DIY Shoes at Chicago School of Shoemaking

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

It's common for people knit their own scarves or hammer metal into jewelry. But here's something you may have never of: Making shoes.

The Chicago School of Shoemaking teaches classes on this very art. From cutting and stitching leather to glueing a sole to the shoe, the school will have you creating your own footwear in just 2 days. If you're already an expert at that kind of thing, sign up for one of the school's advanced classes. The two-day beginner classes are the most comprehensive and will run you $895 (although you could also just use that cash for a pair Loubs.) But classes range from "Sandalmaking," a six-hour workshop for $225 to "Leather Work," a two-hour course for just $75.

It's definitely unconventional, but a shoemaking class could be a fun activity to try. Bonus points for the fact that the school focuses on sustainability.
· Chicago School of Shoemaking [Official Site]