A welt refers to a piece of leather which is hand stitched to the upper of a shoe as an attach point for the sole. This process was pioneered by the Goodyear family and is the traditional method for manufacturing men’s dress shoes. The upper of the shoe is stretched over the last and stitched to a leather strip known as a welt. The Vibram sole is then stitched to this welt. This is a labour intensive process performed by expert craftspeople and allows for constant air flow through the shoe aiding ventilation, durability and strength.