Midas Bootmaker

Maker

About

Midas Bootmaker is an Indonesian footwear manufacturer specializing in hand-welted workwear boots and casual shoes. Founded by Emil Rahmana Putra in 2014 in Bandung, Indonesia, the company separated from its sister brand Winson Shoemaker in 2021 to focus on casual and workwear footwear. The workshop employs approximately eight craftspeople who produce around 30 pairs of shoes monthly using traditional hand-construction methods.

History

Emil Rahmana Putra, who studied Informatics Engineering, started Midas operations in 2014 from a garage in Bandung while selling affordable leather shoes to pay for rent and university tuition. The brand name derives from his father Zarwin's tailor business called "Win's tailor," with "Winson" meaning "Win's son." He established a proper workshop with employees in 2017.

Initially focused on workwear boots, the operation gradually shifted toward hand-welted dress shoes, gaining recognition under the Winson Shoemaker brand. In 2021, Putra separated the business into two distinct brands: Winson Shoemaker for dress shoes and refined boots, and Midas Bootmaker dedicated to workwear boots and casual shoes.

The workshop operates within Indonesia's cordwaining tradition, which dates to Dutch colonization. Bandung has been compared to Northampton in England or Marche in Italy as a significant shoemaking center, with approximately 20 manufacturers of hand-welted footwear in the region.

Manufacturing

Construction Methods

Midas employs traditional hand-construction techniques exclusively, rejecting mechanized Goodyear or McKay welting systems. Each boot features hand-lasted uppers, hand-welted construction available in 270-degree or 360-degree versions, and hand-stitched soles including through rubber outsoles. Heels are hand-built layer by layer, and premium lines use genuine leather toe and heel stiffeners. Craftspeople work with traditional tools including awls, needles, knives, and hammers.

The company offers five welting construction techniques: flat welt, Norwegian (storm) welt, Veldtschoen, Stairschoen (a signature construction featuring a three-dimensional staircase effect), and chainstitch.

Materials

Midas sources both domestic Indonesian leathers and imported materials. Local leathers include black, dark brown, burgundy, and tan pullups, indigo-dyed vegetable-tanned leather, tan roughout, and tobacco floater. The workshop sources brown pullup leather from a tannery partner in Yogyakarta and brown roughout from the Cisarua tannery, a family-owned operation since 1949.

Imported leathers include Badalassi Carlo Minerva in multiple colors, Horween Chromexcel, and Maryam Toscanello horsebutt. The company also imports upper leathers from Annonay and Ilcea tanneries. Soles are sourced from JR, with outsole options including double leather, Vibram Eton, Vibram Londra, Vibram 430 rubber soles, and Dr Sole half rubber soles.

Production Capacity

The Bandung workshop operates as a make-to-order business with a six-month waiting queue. Production capacity remains intentionally limited at approximately 30 pairs per month, with the founder prioritizing quality improvement over increased output. The company markets primarily through Instagram and direct email contact without maintaining a traditional website.

Product Lines

Midas offers boots built on four proprietary lasts: Edlyn, Marlyn, Landshaker, and Stark (exclusive to engineer boots). All lasts are calibrated to European true-to-size specifications with minor fit variations between last shapes.

The company's first ready-to-wear collection launched in 2021 through a collaboration with Swedish retailer Skolyx, marking the first time Midas products became available outside the made-to-order system. This collaboration offered hand-welted workwear boots at a price point of €500 per pair. Midas products are also distributed through House of Agin, which serves as an authorized retailer.