Now enrolling — Fall 2026 One-Day Sneaker & Boot Sessions
Meet the Team

Taught by people who build shoes for a living.

Marcus Hale working on a leather boot

Marcus Hale

Lead Instructor, Founder

Marcus trained under a third-generation cordwainer before opening his own bench. He builds custom welted boots on commission and leads the 5-Day Custom Shoe/Boot and 2-Day Ankle Boot classes.

Renata Ibarra hand-stitching a shoe upper

Renata Ibarra

Instructor, Pattern & Fit

Renata specializes in pattern drafting and lasting for difficult fits. She's taught over 300 students the fundamentals of getting a handmade shoe to actually fit right.

Devon Park stitching a leather piece

Devon Park

Instructor, Sneaker & Sandal Builds

Devon runs the one-day formats — sneakers, sandals, pouches, and the Intro to Hand-Stitching sessions — and specializes in getting first-timers comfortable at the bench fast.

Leather shoemaking tools on a workbench

Every instructor still builds shoes outside the classroom

We don't hire people to just teach — we hire working cordwainers who take on commissions and then teach the same methods they use to build them. That's why every LastCraft class uses real construction techniques, not simplified kit assembly.

Interested in studying under one of our instructors one-on-one? The Private Instruction format can be booked directly with the instructor of your choice.