How to start a shoe brand, from the last to the first run

The steps

1. Launch one style in one construction. A shoe range multiplies fast: every style needs its own patterns and samples, and every style comes in a full size run and several colourways. Start with the one shoe your customer already wants, and pick the construction that suits it (the three common ones are explained below). The construction decides which factories can make it, how the sole is tooled and, as the duty section shows, how customs classifies it.
2. Get the last right before anything else. The last is the foot-shaped form the upper is pulled over, and the fit of the finished shoe comes from it, not from the pattern. A factory can start from one of its stock lasts and modify the toe shape, heel height and volume, or a last maker can build a new one to your spec. The last is made in one sample size, then graded up and down into the sizes you plan to sell. Decide the size run now: whole sizes only or half sizes, one width or several, men's, women's or both. Every size you add is another last and more stock to hold.
3. Budget the sole tooling. A moulded outsole, cupsole or midsole needs a mould, and one mould does not cover the whole size run, so tooling is a cost per size (or per small group of sizes) across your range. For a new sole design it is often the largest upfront cost. The cheaper route for a first run is an open sole, one the factory or its sole supplier already tools, with your logo on the insole, tongue or heel instead. Commission your own outsole once the style has proven itself.
4. Write the spec a factory can quote from. List every component (upper pieces, lining, sock liner, insole, midsole, outsole, laces, eyelets, heel counter, toe puff), the material and colour of each, logo placements, the size run, and packaging. Include the origin label: each imported shoe must be marked with the English name of the country of origin^[1], legibly and permanently, so the mark goes on the shoe itself, not only on the box. Ask for prices at two quantities per colourway.
5. Sample, then fit sample by size. The first sample shows whether the factory understood the design; expect a round or two of changes to materials, colours and shape. Then order fit samples in a spread of sizes, at least the smallest, the middle and the largest you plan to sell, because grading can go wrong at the ends of the run.
6. Wear test before you approve. Give pairs to people with different feet and have them wear the shoes for weeks, not minutes. Look for heel slip, pressure points, sole separation at the toe, creasing, stitching failures and how the lining holds up. Fix the last or the pattern, not only the sample, and sign off a pre-production sample made with production materials.
7. Classify the shoe before you lock the materials. Duty on footwear depends on what the upper and sole are made of and, for some shoes, how they are put together (next section). Ask a customs broker to classify the final spec. For a shoe whose classification is close to a line, U.S. Customs points importers to a ruling under CBP Regulations, 19 CFR Part 177^[2], which gives you the answer in writing before the first shipment.
8. Negotiate the minimum per colourway. Factories usually set a MOQ per style and per colourway, and a leather or knit supplier may set its own material minimum behind that. Ask how the minimum is spread across sizes: a minimum that you must split over a full size run can leave you with thin stock in the sizes that sell. Fewer colourways at launch is usually the fastest way to a workable minimum.
9. Get the labels and claims right. The material claims on your box, listing and hang tag have their own rules (below). Shoes for children also carry testing rules.
10. Inspect, then ship. Check a sample of finished pairs from every size against the approved sample before you pay the balance: bond at the toe and heel, matching pairs, correct size stamps, and the origin label.

How shoes are made: the three constructions

Every construction starts the same way: the upper pieces are cut, stitched together, and pulled tight over the last. The difference is how the sole goes on.

• Cemented. The sole is glued to the lasted upper. It is the most common method for sneakers, casual shoes and many fashion styles, light and quick to make. Customs has its own test for an adhesive shoe: one whose sole and midsole would separate from the upper or from each other if all adhesives, cements and glues were dissolved^[2]. Some low-priced textile shoes are classified by that test, so tell your broker how the sole is attached.
• Vulcanized. The rubber sole and a rubber strip around the joint are bonded to the upper by heat, the classic method for canvas court shoes. That strip is a foxing, which customs defines as a strip of material, separate from the sole and upper, that secures the joint where the upper and sole meet^[2]. A moulded sole that wraps up the side of the shoe can count as foxing-like when it overlaps the upper and runs around 60% or more of the shoe's perimeter^[2].
• Stitched. The sole is sewn on, directly or through a welt, a strip that runs around the edge of the sole. It is slower and needs skilled labour, but a welted sole can be replaced, which is why work boots and dress shoes use it. Leather-upper welt footwear has its own tariff lines: for a shoe not covering the ankle the general rate is 5%^[3].

Why the upper material moves the duty

U.S. Customs classifies a shoe by two things: the material with the greatest external surface area of the upper, and the external surface area of the outer sole^[2]. Within the right heading, the line then turns on details such as foxing, construction, who the shoe is for and the price per pair. The general rates show how far apart the lines sit:

• A shoe with a rubber or plastic upper covering almost all of its surface, and no foxing, is dutiable at 6%^[4]. Add a foxing or foxing-like band and the same kind of shoe moves to a set of lines split by price, with 20% for pairs valued over $12^[5] and higher rates on most cheaper pairs.
• A leather-upper shoe for men, youths and boys (not covering the ankle) is dutiable at 8.5%^[6].
• A textile-upper sneaker with a rubber or plastic sole is dutiable at 20% for pairs valued over $12^[7]. Most cheaper pairs pay a charge per pair on top of a percentage: 90 cents a pair plus 20% for pairs valued over $6.50 but not over $12^[8], and 90 cents a pair plus 37.5% for the other pairs valued over $3 but not over $6.50^[9]. The exception in that lower band is a sneaker whose sole is held on by adhesive alone, with no foxing and no sole wrapping up the sides of the upper: it pays 37.5%^[10] with no charge per pair. Construction is part of the classification, so tell your broker how the sole is attached.

These are general rates. Additional duties on goods from the country of origin come on top, and they change more often than the base rates, so price them from current releases as the import duty guide sets out.

Three versions of a lace-up sneaker with a rubber cupsole, not covering the ankle, for men. The customs value is taken as the factory price per pair, and additional duties for the country of origin are left out.

Duty per pair on a first run, by upper material and price

Line	Knit upper, factory price $11.50	Knit upper, factory price $12.50	Leather upper, factory price $12.50
General duty rate	90 cents a pair plus 20% for pairs valued over $6.50 but not over $12[8]	20% for pairs valued over $12[7]	8.5%[6]
Duty per pair	$3.20	$2.50	$1.06
Freight, insurance, broker and port fees per pair	$1.40 (assumed)	$1.40 (assumed)	$1.40 (assumed)
Landed cost per pair	$16.10	$16.40	$14.96
Landed cost of 1,200 pairs	$19,320	$19,680	$17,952

Illustrative figures, not a quote. Real prices depend on the spec, quantity and factory.

In this example the knit sneaker with the higher factory price lands only slightly dearer, because it crosses into a line with no charge per pair. The leather version lands cheapest of the three despite the same factory price. Material choices you make for looks or comfort can therefore move your margin by more than a round of price negotiation, so bring duty into the conversation while the design is still open.

Labels and claims on shoes

• Leather. The FTC's leather guides say an unqualified "leather" claim is deceptive unless the product is composed in all substantial parts of leather^[11]. For footwear they look at three parts: the upper, the lining and sock, and the outersole^[11]. A shoe whose upper is mostly synthetic can be described in the guides' own example wording: "Upper of manmade materials and leather^[11]".
• Leather look. If a non-leather material looks like leather, say so. The guides give wording such as Not leather, Imitation leather, Simulated leather, Vinyl^[11]. If you call a material "vegan leather", put that plain disclosure beside the name.
• Waterproof. The same guides treat "waterproof" as deceptive unless the product prevents water from contact with its contents under normal conditions of intended use during the anticipated life of the product^[12]. Test a boot through the wear period, seams included, before the word goes on the box; if it fails, use a weaker description.
• Children's shoes. A children's product is one designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger^[13]. Where CPSC rules apply to it, the importer issues a Children's Product Certificate based on test results from a third-party, CPSC-accepted laboratory^[13]. Budget that testing for a kids' line, per style and material.

Getting quotes for your shoe

Send us the spec, the size run, the colourways and your target quantity per colourway, and say which constructions you would accept. We introduce you to footwear factories that fit, overseas first, and name each one, or tell you if none does; the introductions are free for brands, and each factory quotes you directly, per pair: asking for the same spec as a knit and a leather version, or with an open sole and with your own, gives you two per pair prices to run through the duty lines above before you pay for tooling.