Why don't shoe companies tell you what last they used?

[BliniLover]

I'm a size 6 but I only fit maybe 10% of the size 6 shoes in Clarks (for example). The other 90% are too wide in the ball of foot, or too narrow in the mid foot, etc. So they obviously have a few different lasts they use. It would be so useful if they told you on their website which shoes had been modelled on which lasts, and you could search for shoes made on a last which matches your foot shape. Maybe the 'Daisy' last would fit me really well, so I could search other shoes modelled on Daisy.
They could even have printable foot outlines of their lasts so you could stand on them and have a good guess. Surely this would reduce the number of online returns?

Is there a reason they don't do this? I saw a programme on how Dr Martens are made once, and it would definitely work for their manufacturing process anyway.

Good idea, but I think the lasts need more sensible names:

Anne
Ruth
Sarah
Gladys

😆 you are probably right. Though I think Daisy would be just fine for the slender footed flighty last. Gladys would definitely be the chunky sensible last.

I don't look at the UK shoe sizes anymore. I find that my size is much more consistent with Eur size. I'm 41 which can be UK 7 or 8 depending on the shoe.

Solovair do, but they are ££££

@TheDandyLion yes I'm actually more of a 40 than a 6 myself, but all the size tells you is the length of the foot. It doesn't tell you about where the foot is wide and narrow or the shape of the toes etc. Just the size is not enough for a good fit, regardless of whether it's European or UK sizes.

Solovair do eh? So it is possible, hmm. I can't see why it would be a costly thing for a company to do though, so surely even budget end shoes could be sold with this information included.

I agree.

I have given up all hope of finding any women's trainers to fit my wide feet with bulbous big toes and am just gonna order myself a pair of men's.

Another bothersome thing. About half the people in the country have one foot considerably bigger than another. So if I want trainers that actually fit, I either cope with pain, or looseness leading to pain, or I order two sizes and disregard the two others.

Grr!

My other half also struggles with abnormally wide size 12's, it's not just the women's market.

Last? Why have I never heard this term before?

This is the first you've heard of lasts?

I'll get my coat. 😅

It's a good point.
I think trainer manufacturers use the same last for each brand. I always fit a Nike / saucony 7 perfectly.

Haha!

I have bigger feet and I hate having to buy men's shoes because manufacturers don't realise women's feet go bigger than an 8.
And even then some 8s are 42 and some are 41.

We should ditch the UK Size and go with the EU Sizes.

@KievLoverTwo OMG I wish you could buy individual shoes! My feet are 6.25 and 6.75 so most 6/7s don't fit one foot, but most shops don't do 6.5s. And of course if you shop online it's often a total gamble whether the 6.5 will actually be a 6.5 or whether it's a EU 39.5, 40, or 40.5, as nowhere can agree on the translation between a 6 and a 7 either.

I guess they think they have solved the problem with insoles.

No! They feel weird. They bunch up. They get sweaty and smelly.

Give us what we need, people!

@BliniLover this is a great idea. @IwishIdidntlikesugar in also had to google last. I thought the OP had misspelled cast and couldn’t understand why she kept on doing it 😳

I learnt about lasts from the Solovair website and used the really helpful info on there to pick a pair of boots that would fit my wide size 8 feet. Dunno why more companies don’t do it.

I have to buy mens trainers for running.

I actually had a robust discussion with someone at a running expo when I wanted to try on a pair of vivos.

I have size 8 feet and we had some fun back and forth about the colour and I actually uttered the words 'I run ultra-marathons... after 45 miles the fact they're pink isn't going to matter'

I wasn't rude but ffs he only wanted me to try on a pair of unisex trainers in the correct colour 😡

I've had a look at Solovair's page on their lasts, and still think they're missing a trick. A sketch outline of all their lasts viewed from above is what's needed. So they can be compared. They just describe them with words, such as 'round toe', but I look at one of their supposedly round toed shoes and think that's not a round toe at all! It's so subjective.

But it is a step in the right direction. I really hope more companies do this in the future.

The factories that make the shoes will have different lasts won’t they & the shoes will get made in different factories?

I agree. DH used to work in outdoor gear retail, and was a bit of a specialist in boot fitting. He understood the codes on the boxe/printed inside the boot cuffs and could identify which last was used. After a couple of disastrous pairs of boots/approach shoes, we spent a couple of hours working out that I am a "Scarpsa B last". This was 25 years ago. Scarpa B still fit box fresh.

I imagine waking boots manufacturers only use a couple of lasts each, so stamping the boots "A" or "B" is manageable. I suspect that fashion shoe retailers get shoes from many different suppliers and factories, and have many more styles, so this would be far more complicated and inconsistent.

I think this would be a great idea. I have huge difficulty finding shoes to fit my feet. I want a wide toe box but a narrow heal and I have a high instep with large feet. Very tricky to get anything to fit. Trainers are a complete no go for me these days.

I only wear barefoot/minimalist shoes and printable outlines are fairly common so you can get a decent idea of fit, plus makers often describe the fit of various models and provide measurements to aid fitting.

Totally! New balance does for some. Unfortunately what used to be wide is now narrower.

I work in shoe sales and completely agree with you @BliniLover 😊 Some companies that we stock do name/code their shoes based on characteristics like what last is used or what sole unit it has but other companies are just done at random.

@spanishviola Out of interest, have you tried Paul Green shoes? You haven’t mentioned specifically what size you wear but a lot of my customers with a narrow heel fit but needing more space at the front love the Paul Greens 😊

Some companies that do leather (predominantly) men's shoes do. I know Loake and Barker do, for example. I suppose other manufacturers do as well, since I've seen similar info provided on shoe retailers that sell the two above. I buy men's shoes often for tied-up shoes (I want a wider toe box), so I have to be careful not to buy ones which are wide for men's shoes, as I can already end up with a loose heel even in some of the less wide fits.

I guess it's the same as asking why clothing companies won't tell you basic measurements that you need to know, like how long the item is. It's lazy cost cutting at the expense and inconvenience of the customer, giving rise to some returns that might otherwise have been avoided. They have the time and effort to spend on marketing descriptions under the item, but won't devote it to giving useful details rather than a spiel.

This would only make shoe shopping more confusing for me. I just wear a size 6. I've never thought about what type of a 6 or that there are different shapes. I'd probably give up entirely if I was suddenly faced with more choice.