Master shoemaker and repairer Hsieh Hsin-hsien fixes shoes for 40 years

Master shoemaker and repairer Hsieh Hsin-hsien fixes shoes for 40 years

2024-01-22

Have you ever thought about where your shoes go if you send them to the cobblers’? Today we meet master shoemaker and repairer Hsieh Hsin-hsien. Hsieh has been making and repairing shoes for more than four decades. He’s the partner of many famous brands, trusted to mend beloved shoes when they’re worn. Despite working long hours of sometimes 12 hours a day, he loves his job. He says he has always been fascinated by shoemaking. And with the business support of his wife Chen Fen-ju, he hopes to keep going until he’s in his 70s. He showed us how the magic happens at the workshop in Taoyuan.

Trim away the extra leather, paste superglue between lining and zipper, and place to one side to dry. Then on to the other side. When both sides are stuck fast, the shoes are closed up with a sewing machine and the work is done.

Hsieh Hsin-hsien
Cobbler
When you take these shoes they look quite complicated. When I’ve completed a pair, I have a real sense of achievement, and it’s very fun. When it’s busy, I get up at 5 a.m. or so, and I get here to start work around 6 a.m., and sometimes I finish work around 6 or 7 p.m.

Shoe repair expert Hsieh Hsin-hsien came to Taipei to learn the art of shoemaking at the age of 15. That was more than 40 years ago. He focuses on getting the details right, and that’s earned him the custom of many famous shoe brands, who hire him as their post-sales repair partner. He repairs 500 pairs of shoes a month, on average.

Chen Fen-ju
Cobbler’s wife
For men’s labels, he’s done George Shoes; for women, he did Nine West and Steve Madden and so on. And it just expands outward more and more. The sales assistants see the work, and they recommend us to each other. I go into Taipei every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and collect shoes for repair, starting at Taipei Main Station and going all the way round to the East District.

Hsieh Hsin-hsien
Cobbler
Lots of people will moan about every job they get, but I’ve always been quite interested in shoemaking. I never wanted to give up. I told my wife, “Maybe I’ll keep going to 70 before I retire…”

Shoes from department stores like Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Nanxi, all the way to Sogo Fuxing and Uni-president, all end up getting repaired here at the workshop in Pingzhen Township, Taoyuan. Hsieh and his wife are proud that their sturdy work creates a solid footing for customers in all walks of life.

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修鞋職人夫妻月修500雙! 東區百貨名鞋全交給他們

2024-01-22

許多百貨公司名鞋，都提供售後維修服務，但您知道嗎？從台北車站、東區到信義商圈，沿路上百貨公司的名鞋品牌，幾乎都由一對桃園平鎮的夫妻來處理，對他們來說，修鞋不僅僅是換底、黏止滑墊，還要打磨拋光順修鞋邊，維持美感，講究細節的結果，現在一個月平均有500雙鞋要他們修。

剪下多餘皮革後，在內裡和拉鍊接縫處塗上強力膠，放在一旁等待乾燥時，換另一腳重複動作。兩隻腳都黏緊後，還要上縫紉機車線密封，才算大功告成。

[[修鞋職人謝新憲]]
“拿到這雙鞋看起來很複雜，又把它完成的時候，我就覺得滿有成就感也很好玩，忙的時候大概5點多起床，到這邊大概6點上工，有時候做到晚上6點、7點”

修鞋職人謝新憲，15歲北上學習製鞋，想不到一做就是40年，做起鞋來講求細節的堅持，讓許多百貨名鞋的售後維修服務都找上門，平均一個月要修上500雙。

[[修鞋職人妻子陳芬茹]]
“男鞋就喬治皮鞋，女鞋就以前的Nine West，Steve Madden那些的，就這樣旁邊一直往外，櫃姐看到她們就一個介紹一個，我都是固定一、三、五北上，從台北車站開始，一直繞到東區去(收鞋)”

[[修鞋職人謝新憲]]
“很多人都是做一途怨一途，但是我對做鞋還是滿有興趣，我從來不會說想去放棄，我跟老婆也說，可能做到70歲再退休吧”

從站前、南西新光，一路到復興SOGO、統一時代等百貨，需要維修的鞋子，通通集中到桃園平鎮鄉間的工作室。謝新憲夫妻用扎實工夫，為民眾的腳下奠定基礎。

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This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

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