Mixing Tradition with Innovation: An Insight into How Swedish Clogs for Men and Women Are Made

Swedish clogs are fascinating, not only because of their trendy designs that continue to sweep us off our feet, but also because they undergo a fairly sophisticated manufacturing process that seems easy on the outside but is incredibly difficult on the inside. Today, we’ll be taking a look at how typical Swedish clog sandals for women and other such footwear are made. The actual methods may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, but we will be generalizing it to give you an idea of the steps involved.

Step 1: Obtaining Wood

The first step is obtaining the right kind of wood. Swedish clog makers typically employ alder or willow for making clogs because they are highly durable and strong. Wood is obtained from logging establishments and shipped to the warehouse for further processing.

Step 2: Cutting Logs into Blocks

Every clog sole comes from a single piece of wood. Hence, for proper carving, wooden clogs are cut into wooden blocks of various sizes. Some manufacturers create similarly sized blocks and later carve different sizes of soles out of them. These blocks are then properly stored so that they can be later used to make clogs.

Step 3: Carving Soles Out of Wooden Blocks

The next step involves shaping the blocks into shoe soles. The first shaping is done via machines that give them a rough cut of the design that is to be made. After that, these soles are then hand-carved by workers that shape them into different sole designs based on what type of shoe is being made, such as clog sandals, wedges or boots. Rubberized soles are attached to heeled parts to improve friction and prevent slipping when walking in them.

Step 4: Treatment of Wood

This step involves treating wood with varnish or any kind of waterproof coating. This lends a shiny finish to the wooden soles while making them waterproof. Manufacturers that don’t waterproof their shoes or varnish their shoes often skip this step directly to the next step. Treated wooden soles are dried for a day or two to completely get rid of moisture in them.

Step 5: Attaching Leather, Suede and Woolen/Sheepskin Straps

The Next step is the final step before packaging and shipping, and is what gives these wooden clogs their main design. Different types of materials are used to make uppers for those clogs. The designs are first carved separately via hand by expert craftsmen and women, which are then carefully attached to those soles. They type of stitching or stapling depends on the fragility of the upper material being attached. Like typical Swedish clogs, all shoes have open backs, hence stitching is done only on the front and middle side of the shoe. The materials are properly treated and readied, after which all shoes go through a final quality check to detect any abnormalities and defects.

Step 6: Packing and Shipping

The final step involves packing those clogs and storing half of them in warehouses or storages or warehouses as stocks, while other half is shipped to showrooms and clog stores around the city, country or even internationally.