Luxury Shoe Repair in Moscow: Which Brands We Take and What We Do

People bring pairs from English, Italian and French makers to the workshop at Taganskaya in Moscow, along with shoes from the big fashion houses and women’s heels on slim stilettos. We take repairs of any complexity: heels, soles, welts, heel counters, zips and colour restoration. Below are the brands we see most often and what is usually done for each group.

How to read this list

The brand names are here so you can recognise your own pair. The workshop is not affiliated with any of these companies and is not their official service centre. We repair shoes according to the construction we see in our hands.

The brands are grouped by how the shoes are built. Construction decides what can be replaced, how many times and at what cost. The same brand sometimes makes different lines in different ways, so the final answer always comes from an inspection.

If your brand is not listed, that means nothing. The list shows what people bring most often and does not limit what we accept.

English and European Goodyear-welted classics

Among the makers in this group: John Lobb, Edward Green, Gaziano & Girling, Crockett & Jones, Church’s, Tricker’s, Cheaney, Alden, J.M. Weston, Carmina, Vass. Most models from these makers are welted, either Goodyear-welted or hand-welted.

A welted shoe is designed for several resoles. The old sole comes off, the welt stays, and the new sole is stitched to it through the existing holes. If the welt is worn through or torn, it is replaced, and the pair gets several more years of wear.

The same group also gets whole new heels, heel lifts and top pieces, protective rubber soles over leather, and heel counters that have lost their shape rebuilt. The colour of the sole edge and heel is matched to the part that survived.

Italian handmade shoes

This group includes Santoni, Berluti, Silvano Lattanzi, a.testoni, Stefano Bemer, Artioli, Enzo Bonafè. Italian makers use a range of constructions: welted, Blake-stitched and Bologna, where the lining is sewn into a sock.

A Blake-stitched shoe is lighter and slimmer than a welted one, but it can be resoled fewer times because every new seam passes through the insole. Before starting, we assess how many more resoles the insole can take.

Pairs with a hand-applied patina need extra care during repair. The sole edge and heel are coloured without touching the upper, and if the colour on the upper has worn away, the patina is rebuilt layer by layer.

Women’s shoes from the fashion houses

The pairs we see most often here are from Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Gianvito Rossi, Aquazzura, René Caovilla, Dior, Chanel, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Prada, Gucci. These are mostly slim-heeled shoes with leather soles.

The most frequent job here is the top piece on a stiletto. The factory top piece wears quickly, and if it is not replaced in time the heel itself starts to wear down. Then the heel edge is rebuilt or the heel is replaced.

Second most common: a heel that wobbles or has snapped. The pin and fixing are renewed, and if the heel is cracked, a new one of the same height and shape is fitted and covered in leather matching the pair.

A thin leather sole is protected with a colour-matched rubber half sole or replaced entirely if it has worn through. On shoes with a coloured sole, the colour is matched to a sample.

Men’s and women’s shoes from the fashion houses

Typical names in this group: Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta, Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, Tod’s. People bring loafers, moccasins, Chelsea boots, light derbies and boots.

Soft moccasins are built without a rigid insole, and their sole is often one piece with the upper or a glued-on rubber layer. Here we replace worn rubber, add a new sole layer and restore stitching on the upper.

Driving moccasins with rubber pebbles on the sole are a special case. If the pebbles are worn down to the leather, the options are discussed at inspection: sometimes a new sole layer can go on, sometimes the pair is best kept for dry weather.

On loafers and boots from these brands the heel counter and heel lining often need replacing. They wear first, especially when the shoes are worn without socks.

Heel replacement of any complexity

A heel is replaced when it has cracked, broken at the base, worn down to the core at the edge or lost its covering. The height and shape are taken from the other shoe so the pair stays identical.

A stiletto with a steel pin, a stacked leather heel, a waisted Louis heel, a wedge, a covered heel: each is sourced or built for the model. If the right shape does not exist, it is turned to a sample.

On men’s shoes a stacked leather heel is often restored only partly: the worn layers are removed and new ones built up while the lower layers are kept. The pair keeps its height and balance.

Sole replacement of any complexity

Soles are replaced on welted, Blake-stitched and cemented shoes. A welted shoe is resoled through the old stitch holes, a Blake shoe is judged by its insole, and on a cemented shoe we check whether the upper will survive the removal of the old sole.

You choose the material with us: leather, leather with a rubber half sole, microcellular rubber, or a winter sole with a deep tread. If the pair came with a branded rubber sole, we find one close in thickness and pattern.

We do not reproduce brand lettering or logos on soles. The new sole follows the shape and colour of the old one, but without anyone else’s marks.

Heel counter, lining and insole

On an expensive pair the heel lining often wears before the sole. First it goes shiny, then a hole appears, and the heel starts rubbing against the stiff counter. The lining is patched at the heel or replaced entirely.

A heel counter crushed by putting shoes on without a shoehorn is rebuilt through the opened lining: the old counter is softened and reshaped, or a new one of the same height is fitted. After that the heel sits firmly again.

If the branded sock liner is intact, we keep it. If it is worn out, we fit a new one in matching leather without a logo and give the old one back to you.

The upper: colour, scuffs and seams

A scuffed toe and a rubbed heel on smooth leather are recoloured and polished. On aniline leather and hand patina, colour is built up in layers so the transition does not show.

Patent leather with cracks at the flex point cannot be fully restored, but the cracks can be made far less visible. We say so at inspection so that expectations match the result.

Suede and nubuck are cleaned, the nap is raised and the colour restored with suede dye. Salt and water marks are removed if they have not soaked in deeply.

A split seam on the vamp is restitched through the old holes with thread of the same colour and weight. If the leather has torn along the seam, a reinforcement goes inside.

Stretching and fit

A designer pair bought without trying on is often tight across the ball of the foot or presses on a bunion. Stretching is done on a last, locally where it presses, and only on genuine leather.

Leather can be stretched by about half a size in width; length hardly changes. If a pair is a full size too small, stretching will not help, and we tell you before starting.

If the heel slips, we add a heel grip under the lining, a tongue pad or a half insole. None of these show from outside.

Boots, over-the-knee boots and ankle boots

On boots the usual jobs are zips, heels and top pieces, and less often taking in the shaft at the calf. A zip is replaced with one of the same length and tooth size along the original seam.

Over-the-knee boots from fashion houses are often made of thin suede or stretch material. Here glue and solvents are handled with care so that no marks are left on the upper.

Fur-lined winter boots arrive with soles lifting after a season of road salt. If the upper is sound, the sole is removed, the salt residue cleaned off and a new sole fitted.

Pairs from abroad and resale

Many people bring pairs bought abroad, from resale platforms or second hand. We do not check or confirm authenticity: the master assesses the construction, the leather and the wear.

Sometimes taking a shoe apart shows it is built more simply than expected, for example cemented where a welt was implied. The master will tell you and suggest a repair that suits the real construction.

We also take pairs that have been repaired elsewhere. Sometimes the previous sole or heel has to come off first to see what remains of the original build.

Urgent repairs before an event

A broken heel before a wedding or a lost top piece before an important meeting is a common reason to call. Top pieces, protective soles, regluing and simple heel repairs can be done quickly if you call ahead.

Resoling a welted pair and making a new heel to a sample are not rushed: glue and leather need time, and haste shows on the finished shoe.

What we do not take

We do not repair home orthopedic shoes or slippers. Their construction and materials are made for a short life, and a repair usually costs more than a new pair.

We do not take pairs where the upper has deep cracks at the flex point. The leather no longer holds there, and a new sole will not fix that.

We do not quote prices from photographs. What happens under the sole can only be seen in the hand.

Orthopedic shoes made to measure on a last, including our own, we do repair: they are not home orthopedics and have a full construction designed for new soles and heels.

Why this is hard to find now

Since 2022 many brands have closed their stores in Russia. Sending a pair to the brand’s own service has become difficult or impossible, and few workshops take on expensive shoes of delicate construction.

Sergey Grechushkin makes shoes from scratch, builds his own lasts and does the pattern cutting himself. He knows how a pair is built from the inside and sees where a repair could damage the upper, the welt or the insole.

Between seasons a pair can also be left at the workshop for storage on shoe trees, in a dust bag, for 5,000 ₽ per pair per month, with any work billed separately after you approve it.

How a pair is accepted

The inspection happens in front of you. The master looks at the construction, the wear on the sole and the condition of the upper, and tells you what can be done and what is not worth doing.

You receive an acceptance note listing visible damage: scratches, scuffs, chipped colour. The price and timing are agreed after the inspection, before any work begins.

If a repair makes no sense, the master says so. More often than not, that saves you money.