What kind of shoes did you like at first?

Because I started to explore from work boots, I also bought 8111 or something at that time, and later I bought several pairs of iron shoes after I met Pei Jia.

But I started making shoes when I met him.

What’s your working experience like?

At that time, I liked shoes so much that I dropped out of school and went to a systematic printing training class in Guangzhou to start studying. After about half a year, I left and found a job about shoes.

That store was mainly engaged in Taobao. At that time, there were about thirty or forty people. I started from customer service, and I did most of the work of warehousing and delivery to the factory, which was more intuitive to contact the whole process from production to sales. It was also at that time that I grew rapidly. Every night after work, I went to find an independent shoemaker or brand I didn’t know before and read all their things.

Later, I met Master Yan through the introduction of an old Taiwan Province printmaker, and then worked with him for one year.

During that time, I felt very pure. I got up every day and my life was all about shoes, and then I worked late. Finally, my girlfriend broke up with me at that time.

Master Yan is also amazing. He is very strict with his works, and he can be seen making progress every year, so I later asked myself to do maintenance like that, and looked at it from a development perspective.

How did you think of doing care and renovation services for leather shoes?

I first found some Japanese craftsmen and shoe repair shops in ins. At that time, there was no shop in Taobao that could hold iron shoes, so I opened one. Grow up slowly and accumulate a lot of experience in classic men’s shoes.

I remember that my first two clients gave me bad reviews just because they didn’t do well, so I thought that if I wanted to be first-class, there should be no problems with the things that went out from me.

Your shoe repair service is the most expensive in the market, but it is also the most recognized. What do you think is the main highlight of your maintenance service?

Maybe I’m the most expensive one you have come into contact with. In fact, whether it’s a maintenance brand in the more popular field in China or a first-class shop abroad, it’s more expensive than us. Only in this small circle of the mainland, the price is relatively high.

I always remember that a customer once said that he used to go to Shanghai John Lobb to install iron shoes, and their charge was 1,200 yuan, but we were not in 300 yuan at that time.

In fact, the price is mainly for the balance between production capacity and market demand. No matter how low the price is, no matter how many orders there are, no matter how big the team is, there is no way to maintain a relatively high product. No matter how high the price is and the demand is reduced, it will not be able to support the current employees.

Even in the more popular maintenance market, few people repair men’s shoes, and even fewer people repair classic men’s shoes. Most of them are the maintenance needs of women’s products or brands like Balenciaga.

The highlight is that it is ok to produce in this small field of classic men’s shoes, and other services, experiences and contents are also done in a mess.

In 2023, you joined the Oct Tenth team. What prompted you to make such a decision?

At the end of 2022, I was tired of my life at that time. Every day, there were endless problems and many things I wanted to do that I couldn’t push forward, and then there was an epidemic, so I stopped directly.

I often chat with my peers to see how everyone is doing. Later, when I came to Shanghai to play, I found that Xibao and the factory director were also in this state. Then they invited me to join Oct Tenth, and we started a new factory and started operating the brand again.

What is your role in Oct Tenth?

Our four partners all have their own directions, but at the same time, they are all making many new attempts.

At present, the after-sales of Oct is done. I also want Oct to quickly get rid of the stage of selling products by the products themselves.

What improvements have you made in Oct Tenth’s shoes?

I’m sure the factory manager will improve the shoes whether I join or not. Maybe we can make them faster together. Joining Oct has changed my personality greatly, and it has also given me many new opportunities. Now I am more willing to try new things, like to see the same thing from different angles.

There is a concept that no one in China talks about, but I believe you are qualified. Which brand is the easiest to repair (such as resole), and what is the repairability of Oct Tenth?

A pair of shoes can be divided into two kinds of repairs, one is the upper care and the other is the structure repair. The upper care is not different for different shoes. The repair of the structure depends not on the brand, but mainly on the constructions and materials. For example, Goodyear welted is much easier to repair than Blake.

Oct Tenth are all handwelted, and we can handle them ourselves, mainly because the accessories are all around.

It’s not that the finer the workmanship, the more difficult it is to handle. Only customers who buy more expensive shoes have higher requirements for quality. For example, a pair of cemented Zilli crocodiles is not necessarily easier to handle than a pair of Yohei Fukuda or John Lobb Paris bespoke.

What’s your plan next?

At work, I want to gradually improve the aspects that our brand lacks, such as service experience, brand communication and so on.

Personally, I’m going to take an IELTS test first and go out for a walk. For example, I want to see the status of this industry in Britain, France and Italy, or the status of this industry in some underdeveloped countries. On the one hand, you can learn and on the other hand, you can see some new opportunities. Actually, this is work.