Heschung

Alsatian house founded in 1934, specialized in Norwegian welting. Four generations of shoemakers have shaped a unique style between mountain robustness and continental elegance. Norwegian collection made in Alsace, EPV-labeled in 2025.

Dettwiller, Alsace, 1920. The village has twelve shoe factories. Eugène Heschung enters as a cutter, learning the trade from A to Z. In 1934, he founded his own factory in Steinbourg, a few kilometers away: the Eugène Heschung Steinbourg shoe factory, E.H.S. The first products are work boots and mountain shoes, made with Norwegian welt. Alsace is a mountainous region; shoes must be durable.

Robert, his son, takes over. Then Pierre, his grandson. Three generations of Heschung in the same workshop. In the 1950s and 60s, the company specialized in leather ski boots, before plastic swept everything away. The expertise in robust leather and Norwegian welting remained.

The turning point came in the 1990s. Pierre Heschung reoriented the brand towards city shoes and high-end boots. The Norwegian welt, this thick and visible stitching that encircles the sole like a protective bead, became the brand's identity. It's the same principle as Paraboot, but with a more refined, more continental aesthetic. Less raw, more elegant.

The Ginkgo was born. A split-toe boot that combines full-grain leather and suede, mounted with a Norwegian welt on a proprietary Ravel sole. The split-toe (stitching on the top of the foot that divides the front piece in two) gives an immediately recognizable profile. The blog Jamais Vulgaire took it on an expedition to the Arctic: it held up. It's the Heschung signature, the model that summarizes the philosophy: mountain robustness, urban elegance.

The important detail: only the Norwegian welt collection is manufactured in Steinbourg, Alsace. The Goodyear welt models are produced in Hungary. This is indicated on the website, but you have to look for it. At 450-600 euros for the Alsatian boot, the price is justified. For a Hungarian Goodyear welt at the same price, it's less obvious.

In 2021, PPL Finance acquired the company. In 2025, Heschung obtained the EPV (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant) label. The Steinbourg workshop is still running, the savoir-faire is preserved. For how long under an investment fund, that is the question.