Never call Jacob Ferrato a cobbler. “A cobbler repairs shoes,” he says bluntly. “I’m a cordwainer: somebody who makes shoes.” Point taken. In the DIY sneaker world, where custom can mean anything from Sharpie swooshes to complex reconstructions, Ferrato offers a unique service: He dreams up new shoe designs and stitches them together from scratch. Like other top customizers, he made a name for himself doing Nike mashups and python-skin Jordans for hip hop dandies and NBA stars. Success, however, bred ennui. So he chucked the reconstruction racket for a while to focus on original silhouettes. Step inside Ferrato’s atelier to see what cordwainery is about.
Go Inside the Workshop of the Custom-Sneaker King
Where the kicks are custom and the python rules the jungle.
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RICKY RHODES
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This Space Is the Place Headquarters for JBFcustoms (Ferrato’s middle name is Blaise) is 5 minutes from downtown Cleveland. The 25-year-old sneaker guru sews his ultrarare wares here, in a 2,000-square-foot warehouse loft. “There weren’t any YouTube videos for this when I started,” Ferrato says. “It was all trial and error—mostly error.” | Designer Desk Elevated on cinder blocks, Ferrato’s triplex bench allows him to stand while he works. He built it with cheap Home Depot parts, but the materials stored in and on it are precious: exotic leathers, industrial glues, specialized hardware, and well-used hand tools—the stuff that sneakerhead dreams are made of.
