Can You Embroider Shoes? What Works and What Doesn’t
Updated: Sep 6
Let’s talk about shoes—because we get asked a surprisingly common question at our Sherman Oaks shop: can you actually embroider them?
Shoes, we wear them every day. They protect our feet, make us look fashionable, and give an impression. I’ve been told that your shoes are an important part of a person’s presentation. My parents have stressed the importance of keeping the exterior of them clean. I agree, but I also have a few that show their wear, tear, and battle scars. I feel like they tell the story of where I have been. They show my previous adventures, but these are the shoes I get rid of faster. They can only last so long. So, I’m here to answer, can you embroider shoes?
Which Shoes Can Be Embroidered?
Some shoes are much easier to work with than others. Canvas shoes are usually a good place to start because the material can be more embroidery-friendly, and high-top styles often give us more usable space to work with.
Depending on the construction of the shoe, possible areas can include the side, tongue or higher around the ankle. A logo, name or small piece of artwork may work in one of those areas, but we still need to look at the actual shoe before saying yes.
Running shoes and more heavily constructed footwear can be trickier. Sometimes there is an accessible area we can embroider, and sometimes the shape, padding or construction gets in the way.
The Shoe Has to Work With the Design
Even when a shoe can be embroidered, the artwork still has to fit the space. Shoes do not give us the same flat working area as a jacket or sweatshirt, so smaller and cleaner designs usually make more sense.
If you already have a logo or design in mind, bring the shoe and artwork together. That lets us look at the placement, size and construction before deciding what will work.
What If the Shoe Can’t Be Embroidered Directly?
When a shoe can not be embroidered, we can create a patch. There are serval ways that you can add the patch to your shoes. The easiest way is to take it to a shoe repair shop. They can find a way to attach it to the shoe with stitching or glue.
Make Your Shoes Tell Your Story
I love Converse shoes, they are very cute. I hope to fill my converse with patches of places I’ve been or things I’ve done. Each would be customized with their own background and colors. I would probably pick 3 colors to alternate from. My shows could be cleaned, tell my story, and last. With a patch, I could use them again in another pair of shoes. I could also hang them in my room as a display rather than to use.
Have a Pair You Want to Customize?
If you have shoes you want embroidered, the easiest thing to do is let us see them. Bring the pair into our Sherman Oaks shop along with the artwork or idea you have in mind, and we can tell you whether direct embroidery makes sense or whether a patch would be the better route.
What would you do to your shoes?
Patches
Art Embroidery
Logo
Name
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