In 1885 Ludwig Reiter, together with his wife Anna (both originally from Bohemian Karlsbad) established their first Ludwig Reiter shoemakers workshop “auf der Wieden” in the 4th district of Vienna. By 1887 they were already supplying the K.u.K. security guards with custom-made boots and welted shoes for the Officers. This resulted in Ludwig Reiter receiving high recognition for their exceptional quality of workmanship. At that time the K.u.K. Army received shoes for their “dress” uniform, as well as Riding boots.
Ludwig Reiter currently operates around 20 of it’s own stores in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain. Approximately 200 world class, specialised shops and boutiques in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain, Japan and the USA are selling various Ludwig Reiter products.
Ludwig Reiter is known locally as well as internationally for it’s welted shoes and for the high quality sports and ladies shoes as well as leather accessories. Around 60 employees produce about 30 000 pairs of shoes annually.
Ludwig Reiter has become an international fashion-pioneer with styles like the Trainer, the Bowling and the Maronibrater. Collaborations with designers such as Helmut Lang and Werner Baldessarini, as well as the Viennese Burgtheater, Theater an der Wien and other renowned stages were established, whose theatre and opera productions are often fitted with Ludwig Reiter shoes.
200 STEPS TO FINISHING A SHOE
A typical Ludwig Reiter shoe is made by hand. Principally, the 'shoe production' across all styles is the same: the two essential parts, the upper and the bottom sole are joined. Depending on the style however, more than 200 steps are necessary when finishing a pair of shoes.
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