Ecru leather loafers

The Goodyear welt is a procedure that involves sewing a welt – a strip of leather, rubber or plastic – onto a shoe to link the different parts (the upper, the insole and the outsole), thus reinforcing it while maintaining flexibility. This method owes its name to Charles Goodwin Jr who industrialised the technique in the 19th century. But while his father, inventor of the rubber vulcanisation technique, clearly inspired the famous tyre manufacturer when naming his company, neither party is otherwise related.