Shoe Passion

Accessible Goodyear welt from Berlin, made in Spain by Cordwainer. The DTC model works on price more than service. Solid in a crowded segment, but weakened by a recent restructuring.

Berlin, 2008. Tim Keding and Henry Bokemeier launch Shoepassion with an idea almost nobody is trying in Europe: sell Goodyear-welted shoes online, without middlemen, at a price that does not scare buyers away. A pure player ahead of its time, when ordering shoes on the internet still felt like a gamble.

Production is entrusted to Almansa, Spain, in Cordwainer's workshops. No in-house factory, no mystery. Shoepassion claims "Made in EU" and stands by the model. European leather, solid Goodyear welt construction, prices between 200 and 300 euros. The contract is clear, and for several years it works.

The brand grows fast. Physical stores open in major German cities - Berlin, Munich, Hamburg. Shoepassion steps out of the screen and gains substance. The online model becomes tangible on the street, and customers can finally try before they click.

In 2016 comes a dramatic move. Shoepassion acquires Heinrich Dinkelacker, the house founded in 1879 in Budapest, legend of triple Norwegian stitching and Budapest-style oxfords. An eight-year-old Berlin DTC player buying one of German shoemaking's flagships. The ambition is obvious: move upmarket and add heritage weight to what had been a purely economic model.

The group diversifies around new brands: Henry Stevens for clean classic lines, N91 for casual and sneakers. The offer expands and the catalog thickens. On paper, Shoepassion has everything to become the reference group for accessible German footwear.

Then comes the backlash. In 2023, insolvency proceedings hit. Stores close and staff numbers shrink. After-sales service, already criticized, becomes almost non-existent. On specialist forums, complaints multiply: pairs sold as "first quality" with visible defects, claims left unanswered for months. Growth that was too fast weakened the foundations.

Restructuring is completed in 2024 under Bjorn Henning. In March 2026, the group officially takes the name Heinrich Dinkelacker GmbH. The irony is complete: the acquired brand has swallowed the acquirer. Shoepassion, the name that started everything, disappears behind the old house it bought ten years earlier. The child took the father's name.

Value for money remains correct for accessible Goodyear welt. But trust is damaged. Buyers inspect every pair on arrival and hesitate before ordering. Customer service remains the weak point of a brand that once made digital commerce its home turf.