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Wicker Park Men's Suit Shop Adds Line of Handmade, Custom Italian Shoes

By Alisa Hauser | September 15, 2014 4:21pm | Updated on September 16, 2014 7:53am
 Tailor and designer Adrian Park has added a custom shoes business to his Wicker Park mens suit shop.
Adrian Park Custom Shoes in Wicker Park
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WICKER PARK — A Wicker Park shop that specializes in handmade suits and counts Chicago athletes and politicians among its customers is preparing to sell custom "made-to-measure" men's shoes, too.

Crafted from Italian calfskin leather and sewn by hand in Korea, the shoes begin at $300 per pair and can cost as much as a few thousand dollars for crocodile or snakeskin styles, said Adrian Park, a tailor, designer and owner of De Louice, a menswear shop at 1755 W. North Ave.

After getting their feet measured by Park, customers can choose the design of their shoe, the leather and materials for the bottom and inner soles, available in rubber and two varieties of leather.

"You can even put your initial on the shoe with your own lettering on the side of the heel," Park said.

Park, 42, opened his shop seven years ago and is in the process of rebranding to Adrian Park Custom Tailor and Design, a name that will also fit with the new shoe line, which bears his name as the label.

Park introduced the shoes to shoppers on Friday by stocking the shelves of his shop with about 30 sample pairs, to give customers an idea of the types of designs available.

"Some people are on a waiting list for when shoes are ready [to order]," Park said of the shoes, for which he hopes to begin to take orders within the next week.

Once ordered, the shoes will take about four weeks to make from measurements to delivery.

Park said he began researching how to offer handmade shoes about two years ago and flew to Italy and Korea to "research all of the factories and learn about the process."

"The handmade custom shoes, not many younger generations are learning the process anymore. In 10 or 15 years they will all be retired or passed away. I wanted to utilize that skill as much as I can, as soon as possible," Park said.

Park partnered with a company in Italy called Vibram on the shoe soles and is working with a company in Korea that assembles and makes each pair of shoes by hand.

Sample styles currently on display at Park's shop include "Patina," a vintage wing tip shoe that Park said has an antique look and is "the end of the handmade shoe," as well as shoes with tassels and buckles. There's also low-cut boots too.

Adrian Park Custom Tailor and Design (currently called De Louice), 1755 W. North Ave. Ph: 773-384-8500.

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