DIY Shoe Sewing in a Developed Economy: Behind the Motivation to Sew Shoes at Home

Abstract

This study seeks to identify and understand the motivation of people who sew shoes for themselves or their family members at home. Qualitative analysis of in-depth data from online semi-structured interviews with thirteen respondents was conducted to understand the reasons why they sew shoes at home. The study results were twofold: They confirmed earlier studies investigating the factors that lead people to sew clothes at home. It was confirmed that economics, creativity, originality, and individual needs lead to the decision to sew shoes at home. Also, the overarching reason for the home shoe sewing was the importance of personal fulfilment, achieved through the main emergent themes of entertainment, empowerment, insufficient market, and financial reasons. This study was limited to citizens of the Czech Republic recruited from Facebook pages dedicated to home shoemaking. The study’s significance lies in determining the factors that led Czech consumers to DIY shoe sewing.

Keywords:

• Sewing shoes
• shoemaking
• product self-creation
• footwear
• craft consumption
• do-it-yourself
• prosumer
• motivations

Introduction

Footwear production has long been one of the most globalized industries (Markkanen and Levenstein 2004). It is estimated that approximately 24 billion pairs of shoes are produced each year (World Footwear Yearbook (WFY)), 2020). Annual footwear consumption varies from country to country around the world. According to long-term statistical data, footwear consumption in the Czech Republic amounts to a maximum of 3.5 to 4 pairs of footwear per capita and year (Mayerova and Bobalova 2018). Thanks to the influence of the Baťa company, one of the largest global footwear firms in the early last century (Lewis 2016), which was founded in former Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic historically developed an advanced industrial shoe production. At present, however, most of the footwear production is imported to the Czech Republic, mainly from China (Mayerova and Bobalova 2018).

The footwear market in the Czech Republic is, in terms of its size and the range of product grades, a standard environment where supply exceeds demand several times over. Nevertheless, in the last 10 years, we have begun to observe a unique trend in the shoe market in the Czech Republic. In addition to garments, people from different groups also started sewing their own shoes at home. This has also been reflected in the wider range of amateur shoe sewing courses and the online courses offered on the Internet. A search on Google.com for the Czech equivalent of the phrase “How to make shoes” (“Jak vyrobit boty”) will return more than 600,000 results (as of July 30, 2021). Google will return almost 77,000 results in video searches. This widespread trend is also evidenced by the wide range of shoe sewing courses for the public (approximately 1,400 Google search results) and a wide range of specific Facebook groups dedicated to the issue of home shoe production. The trend is even more interesting because, over the general direction of women favoring crafts such as sewing and knitting (Hackney 2013), an increasing number of men are now visible in these fields, as evidenced, for instance, by YouTube channels. Our initial literature review revealed a significant gap in research on DIY shoe production at home, a topic that has been largely overlooked compared to the well-studied area of home sewing of clothes. To address this gap and explore the growing interest in personalized consumer practices, we focused our qualitative research on understanding the motivations behind home-based shoe-making.

Literature Review

Shoemaking, in general, is a term describing the process of making footwear. As described by Markkanen and Levenstein (2004), it can be: a) contemporary home-based shoe production (within the context of the current globalized economy), b) mechanized factory production, and c) handicraft production. For this paper, DIY shoemaking, or home-based shoemaking, can be described as a specific combination of the abovementioned approaches in footwear production. Within it, an individual produces shoes for themself or their immediate family without the right to financial reward. The production takes place in domestic conditions or on the premises of shared public workshops.

Together with clothing, footwear represents a product category of vital economic importance (Cruz-Cárdenas, Arévalo-Chávez, and Guadalupe 2018). Therefore, in terms of understanding the needs and behavioral patterns of the footwear market, the fundamental question is why does this DIY shoemaking phenomenon occur? Since there is a lack of specific literature devoted to the contemporary issue of sewing shoes at home, it is only possible to extrapolate reasons from related fields. In this regard, concerning the nature of the activity, the closest activity to sewing shoes at home is probably home garment sewing.

The literature dealing with the issue of home sewing of garments is relatively vast, although somewhat obsolete. More recent publications on the subject tend to place the original findings in a contemporary context (e.g. Bain 2016) or verify the validity of the initial studies (e.g. Martindale and McKinney 2020). In general, as motivators for home sewing, the following are mostly cited: Economic and financial reasons (Lutz 1958; Kean and Levin 1989; Schofield-Tomschin 1999), creativity (Robbins 1973; Schofield-Tomschin 1999), higher quality (Robbins 1973), improved technology (Robbins 1973), dissatisfaction with ready-to-wear products (Kean and Levin 1989), hobby (Courtless 1985), aesthetics (Kean and Levin 1989), and health limitations (Hatch 1984) or physical irregularities (Reich and Shannon 1980).

The reasons for sewing shoes at home can also be extrapolated from the general principles of self-production of various products. Self-production, a condition where consumers make the product themselves before consuming it, is a well-researched part of consumer culture (Brunneder and Dholakia 2018). There are many reasons for product self-creation. Particularly in footwear production, it is a logical step in the history of the development of specialization and division of labor (Mestdagh 2003), as well as the socio-cultural development of human society, as historians date the shoe products of prehistoric Midwestern peoples as early as 8000 calendar years before the present (Kuttruff, DeHart, and O'Brien 1998). However, anthropological research suggests that humans made their own footwear much earlier but used highly perishable materials, so it is difficult to find evidence of the earliest footwear (Trinkaus and Shang 2008). Although the division of labor was already mentioned during the Classical period in Ancient Greece (Silvermintz 2010), in the case of the production of shoes, people were self-sufficient at least until the Middle Ages. Industrially, shoes only began to be produced in the nineteenth century (Stern 1939).

The present-day reasons leading to domestic footwear production may have their origin in insufficient industrial maturity. Although there are some countries, such as Cuba, where the economic collapse has forced the population to produce shoes at home (Concepción 2016), these shoes are resold so do not meet the condition of producing shoes for personal use. Unlike other sectors, Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic did not face a similar supply crisis in footwear. During the post-revolutionary privatization, while established domestic shoe manufacturers went bankrupt, the shoe product supply actually increased due to imports (Plata 2004). Notably, even during the previous socialist planned economy period (1948–1989), characterized by a significant excess of demand over supply, Czechoslovakia maintained domestic footwear production, unlike in other sectors such as clothing manufacturing (Gurova 2014).

At the same time, given the economic and time costs of producing one’s own footwear compared to industrially produced production, it makes no sense to try to save on the purchase of footwear, as may be the case with other products (Purohit et al. 2016). It could thus be expected that there will be other reasons than purely economic behind producing one’s own product. Although the supply of shoes on the Czech market is wide, in certain cases, the incentive for home sewing shoes could be the demand for higher, respectively specific, product quality (Laitala and Klepp 2018). In other cases, the reason may also be the demand for an improved cut, such as so-called barefoot shoes (Nigg 2009) or special orthopedic shoes (Orlando et al. 2020). In the Czech environment, the term “barefoot shoes” refers to a type of minimalist footwear designed to mimic the natural experience of walking barefoot while providing minimal protection and support as defined e.g. Esculier et al. (2015). However, due to the wide range of barefoot shoes on the local market and the relatively small group of consumers with the need to own special orthopedic footwear (e.g. different foot size, developmental defect of the feet, etc.), these cases cannot fully explain the above-mentioned growing popularity of home shoe sewing in the Czech Republic.

Conceptual Perspective and Research Question Development

In addition to the above-revealed findings on the motivation that may lead to DIY shoemaking, motives can be found within two theories related to the issue of self-production: Tofler’s Third Wave of DIY (Toffler 1980; Fox 2014) and The 'IKEA Effect’ (Norton, Mochon, and Ariely 2012).

At least partially, the context of the development of the interest in sewing shoes at home could be explained by the current popularity in the so-called Do-It-Yourself movement (e.g.: Cressey 2017; Chen and Wu 2017; Ferretti 2019), respectively DIY consumption (Craft Consumption) (Watson and Shove 2008; Moisio, Arnould, and Gentry 2013; Palmsköld 2021), where the psychological, creative, or leisure needs of the consumer are fulfilled (Brunneder and Dholakia 2018). The do-it-yourself (DIY) movement, as the result of the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of experts or professionals (Wolf and McQuitty 2011), has been widespread since the late 1990s (Totten 2017). According to Toffler (1980), the concept of DIY is quite old, but its current form corresponds to the predicted Third Wave, preceded by the First Wave (subsistence DIY) and the Second Wave (industrial DIY). In this concept, the First Wave DIY represents a situation where people grow what they eat and make what they need without regularly purchasing in a marketplace. The Second Wave then represents a situation where people buy made-to forecast kits of goods such as pre-designed boats and furniture (Fox 2014).

The current Third Wave of DIY enables people to buy, make or contribute according to the evaluation of opportunity costs, personal interests, and desire for recognition (Fox 2014). The last two points could partly explain the boom in home shoe sewing in the Czech Republic. Atakan et al. (2014) stated that participation in physical production has positive psychological effects for consumers and enhances affective commitment to the product. Moreover, it is well-known that physical participation in producing a product leads to the 'IKEA effect’ (Norton, Mochon, and Ariely 2012), which refers to a situation where self-creating customers valued their creations more than those given equivalent ready-made products. At the same time, participation in production influences psychological processes, which support consciousness and favor the inward attention of the consumer (Brunneder and Dholakia 2018). As in the case of sewing clothes at home, these incentives could explain home shoemaking as a shift away from economic to creative, leisure, and psychological motivations (Martindale and McKinney 2020).

If these assumptions are correct, this would be of great importance to the shoe industry from a marketing perspective. From a marketing point of view, the transfer and application of Third Wave DIY principles into industrial production may lead to prosumption – the situation where the consumer is involved in the design of a company’s products (Fox 2014). The traditional customer thus becomes a so-called prosumer who consumes and produces value, either for self-consumption or consumption by others (Lang et al. 2021). This creates the phenomenon of today, which is described as Prosumerism (Rayna and Striukova 2021). Given the above-mentioned advantages of involving the consumer in the production process, it would be possible to effectively involve current home (shoe) manufacturers in the industrial production process (Campbell 2005).

Given these gaps in the current level of understanding the issue of home shoemaking in the Czech Republic, the authors of the current study seek to make a dual contribution to the existing knowledge about DIY production of footwear. First, the study aims to identify factors that lead people to sew shoes at home. Second, it aims to verify whether the motivation factors leading to home sewing of shoes are like those that lead women to home garment sewing. In this regard, the following research questions were set:

1. What factors lead people in the Czech Republic to DIY shoe production?

2. Are these motivating factors the same as when sewing garments at home?

Methodology and Data Background

As follows from the literature review, there is a lack of academic research to understand the motivation for DIY shoe production. To explore people’s motivation to sew shoes for themselves or their families and the related research questions, we decided to follow the procedures from the paper by Martindale and McKinney (2020): Why do they sew? Women’s motivation to sew clothing for themselves. Their paper focuses on DIY garment sewing, which is very similar to shoe sewing. Moreover, the paper delves into the motivations and experiences of people who sew for themselves, exploring their reasons and the influence of sewing communities while also highlighting the gap in academic research on this topic. Therefore, we have partially adopted their methodology, as described below.

To determine the approximate size of the DIY group of shoemakers in the Czech Republic, we analyzed the relevant Facebook groups that connect these people. Based on the search, we found the following groups: “Kurzy šití bot - šijeme doma” (Shoe sewing courses - we sew at home) − 1,600 members, “Šijeme BF botičky” (We sew barefoot shoes) − 14,000 members, “Šijeme si boty” (We sew shoes) − 1,900 members. A call for research was then distributed within these groups to provide more information on their DIY shoemaking practice. The call was answered by 34 people who agreed to provide an unpaid interview. In the end, 13 participants were randomly selected from this group, with whom interviews were conducted. The number of participants thus met the saturation criterion by Francis et al. (2010).

The participants selected for the interviews were contacted by private message and provided with details about the study. Due to the restrictions associated with the measures against the spread of Covid-19, the interviews were planned and conducted online via Skype and ZOOM. One researcher, a Ph.D. student with a master’s degree in footwear design, familiar with footwear materials and shoe sewing processes, conducted online video interviews. The researcher also had extensive experience conducting semi-structured interviews and knew how to set aside any bias to allow the participant’s experience to emerge. The interviews took the form of semi-structured interviews, which are particularly useful for understanding social movements due to their ability to follow a suggested script of questions and simultaneously inquire in more detail about emerging themes during the interview (Blee and Taylor 2002).

The participants were asked why they sewed shoes for themselves, including questions regarding reasons and benefits. The questions were taken from the original study and modified so that sewing shoes were the subject instead of sewing clothes at home. Example questions included (a) How did you learn to sew shoes? (b) How did you get there? (c) Do you sew other things besides shoes? (d) Why do you sew shoes yourself at home? (e) How many pairs have you already sewn? Who do you sew for? (f) Does the price of shoes play a role? Are you able to save? (g) What tools do you use? (h) How do your surroundings react to wearing your sewn shoes? (i) Are you part of a community that deals with sewing shoes? Which one? (j) What do you enjoy most about it? What are you most happy about? (k) How do you feel when you wear shoes that you sewed yourself?

Before the interview, the participants were informed that an audio recording of the interview would be made and processed anonymously. Once the participants gave their consent, the interview could begin, with the length of the interview dependent on their ability to answer the given topics. Thus, interviews of approximately 12 to 32 min were recorded. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim using the Dictation function in Apple Pages software and then independently manually inspected by two master’s students for absolute accuracy (MacLean, Meyer, and Estable 2004).

The interview transcripts were subsequently coded using both deductive and inductive processes, as they increase the rigor of the data analysis process and disseminate research results (Creswell 2009). The deductive processes were used to evaluate the concepts and theories founded within the existing research. Then, inductive processes were used to identify other possible topics from the recorded interviews. Inspired by the previous study by Martindale and McKinney (2020), we used the grounded theory approach as an analytical approach to discover the repeated emergent concepts through the coding process (Martindale and McKinney 2020; Walker and Myrick 2006). The overall data processing was three-stage, as coding was performed in the first cycle (deductive processes) and the second cycle (inductive processes), and finally, the theory was built (Saldaña 2021).

During both coding phases, the interview transcripts were independently reviewed and coded by two researchers. This followed the principles of an open coding process, which enabled the identification of repetitive codes (Walker and Myrick 2006). Analytic notes and a coding guide were subsequently created. In the second coding cycle, the previous results of the two researchers were merged, and a final version of the coding guide was created based on the codes generated from the literature and inductively generated codes. The coding guide was embedded in a web-based version of the Atlas.ti software in which the codes were subsequently processed. As a result, the reasons why people may sew shoes in the home were used as coding categories: (a) Financial reasons (to save money); (b) Method of relaxation; (c) Entertainment/Hobby; (d) Striving for originality and personality expression; (e) Fulfilling the need for a barefoot walk; (f) Insufficient offer of ready-made shoes; (g) Preparing for their own shoemaking business; (h) Specific foot shape; (i) Continuing the family history of shoemaking; (j) Gaining a sense of purpose; (k) The experience and feel of manual creation; (l) The need for higher quality footwear; (m) The desire to win people’s admiration.

The theoretical coding was eventually used to develop the core theme, with other emerging themes subsequently integrated to relate to the core theme (Walker and Myrick 2006). The aim was to create an overview of factors explaining why people in this study decided to make their own shoes.

Results

In total, 13 participants participated in Skype and ZOOM interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. Women represented a slight majority, with 69% (9) of the respondents. Regarding the distribution of the respondents’ ages, the average age was just under 38 years old, with a median age of 39 years old. The youngest participant was 24 years old, while the oldest was 47. Slightly more than half the respondents (7) had a university degree, while the rest (6) had a high school diploma. Most of the respondents (9) were married, while the remaining respondents (4) were single. All the respondents claimed not to be professional shoemakers, nor did they do shoemaking as their primary activity. The descriptive data regarding the respondents are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Description of the respondents’ (R) sample.

Respondent no.	Gender	Age	Profession	Municipality Size (in thousands of inhabitants)	Marital Status	Number of Children	Education Level	The type of shoes they sew
1	Female	27	maternity leave	1309	Single	1	Higher education	Different styles of barefoot shoes for daily wear
2	Male	47	managerial position	0.269	Married	3	Higher education	Different styles of barefoot shoes for daily wear
3	Female	45	entrepreneur	0.378	Married	3	Higher education	Various styles of children’s barefoot shoes
4	Female	38	clerical position	379.5	Married	1	Higher education	Classic shoes
5	Male	42	entrepreneur	1.284	Married	0	High school	Leather shoes for adults
6	Male	40	entrepreneur	0.466	Married	3	High school	Classic shoes
7	Female	35	maternity leave	0.748	Married	2	Higher education	Various styles of children’s barefoot shoes
8	Female	42	clerical position	0.249	Married	2	High school	Special orthopedic shoes
9	Female	24	student	1309	Single	0	High school	Different styles of barefoot shoes for daily wear
10	Female	37	clerical position	100.4	Married	2	Higher education	Different styles of barefoot shoes for daily wear
11	Female	44	clerical position	1.27	Single	1	High school	Classic shoes
12	Male	31	managerial position	43.7	Single	0	Higher education	Special orthopedic shoes
13	Female	39	working position	0.832	Married	3	High school	Classic and barefoot shoes

The data analysis obtained from the interviews revealed one central theme that is crucial for nearly all the interviewees when sewing shoes at home. It is the theme of personal fulfillment, which is the main reason why people sew their own shoes at home. This central theme comprises four sub-themes that explain the different motives leading to the final, personal fulfillment. These themes are (1) Entertainment, (2) Insufficient market, (3) Financial Reasons, and (4) Empowerment. The sub-reasons given can be imagined as pillars that support the main theme. The four sub-themes mentioned above consisted of twelve sub-themes that revealed the answers to the research questions proposed by the study and provided an understanding of why people sew their own shoes at home.

Personal fulfillment

Although the respondents had various reasons that led them to start making shoes at home, the main reason for doing so is personal fulfillment. This is the terminal outcome of activities that led to the satisfaction of earlier diverse needs. The main and non-overlapping categories of needs are those that can be described as material and psychological. Material needs include responses to the insufficient market and various financial reasons. The psychological needs include the need to have fun and the need for empowerment. Both groups of needs were evenly distributed among the respondents. These are described in more detail below.

Entertainment

The theme of entertainment includes activities that provide participants with a certain sense of pleasure that may result from the experience of manual creation. It also brings a sense of meaningfulness to the respondents because DIY shoemaking is often seen as an escape from reality and, therefore, a form of relaxation, individual entertainment, or a hobby.

Hobby

Sewing shoes at home as an expression of the need to pursue a hobby was common to most respondents. This theme appeared throughout the interviewees’ responses in varying degrees of intensity, regardless of the primary need behind the interviewees’ initial shoemaking activity. However, two forms of this hobby can be distinguished: (a) the respondents wanted to create something manually as a form of spending of their free time, and after attending various handicraft courses, shoemaking became a hobby, or (b) the respondents needed to make shoes for specific reasons, such as non-standard foot shape (R2, R6, R7, R8, R9, R12), lack of supply of barefoot shoes (R2, R3, R7, R8, R10, R13), etc., and after making several pairs of shoes, this activity became a hobby. This is well illustrated by the respondents’ statements when respondent R5 describes the first case: “Ím an entrepreneur in a non-craft business. I felt burned out professionally for some time. I needed to find such a hobby that could allow me to create something manually and see the results right away. Therefore, I attended several courses in different handicrafts. Sewing shoes appealed to me the most.” The second case for the others is described by respondent R2 when he says: “I couldn’t find adequate barefoot shoes on the market for my kids and me. So, I tried to sew barefoot shoes on my own. First for the kids, then for me. I started to enjoy it, and shoemaking became my hobby.” Part of having a given hobby is gaining a sense of enjoyment, whether in the process of working or after the product is finished.

Form of relaxation

Although the theme of relaxation could be expected to be automatically associated with having a hobby, this is only partially true. Interestingly, sewing shoes is seen as a form of relaxation for those respondents who chose this activity primarily as a hobby, with no other primary needs (see point a) in the text above). For example, respondent R1, who started sewing shoes at home to save money on quality footwear, perceives sewing shoes at home as a hobby that brings her pleasure but is also a demanding job. Respondent R12, who chose shoemaking as a hobby, with no other primary needs, perceives this activity as a form of relaxation and an opportunity to take a break from working life.

The experience of manual creation and the sense of meaningfulness

For four of the respondents, home shoemaking is a means of satisfying the need to 'do something meaningful.' Respondents also described a sense of work that has a tangible or persistent outcome. The questioned shoemakers contrasted the activity with their regular jobs, which do not produce this material outcome. Mentions of the importance of “the experience of manual creation” or “touching the materials while making it” were also reported.

Empowerment

The theme of empowerment describes how making one’s own shoes helps participants strengthen their self-confidence. As the responses show, this happens in a rather indirect way, where homemade shoes allow the makers to express the originality of their personality better. To a lesser extent, it is also a direct attempt to gain people’s attention and admiration. Given the factual content of the topic, it can be classified in the first group of the above - among the so-called psychological needs.

Striving for originality and personal expression

The sub-theme describing the “Striving for originality and personal expression” was also present in most of the respondents’ answers. Regardless of the primary reasons that led them to home shoemaking, the opportunity to be original and thus express their own personality was significant. The respondents mentioned “trying to stand out from the crowd,” “to reduce the risk of having the same shoes as people I meet,” or “the feeling of uniqueness associated with the originality of the product.” One participant shared detailed feelings related to home shoemaking in this regard: “For me, shoes made by me are an important means for the expression of my personality. It is the same as when I was building a house: I needed to intervene in what the house would look like in the end. I wouldn’t want a catalog house; I couldn’t live in something unified.” (R4)

The desire to win people’s admiration

The data also showed that for some respondents sewing shoes could also be a way to gain recognition from the people around them. In this case, it is not about trying to attract attention with, for example, a novel product design, but by the very fact that the respondent sews their own shoes. The need for appreciation of their craftwork is evident here. Within the sample of respondents, this need was recognized only by men (4 respondents). One respondent (R6) shared the feeling he gets when he can wear his own shoes: “I like to show off my shoes to my colleagues at work. I started by making a belt out of leather, which impressed some colleagues. When I took my first pair of handmade shoes to work, my colleagues were even more interested. It does me good to be admired for my homemade shoes.”

Insufficient market

Although against all expectations, the Czech Republic is a standard market economy type and the data showed that one of the main reasons for sewing shoes at home is a certain inadequacy of the shoe market in the Czech Republic. This contradicts the characteristics of the footwear market as defined in the literature search. However, a more detailed analysis of the data reveals findings that point to a rather subjective sense of the inadequacy of the footwear market. Its current form does not meet the requirements of most of the selected sample of respondents (85%). The respondents claimed that the market is unable to meet their needs in areas such as offering barefoot shoes or shoes that would suit their specific foot shapes. An insufficient supply of ready-to-wear footwear to suit the respondents’ ideas was also mentioned, as were reservations about the quality of manufacturing or the materials used in commonly available shoes. These needs indicate a partial insufficiency in the supply of ready-to-wear footwear. Given the material nature of the needs, these fall into the material needs category mentioned earlier.

The need for barefoot walking

Although there is no reliable research describing the issue of barefoot shoes in the Czech Republic, based on the number of specialized Facebook groups dedicated to the phenomenon, it could be claimed that walking in barefoot shoes is very popular among certain segments of the Czech population. This is also confirmed by the statements from more than a third of the respondents of our research (39%), who claimed that barefoot shoes had become part of their entire family’s lifestyle. These respondents are convinced of the positive health effects of walking in barefoot shoes for their children and themselves. In this sense, the respondents mentioned “better posture,” “walking without pain,” “retreat of problems with weakened foot arches,” etc. For this group of consumers, barefoot shoes have become the only footwear alternative. The importance of barefoot shoes was shared by one respondent (R2) as follows: “The moment I got used to barefoot shoes, I would not change them for anything. I have to wear barefoot shoes even with a suit because I can’t stand wearing standard dress shoes, my feet hurt, and I don’t like the cramped feeling when walking.”

However, these respondents also mentioned an insufficient supply of barefoot shoes that would match their needs or were offered at appropriate prices. Therefore, the respondents claimed that they started to make barefoot shoes themselves. The primary impetus in these cases was the need to sew shoes for themselves or their children. This is how one respondent (R13) describes it: “When I wanted to buy shoes for my children that would meet the requirements of barefoot walking, I could not find such shoes here. The shoes that were on offer were always a compromise and were not pure barefoot shoes. Plus, I have three children whose feet are growing fast, and sometimes the ordering times for barefoot shoes in stores are so long that by the time the shoes arrive, the child’s feet have already grown. So, I decided to make their shoes myself.”

It should be highlighted that the topic of walking in barefoot shoes emerged as a polarizing issue during the interviews. While approximately one-third of the respondents can be described as supportive of the barefoot footwear style, approximately the same group of respondents (31%) were negatively opposed to barefoot shoes.

Specific foot shape

The data obtained showed a relatively common reason for home shoe fitting, which is the specific shape of the feet. This problem was mentioned by almost half the respondents (46%). People most frequently reported that they “have feet of different sizes.” At the same time, the subjectively perceived anomalies of “too wide toes” and “poor foot placement when walking” were mentioned. At the same time, three of these respondents reported the previously mentioned need to walk in barefoot shoes as a reason for sewing shoes. However, it did not emerge clearly from the interviews which of these two needs the respondents realized first. However, the respondents shared the belief that current footwear (whether conventional or barefoot) does not meet the requirements set by their body specifications and limitations.

Insufficient supply of ready-made shoes and the need for higher quality footwear

The respondents’ dissatisfaction with the assortment offer of ready-to-wear shoes was one of the key reasons they started to make their own shoes. The origin of this dissatisfaction varied from respondent to respondent but was related to the factors mentioned above. For some respondents, there were not enough barefoot shoes on the market, while others could not find shoes that respected the non-standard nature of their feet. However, it was also mentioned that the standard, ready-to-wear shoes offered did not allow for sufficient expression of the respondent’s personality. Alternatively, the respondents mentioned that they could not find a pair of shoes in the current range of ready-to-wear shoes that suited them subjectively.

Finally, the topic of the insufficient quality of ready-made shoes was also mentioned. The respondents claimed that they could not find shoes on the market that were both good quality and affordable. Insufficient quality was also mentioned with barefoot shoes made in the Czech Republic where the “seams are detaching” (R12).

Discussion

Our study’s findings offer a nuanced understanding of the motivations behind home shoemaking in the Czech Republic, drawing explicit connections to existing research and theoretical frameworks in the realm of DIY practices. The motivational factors identified in our research align closely with those observed in the related domain of home garment sewing. This parallel extends the scope of DIY Consumption theory and the concept of Prosumerism, providing a comprehensive perspective on home crafting behaviors.

In our analysis, we observed that the motivational factors influencing individuals to engage in home garment sewing are similarly influential in the context of home shoemaking. However, the relative importance of these factors varies. Notably, personal fulfillment emerged as the predominant motivator for home shoemaking, echoing the shift towards leisure, creativity, and psychological fulfillment over economic considerations in home garment sewing, as highlighted in the studies by Schofield-Tomschin (1999), Black and Idle (2014), and Martindale and McKinney (2020).

Conversely, our findings also reaffirm the significance of economic and cost-saving factors in the decision to undertake home shoemaking. This observation is in line with earlier research by Lutz (1958), Kean and Levin (1989), and Schofield-Tomschin (1999), which underscored these factors in home garment sewing. Our respondents acknowledged the financial motivations, despite being cognizant of the increased material costs and time investment, a complexity also noted in the works of Purohit et al. (2016) and Martindale and McKinney (2018).

A novel aspect of our study is the emergence of craft production of barefoot shoes. This trend can be interpreted as an extension of previously identified needs such as health compensation (Hatch 1984), the pursuit of a better fit (Kean and Levin 1989), and dissatisfaction with off-the-shelf products (Courtless 1985). However, our findings suggest that choosing to wear barefoot footwear transcends these needs, representing a distinct lifestyle choice for everyday activities, a concept partially explored in the theories of Jenkins and Cauthon (2011) and Sinclair et al. (2013).

Our results are strongly aligned with the principles of DIY consumption theory and Craft Consumerism, as discussed by Watson and Shove (2008), Moisio, Arnould, and Gentry (2013), and Palmsköld (2021). The motivational factors identified in our study fit neatly into the categories of Psychological, Creative, and Leisure needs as defined by Brunneder and Dholakia (2018). Furthermore, our findings support the concept of the Third Wave DIY, as proposed by Toffler (1980), where the decision-making process of our respondents reflects considerations of opportunity costs, personal interests, and the desire for recognition, as discussed by Fox (2014). However, unlike the trend noted by Martindale and McKinney (2020), our study found that economic and cost-saving motives remain relevant, alongside the more dominant psychological, creative, and leisure motivations.

Additionally, our study corroborates the phenomenon known as the IKEA effect (Norton, Mochon, and Ariely 2012), where the personal investment in the creation of a product enhances its value to the creator. Our respondents expressed a deeper appreciation and longer usage of self-made shoes, underscoring their intimate understanding of the production process and their ability to maintain the shoes over time. This finding, however, does not align with the concept of prosumerism (Fox 2014), as our respondents did not express a desire to collaborate with manufacturers in the shoe-making process. Instead, they highlighted the deficiencies in the offerings of both ready-to-wear and barefoot shoe manufacturers, suggesting that future integration of consumer input in the production process by shoe companies could be beneficial (Brown, Hall, and Davis 2020).

Conclusions

The motivation factors for people who sew their shoes non-commercially at home were the focus of this study. The grounded theory approach (Walker and Myrick 2006) was used to analyze the qualitative interview data. Its results showed four emergent themes: entertainment, empowerment, insufficient market, and financial reasons. The first two topics covered psychological reasons, the second two material reasons. Altogether, themes were interconnected within an overarching theme of personal fulfillment—all the themes together explain the motivation for why people sew their shoes at home.

The study results confirmed the outcome of earlier studies that investigated the factors that lead people to sew clothes at home. It was confirmed that factors such as economics, creativity, originality, and individual needs lead to the decision to sew shoes at home (Schofield-Tomschin 1999). Economic and financial reasons have not been confirmed to recede, as suggested by some studies for sewing clothes at home (Martindale and McKinney 2020). However, the increasing importance of the need for personal fulfillment as described by the DIY consumption theory (Moisio, Arnould, and Gentry 2013, Palmsköld 2021) has been confirmed.

The significance of this study lies in the determination of factors that lead Czech consumers to DIY sewing shoes. Since there is a lack of research dedicated to this topic, our study can be a relevant contribution to the current state of knowledge. Although home shoemaking can technically be classified in the same group as sewing clothes at home, our research has revealed that the motivation of people who make shoes differ, at least in some areas, from those who make clothes.

Our study also provides an insight into the behavior of consumers who, for various reasons, have chosen to move outside the commercial environment of ready-to-wear footwear, a part of the market where footwear is widely available and relatively cheap in many countries. The motivation factors and benefits for sewing shoes at home identified in this study show the presence of a different source of motivation than has been the case in history. At the same time, they also point to a different attitude of a specific group of customers to the current form of the shoe market, which is, at least in the Czech Republic, insufficient for consumers. The identification of motivational factors was made possible using a qualitative grounded theory approach, which enabled to reveal people’s experiences with home sewing shoes in a way that would not be possible with the help of quantitative techniques.

The results of this study can be used in at least three areas: academia, teaching, and footwear industry. For academics in footwear-related fields, these findings overlap the current knowledge gap in the field. At the same time, the results contribute to deeper coverage of the knowledge of consumer behavior, which can be described as so-called prosumers. In this sense, the study results can also contribute to the updating of teaching materials in areas related to the production of shoes or the consumer behavior of selected segments. Finally, the study results can be a valuable source of information for managers and marketers in the footwear industry. A group of people sewing shoes at home can be a competitive advantage for companies that want to involve customers more in the production process.

Limitations and Future Research

This study was limited only to Czech-speaking citizens of the Czech Republic, and therefore its results cannot be generalized to all people who sew their own shoes. There is currently very limited research on home shoemaking in developed economies, and it would be useful to conduct further research in other countries, possibly with larger samples of respondents. The seemingly specific theme of barefoot shoes also calls for further research to determine whether it has the same popularity in other, comparable countries such as the Czech Republic and whether the popularity of barefoot shoes in other countries is also an incentive to produce them on a DIY basis. The participants in this study were recruited from Facebook pages dedicated to home shoemaking, with social networking being a common means of communication for these respondents. Since there is also a certain group of people in the Czech Republic who deliberately avoid social networks, it is necessary to research within this group of home shoemakers to see if their motivation is the same as that of social media network users.

Acknowledgment

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lucie Sara Zavodna

Lucie Sara Zavodna and Jan Zavodny Pospisil Prague University of Economics and Business, Faculty of Management, Jarosovska 1117/II, 377 01 Jindrichuv Hradec, Czech Republic

[email protected]

Jan Zavodny Pospisil

Lucie Sara Zavodna and Jan Zavodny Pospisil Prague University of Economics and Business, Faculty of Management, Jarosovska 1117/II, 377 01 Jindrichuv Hradec, Czech Republic

[email protected]

Lucie Trejtnarova

Lucie Trejtnarova, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Faculty of Multimedia Communications, Univerzitni 2431, 760 01 Zlín, Czech Republic

[email protected]