HEINRICH DINKELACKER Shop typeSpecialty shop for Footwear in Zürich

IF YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAME FROM,
YOU’LL KNOW WHERE YOU HAVE TO GO!

In the classic, premium men’s shoes segment, Heinrich Dinkelacker is arguably the most exclusive manufacturer of men’s handmade, hand-sewn welt shoes in Germany. With a company history dating back to the year 1879, the business, which now has its headquarters in Bietigheim-Bissingen, has a long tradition of craftsmanship with modern and, at the same time, value-oriented management.

When the fine art of shoemaking began running out of worthy young skilled employees in the 1960s, the family-run company moved the location of the Heinrich Dinkelacker manufactory from Sindelfingen in Swabia to Budapest, which, even back then, was the world capital of the shoemaking trade. This forward-thinking decision paid off. Around 40 highly specialised shoemakers produce approx. 45 pairs of men’s shoes per day, made from selected materials using the most meticulous handcraftsmanship skills. It takes around 300 manual working steps to make a Dinkelacker shoe.

When Heinrich Dinkelacker found itself on the brink of closure due to the lack of a successor, in 2005 the three long-
standing friends and loyal Dinkelacker wearers, former IBM manager Norbert Lehmann, former Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking and the former Porsche spokesperson Anton Hunger, took over the company, saving it from collapse.

The new owners consciously decided to forgo automation, process optimisation and mass production. Only then can the Dinkelacker brand offer what discerning customers from Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Japan appreciate: sophisticated, long-lasting men’s shoes, every pair unique with a unique fit, made by skilled craftsmen. Both an approval number and the personal signature of the master shoemaker who made it testify to the outstanding quality of the finished product.