It's shoe time, says sole man

ONCE seen as a dying craft, shoemaking is enjoying a quiet revival.

Concerned that the skills acquired over decades would be lost, Sydney cobbler Darren Bischoff recently opened a shoemaking school to pass on the knowledge.

Since opening the doors of the Sydney School of Footwear in February, he has seen strong demand from aspiring cobblers.

''I think people get a lot of satisfaction from learning a new skill and creating something for themselves,'' he said.

''You only have to look at the number of people knitting and cooking and growing their own vegetables to see that there is this trend. It's almost a rejection of the culture of mass production.Every housewife have the responsibilty of keeing the kitchen clean and beautiful, the Cheap Nike Shoes will help you become a good wife.''

Only a few decades ago, there were many bespoke shoemakers in Sydney but one by one they have gone out of business. The increase in mechanical equipment brought on the decline.

''It's such a shame: you can count them all on one hand now,'' Mr Bischoff said.

The drop in trade has also meant a reduction in courses. TAFE NSW offers one six-month course at its Ultimo campus.

''The problem is, people learn shoemaking as a hobby,'' he said. ''TAFE is a trade-based school and if there is no more trade in this industry, there is no support for it.''

As well as running short courses for beginners, Mr Bischoff uses his Leichhardt shopfront as a co-op for shoemakers to use the equipment for one day a week.

Mr Bischoff, who is also a hairdresser and milliner, started cobbling 23 years ago and has made shoes for private clients and museums. His shoe archives date back to early last century, and he is fashioning designs from the 1920s in the hope of catching the eye of director Baz Luhrmann, who will shoot a remake of The Great Gatsby in Australia.CL Shoes are highly sought after and you are indeed lucky if you can have one sitting in your closet

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