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The Best Boots? They’re Custom-Made. Here’s Where to Get Yours

Bespoke footwear isn’t some faraway luxury reserved for the ultra-rich. You can get a good pair for right around $500.

man making a custom leather boot Baker Shoes

By Evan Malachosky

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Although bespoke footwear seems like a far-off luxury reserved for aristocrats from the 1800s or high-earning sartorialists from today, custom boots are still a thing — and you can get yourself a pair for a pretty fair price. Below you’ll learn how to get a pair of your own, custom-made for you (and you only).

Why You Should Buy Custom Boots

Your True Size, Perfected

If you’re tired of trying to keep up with the inconsistencies in sizing between brands, go custom. If you work directly with the bootmaker, whether online or in person, you’re less likely to find yourself stuck with a boot that’s too big or a boot that’s too tight. Plus, if you have big, exceptionally small or seriously wide feet, perhaps even uneven feet, you can go into a fitting session confident the brand, or bootmaker, if you’re lucky, has your best interests in mind. Custom could be the easiest way forward for you. (Shaquille O’Neal, for example, wears a size 22, which means he has to custom order all of his shoes; sure, he’s plenty rich, but most brands only go up to 16.)

If you wear boots that are too tight you run the risk of developing health problems like bunions or hammer toes. Neither of these conditions onset immediately, meaning you can probably get a dozen wears out of ’em each year — bunions may even be genetic — but you shouldn’t do that to yourself. If you can afford to, go custom.

Your Boots, Your Materials

Whether you’re going custom because you’re an aspiring designer or because you’re simply picky, the whole point is to create something only you own — or even thought of. Sure, if you’re custom ordering a shoe for your wedding, for example, it might make sense for it to be simple — a super-nice design with tiny details nodding to the special occasion. Otherwise, I’d say go for it — get the leather you rarely read about; try the nappy suede; put a lug sole on a soft boot. This is your opportunity to create something you’ve always wanted; something you’ve dreamt of wearing with your made-to-measure Oxford or your custom khakis.

What to Know

You’re Going to Wait

This process is the antithesis of fast fashion. If you order a pair of custom boots, expect to wait at least 10 weeks. More realistically, I’d say, expect to wait somewhere around 24. That’s right in the middle of most updated lead times. Times are crazy, and things are slow; shipments go missing or drivers go on strike. Don’t expect a super-fast turnaround.

Terms to Know

Insole

The interior surface of the boot that comes in contact with the sole of your foot.

Last

The wood or plastic form used to create the shape of a boot.

Midsole

A structural layer of the boot that sits between the outsole and the insole.Outsoles: Sometimes just called the sole, this is the bottom surface of the boot that comes in contact with the ground.

Upper

The combination of parts of the boot’s top, including quarters (which wrap around the heel), vamp, tongue and saddle.

Vamp

A part of the upper that covers the instep of the foot and can extend over the toe in certain styles.

Welt

A narrow strip of leather on the exterior of the shoes that secures the midsole to the upper.

Where to Buy Custom Boots for Men

Updated in early 2022, Build a Boot is a wonderland for fans of Goodyear welt footwear. It’s run by White’s, which is owned by Baker Shoes (who also owns Wesco), and orders are fulfilled within six months’ time. You can only customize White’s 6-inch Bounty Hunter Boot, but there are plenty of alterations you can make — from the height of the shaft to the thickness of the outsole.

Price: $670+
Lead Time: 20-29 weeks

JK Boots is family-owned and -operated in the US, and all of the boots are handmade here, too. Custom boots make up a large percentage of their business — so much so that they’re able to expedite some orders (for a fee, of course). You can get your custom pair in as fast as one month, and they’ll even send you a try-on pair to make sure they fit just as you need them to — that service is just $75.

Price: $575+
Lead Time: 8 weeks

If you’re going to order custom boots from Wesco, you better brush up on your boot terminology — and your visualization skills. The storied brand’s online boot builder isn’t as sophisticated as White’s even though they’re under the same ownership umbrella. You click through it like a mail order catalog, selecting different components and pairing colors, creating a boot you hopefully love. These are high quality, and the brand is busy — expect to wait for yours.

Price: $519+
Lead Time: 16-24 weeks

To begin the process of creating your own custom footwear, you must visit Le Majordome in person (in New York City exclusively for now). They’ll take a ton of measurements, present 62 different models to choose from, 94 different materials (standard and distressed leathers, stock suedes, marled wools and more) you can mix and match and several more specifics — like toe, lining and sole — you can tweak, too. No matter your final creation, although there are obvious exceptions that widen this window, your boots will be made and delivered to you within 10 weeks, a welcome departure from others that set 24 weeks as the absolute minimum for total turnaround.

Price: $900+
Lead Time: 10 weeks

Learn more about Le Majordome’s bespoke process in our dedicated review of the pair we made.

Nicks might have the most starting points out of all of these brands. There are over two dozen different boots you can customize, making this one of the slower routes to go, especially if you’re indecisive. You can choose your leather style, last, hardware, toe structure and so on and so forth. This is for those that love the nitty gritty about a good pair of boots.

Price: $549+
Lead Time: 18-30 weeks

When I think of custom boots, I typically think cowboy. If you’re the same way, you better know Beck, the go-to for over-the-top custom cowboy boots. They aren’t gaudy, but authentically southern. You can pick from several leathers, try out different adornments and even add a logo or a monogram.

Price: $700+
Lead Time: 32-36 weeks

Junkard Company’s collection mainly consists of service-boot-style boots, but also includes moc-toe work boots, lace-to-toe oxfords, penny loafers and double monk chukkas. Junkard shoes and boots come in a range of welted construction methods including hand-stitched Goodyear, Norwegian and stitchdown. Their gamut of leathers features full-grain leathers, shell cordovan and several pull-up styles.

Junkard’s robust made-to-order program encompasses all of these styles and more, which means customers can choose the materials, the shoe style, the last and much more.

Price: $395
Lead Time: 12-24 weeks

Learn more about Indonesian bootmakers in our profile of the region.

Ask around and someone will surely tell you Dayton makes the best made-to-order boots. It seems, however, the brand has temporarily paused the service. They’ve been slowly getting back online since the pandemic hit, and it seems readywear is the focus for right now. Check back, though, because they definitely did them at one point.

Price: $545+
Lead Time: Unknown

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