Visit to our sneakers factory in Portugal

When we at Skolyx were developing our line of premium sneakers, trainers and runners, we needed to find a factory that was flexible and prepared to put a little extra work into each shoe. We found exactly what we were looking for in a community just outside Porto in Portugal, where Pedro and João, father and son, run a small factory. Join us on a visit and learn more about how the sneakers are made, and what makes them different from most others on the market, all in text, images and, at the very least, film.

For natural reasons, production of one type of product is often concentrated within a geographical area. This is partly about passing on knowledge to people here, and partly about bringing together practical infrastructure such as suppliers of parts, servicing of machines and so on. Well-known areas for shoe manufacturing in Europe are Northampton in England, Marche in Italy and Almansa and Mallorca in Spain – as well as the Porto district in northern Portugal. There are still several hundred small and large shoe manufacturers of all types of shoes here, and the knowledge in shoe manufacturing is enormous.

The Porto district in northern Portugal is a hotbed for shoe manufacturing.

The small factory employs around 20 employees.

In a block with a mix of villas, apartment buildings and smaller factory buildings on the outskirts of a small town, the factory is located, which looks a bit like a sugar cube with a rectangular shape and light grey colour. Here, the hammering and rattling of sewing machines are embedded in a constant humming and buzzing from various small and large machines. Everywhere, shoes are lined up at different stages of the manufacturing process. Here, a workforce of just under 20 people is led by Pedro and his father João. The fact that it is a relatively small factory is part of what has made our collaboration so successful, as they can be flexible and can easily solve things in a good way.

The last on which the shoes are built.

High-quality material is the backbone of all good shoes.

We use chrome-free smooth calf leather, fine calf suede and vegetable-tanned lining from Italy.

The parts for the shoes are punched out.

It may look easy, but utilizing the material without compromising on quality requires skill.


Because what we were looking for was something that very few sneaker manufacturers do, which meant that the factory had to source materials that they don't usually use, and also had to solve certain construction details in a new way. For example, we wanted to use heel caps in salpa / leather board that molds well to the foot, instead of plastic caps that are standard on this type of shoe. This meant that the factory needed to change how they made their back caps, as salpa and plastic have different properties.

A common problem with sneakers and trainers is that what is called the lasting board, a kind of midsole that the shoe is built around before the sole is attached, is almost always made of cardboard. It is not visible under the insole so it is something you like to save money on, but the problem is that sweat and other moisture dissolve the midsole so it more or less crumbles in the end. Even on really expensive sneakers that have nice uppers, people almost always take this shortcut, and it is the part of the shoes that breaks first. Replacing the cardboard with leather costs a lot extra during production, but in turn gives the shoes a significantly longer lifespan. The factory did not have lasting boards made of leather, but since it is located in Portugal's shoe center, we were able to get hold of it to use in our shoes.

The upper parts are sewn together.

As with pretty much all manufacturing of better shoes, some parts are done by hand, some parts with different machines.

Here the heel caps are prepared in salpa / leather board.

Finished uppers.

Similarly, they can work flexibly and efficiently when it comes to other parts of the shoes. The thick insoles we were looking for were not available, but we did not want to forego the increased comfort they bring despite the higher cost, and they could be manufactured by a factory located in a nearby community. And the outsoles are also made in the area, in a larger factory that has come a long way in both the work of reusing waste materials and efficient energy consumption with, for example, solar cells and the reuse of waste heat.

In several places in the small sneaker factory there are boxes of materials that are marked Skolyx, as it is something that none of their other customers use. Pedro says that he has appreciated working with us, as we go into such detail about the shoes and leave nothing to chance. This has meant that they have also developed, and make certain parts for other customers in a better way today than before. This has been the case with the other shoe factories we work with as well, we are in and pushing them on details that we know with our deep shoe knowledge make a difference in the length, even though it may not even be visible anyway.

Before the uppers are glued, the heel caps are pre-shaped.

Then the uppers are glued over the last. The toe and heel are drawn by machine.

The waist is glued by hand.

In place.

At the very back of the factory we find the leather storage. Here are rolls of hides lined up along the wall. The material we use for our sneakers is chrome-free calf leather, fine calf suede and vegetable-tanned lining leather from Italy, which is kind to the foot and breathes well. The first step in manufacturing is to cut the parts for the upper and lining leather from the hides. This is done by placing molds on the hides and using a press to punch them out, a bit like making gingerbread cookies.

A number of skilled seamstresses then sew the parts together, first the upper leather and lining leather separately, then together, with, for example, reinforcements at the lace eyelets and padding at the opening and tongue. Then, coats are put on at the toe and heel and the upper leather is pulled over the last (the shape on which the shoe is built) and pinned to the leather midsole. Under the midsole we also have a metal link, which gives stability to the arch and reduces the risk of tired feet. All of these are internal parts that are not visible from the outside, but which have a huge impact on durability and comfort, and if you are looking to make really good shoes, these parts are at least as important, but unfortunately something that most people ignore.

The surface that is to be glued is roughened, or sewn and glued, so that it adheres better.

Cup soles.

All shoes that are sewn are also glued for extra durability, there is no shoe construction that is based solely on seams.

Here, the last has been pulled out, and sewn with a sidewall stitch sewing machine.


At this point, you basically have a finished shoe that is completely assembled and you can take out the last, only the sole is missing. For trainers, runners and GAT sneakers, the outsole is glued in place, for sneakers with so-called cup soles, less glue is used on the lower outer side of the shoe, and then the upper leather is sewn to the sole. This is done with a sidewall stitch sewing machine, which is also easily accessible in front of the toe. A construction method that allows a shoemaker with the right equipment to resole the shoes.

Now all that remains is to spray suede shoes with impregnation spray, lubricate leather shoes with cream, put in our thick cushioning insoles and lace them up. At that point, we have only gone through the larger features of the manufacturing process, lots of small steps and processes are added along the way. Actually, we would like to describe everything, as many of the small parts also play a role, but the risk is that it might be a bit tedious.

The extra thick insoles we use get our logo.

Impregnation of suede.

The smooth leather gets cream and other treatment.

Lacing station.

What you should take with you, however, is the whole that everything we have described – and not described – here results in. The solid feeling on the foot. We prefer to spend 20-30 percent extra in production costs even on things that are not visible, but that really make a difference. The build quality and material choices are usually experienced by most people immediately when they put their feet in for the first time. And that quality also means that our sneakers have the potential to last a very long time.

Don't miss the film from our sneaker factory further down.

Here you will find all our premium sneakers, trainers and runners . 

Before the shoes are packed into boxes, they get a final inspection.

Packed and ready.

Sneakers, trainers and runners that will grace someone's feet in the near future.

Film showing the production of our sneakers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upd9CpiQbkk