JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM No glue here: Anthony Delos stitches the sole of a Louis Vuitton Good Year shoe ($910 to $925), upholding a centuries-old tradition. The shoe is from LV's Inheritance line for men.

Sole satisfaction

China is growing rich as the workshop of the world, and while here in the West we might fret about the prospect of losing jobs to cheap overseas labor, we seem to care even more about paying less for consumer goods, opting to deal with the repercussions later.

Yet, while many fashion companies are heading to the manufacturing hot spots of China, Vietnam or Eastern Europe, Louis Vuitton is doing quite the opposite, casting its lot with tradition.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Anthony Delos stitches the sole of a Louis Vuitton Good Year shoe. The shoe is from LV's Inheritance line for men.

Perhaps envisioning a future in which all goods are stamped "Made in China," Vuitton has set about creating an alternate future for itself, investing in workshops in Italy -- a country noted for its shoemaking traditions since 1300 -- and more important, supporting the craftsmen whose skills and artistry might otherwise be lost.

Louis Vuitton's Ala Moana and Waikiki stores recently hosted "The Art of the Shoe" with "bottier" Anthony Delos, visiting from Paris, demonstrating the process of stitching LV moccasins and driving shoes by hand. Depending on the type of shoe, it's a process that involves 70 to 200 steps from start to finish, according to Friedrich Schwegler, Louis Vuitton's New York-based director of merchandising, footwear, who interpreted Delos' French.

Delos, 31, said he grew up in Saumur, an area noted for equestrians and home to the Cadre Noir, the National School of Horsemanship, and became interested in making riding boots when he was about 16.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Monte Carlo Moccasins are available for men, at $465 to $590, and women, at $545 to $565.

Schooled at the Compagnons du Devoir, he learned every element of the craft. Delos expressed his appreciation of companies like Louis Vuitton, and customers who recognize the value of a well-made shoe created entirely by hand -- and are willing to pay for such craftsmanship.

Shoes represent the second-biggest source of income for LV, following leather goods, which would explain the company's commitment to delivering the luxury its clientele demands.

"Big houses like Louis Vuitton allow craftsmen like me to continue our craft. Without them, I would not be able to do this," Delos said.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Bottier Anthony Delos demonstrated his craft at the Louis Vuitton store at Ala Moana Center. Various styles require 70 to 200 steps in their creation and may involve 12 to 15 crafts people.

LVMH, Louis Vuitton's parent company, "decided last year that we did not want to outsource into Asia," Schwegler said.

At that time, they had noted that many Italian shoemaking companies were going out of business, unable to compete with other countries' cheap labor. LV has since been able to employ many of those who lost their jobs to globalization.

"Asian production has become competitive but Italian craftsmanship is unparalleled," Schwegler said. "This quality level cannot be replicated in China. This kind of knowledge is passed from generation to generation. You can't explain it. It's like some kind of specialized know-how, preserved only in Italy."