The first thing I pack for any trip, whether short or long, is a comfortable pair of walking shoes. I have one pair for summer travel and another for winter. The warm-weather shoes I usually rely on proved unsuitable for a five-day trip to cold, damp Vienna, where we walked for hours on narrow, cobblestone streets in the rain. My colleague learned this the hard way when his feet were cold and wet after a long day of city walking—he admitted he had brought the wrong pair of shoes.
By chance, while walking behind the main Vienna post office in an older neighbourhood, we discovered a shop that looked part shoe store, part repair studio. Inside we met Lucien Maftei, a custom shoemaker whose Vienna studio is an outpost of a family business that has been crafting bespoke shoes since 1925 in Bucharest. Trained by his relatives and other respected shoemakers in Vienna, Lucien belongs to a new generation of craftsmen creating handmade shoes and boots. He combines traditional techniques with modern materials to produce distinctive footwear for men and women, working with everything from classic leathers to exotic ostrich and offering personalized colour and decorative choices.
My colleague and I made the same decision quickly: we could finally check custom-made shoes off our lists. The only problem was time—we were flying to London the next day.
Lucien offered to take initial measurements and prepare for a first fitting if we returned early the next morning. He measured our feet carefully, asked detailed questions about fit and comfort, and watched how we walked. He recommended a slight upturn at the toe for me, with extra padding under the arch and toes, and suggested exotic colours and design elements for my colleague’s growing collection of boots. We agreed to come back before breakfast for the fitting.
True to his word, Lucien had mock-ups ready when we arrived. It seemed he had worked late to meet our schedule. I wasn’t prepared for him to take apart the mock-up after I tried it on, but as he adjusted and refined the model I began to appreciate his meticulous approach. He was constructing a precise template for the final shoes—dark brown rippled leather with a combined leather and rubber sole tailored for walking comfort.
The completed shoes arrived about six weeks after I returned home. Inside the airfreight package were two velvet pouches, each shoe protected and fitted with a custom shoe tree. The finished product was not only highly functional but clearly a piece of craftsmanship. I felt tempted to display them on the mantel, but instead I slipped them on and experienced one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I’ve ever owned.
My personal bucket list includes several custom items—shirts, suits, bicycles and shoes. I’d already bought bespoke clothes and a couple of custom bikes, but had hesitated on custom shoes because of the cost. That hesitancy was misplaced. While some bespoke shoemakers charge hefty fees—up to $500 for a fitting and $3,000–$4,000 for a first pair—Lucien charged just 100 euros for the fitting and 1,000 euros (about $1,300) for the shoes, including airfreight. Compared with high-quality off-the-shelf shoes that can approach $400–$500, the price felt reasonable. As a frequent traveller who loves to walk and explore, owning the most comfortable walking shoes possible has earned a permanent place at the top of my packing list.