Hersey Custom Shoe Company - Anatomy of a Hersey

Anatomy of a Hersey

The Upper
Essentially, everything that sits on top of the sole of a shoe is called the upper. It includes the heel counter, the toe box, the tongue, the laces and all the rest. As with the midsole and outersole, we will build the upper with whatever combination of materials fits your needs.
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Heel counter
The rear-most part of the upper is the "heel counter," and its purpose is to support you and your shoe sufficiently for your intended activity. In the Hersey Custom Original, for example, the heel counter is made of dual 60/60 Surlyn®, a rigid plastic-like material that is of medium weight as heel counters go. (You can't see it because it's covered with leather and stuff.) In a Racing Flat, where speed is more important than stability, the heel counter is lighter. In a High Top or a Hiker, it is likely to be larger and heavier.
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See how the leather on this Hersey DPS is folded out and stitched to the midsole? That's Double-Reverse Flare Foxing

Double-reverse flare foxing
If you've never seen or heard of Double-Reverse Flare Foxing, it's probably because mass manufacturers can't do it. It has to be done by hand. Look at the back part of any Hersey Custom, and you'll see how the material of the upper has been folded out and stitched to the top of the midsole. It may look a little funny to you, but it provides tremendous extra support. The big guys would do it if they could, but it's just not possible on a machine.
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Toe box
Sure, it's where your toes go. But did you know it can be wide, narrow, thin, thick, light, or extra heavy to fit your specific needs? Or that we can make parts of it curve out to accommodate abnormalities of your foot, like Morton's Toe? You'd be amazed at the weird toe boxes we've made. The wearers were amazed at how good their feet felt.
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Instep support panel

For our training, walking and hiking shoes, we put this piece in for extra support. It adds weight to the shoe, of course, so we'd probably leave it out of a racing shoe to be used on a smooth, flat course when speed is the priority.
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Tip
Actually, it's more than the tip. It's the piece of leather that starts at the very front of the shoe and wraps around the sides until it runs into the instep support panel.
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Achilles Notch
If you've ever had skin burns caused by the back of a shoe rubbing on your Achilles tendon, you'll appreciate this little feature. There's lots of padding there, too, so kick up your heels all you want.
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