Rieker Make Only The Highest Quality Rieker Shoes   by Howard Kavin

The early shoemakers were artisans who created cottage industries based upon the patronage of the local gentry. They produced handmade shoes and trained apprentices to do likewise. It was only the Industrial Revolution and the concept of mass production that changed things dramatically.

Suddenly the manufacturer could satisfy demand from a much bigger customer base and that was not the only change that took place. Leather had been the basic material predominantly although wood and canvas were others. This changed with the use of rubber and plastics while the development of adhesives meant that time consuming stitching was not essential.

A further change came when other parts of the world challenged the traditional manufacturing industries of the West with their cheap labour force and strong work ethic. Suddenly the whole business had changed. Some traditional names maintained production in their original bases, rieker shoes while often opening new manufacturing centres for reasons ranging from labour costs to expansion of markets, the name rieker spread. Different companies adopted different policies with some companies retaining a brand name but stopping manufacture and sourcing shoes from a variety of factories and asking them to be branded. Others with no manufacturing experience but marketing flair entered the market and have been successful.

But new materials are not the whole story. The men