How high heels are made
A stiletto heel carries much of a person's weight on a very small tip, so a thin one has a metal rod down its center.
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- things upstream
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- raw sources
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- steps from the ground
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The short version
A high heel is built around a curved last and a hidden steel shank under the arch. Upper leather is cut, stitched and pulled over the last, then a sole is cemented on and passes through a heat tunnel to dry the glue. The last comes out, and a heel of wood or plastic around a core is nailed and glued in place.
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Choose the last
Before cutting can begin, the last is selected for the style. Lasts for high heels come in many shapes and sizes, and the height of the heel is built into the curve.
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Cut the upper pieces
Leather or fabric is cut by machine into the vamp, quarters and lining. Pieces are stacked in kits, and their edges are skived so they fold neatly.
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Stitch the upper
Most heels need only a few stitching operations, so a few workers join the pieces and attach the lining. The upper has not yet taken the curve of the shoe, so it lies almost flat.
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Mold the heel
A heel is shaped from plastic in a mold or turned from wood. A thin heel has a metal rod down the center to keep it from snapping, and its tip is capped with a hard plastic or rubber lift.
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Pull it over the last
The upper is pulled tight over the high, curved last and glued to the insole, which carries a steel shank under the arch. Pulling it tight sets the final shape of the shoe.
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Cement the sole
A leather or rubber sole is cemented to the bottom and pressed under load. The shoe travels through a heat tunnel on the way, which dries the glue.
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Nail on the heel
The last is pulled out, and the heel is driven on with nails or screws from inside the shoe. An insole is glued over the fixings.
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Finish and inspect
The shoe is cleaned and polished, and pairs are checked against each other. Stress-testing the heel catches weak bonds.
Worth repeating
- The tall, skinny stiletto heel was invented in 1950.
- One small fashion shoe line completes about 250 pairs a day, against 1,000 or 1,500 on a large sports shoe line.
- Venice tried to limit the height of platform shoes to three inches, but the rule was widely ignored.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and high heels starts as these 23 raw sources.
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Sources
- High-heeled shoe
- Tour a footwear factory making women's high heel shoes (Shoemakers Academy)
- Shoe making process (Shoemakers Academy)
Cite this page: "How high heels are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/high-heels