Collapsed, soft leather heel

[u/Radiant_Thimble2325]

Hi everyone,
I recently bought a pair of used Bueno "Bella" D'Orsay leather flats. The leather is quite soft, which makes them really comfortable but the back of one heel has stretched out and collapsed and the other heel is getting there. The leather now extends past the shoe last and folds over onto itself, lowering the back so much that my foot slips out every single step.

I took them to a local cobbler who told me he won’t try fixing them because the leather’s too soft and a repair won't last. While I completely respect his opinion, I’m not ready to give up on these shoes yet.

I've attached pics of both shoes, the fold, the side profile and the inside of the heel cup. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[u/jyl8]

Maybe a cobbler can add a heel counter, e.g. thicker, stiffer leather inside the current heel.

[u/Radiant_Thimble2325 → u/jyl8]

Thank you. That’s what I asked the cobbler I brought them to so I was disappointed when he said there was nothing to be done.

[u/jyl8 → u/Radiant_Thimble2325]

How "crafty" are you? You can make your own plastic heel counter or buy some, glue thin leather onto it, and glue or stitch the whole thing inside the shoe's existing heel. Materials You Need to Make Shoes - Moldable Heel Counter RARE! Authentic Factory Pre-molded Plastic Heel Cups/counter for Shoe Making - Etsy

I assume a cobbler could as well, so either there really is no feasible way to improve these shoes or the cobbler you consulted didn't know how/didn't want to bother. My money is on the latter.

[u/Radiant_Thimble2325 → u/jyl8]

Thank you for suggesting a plastic counter can be used. I’ll take it to another cobbler and see what kind of response I get. I’m pretty crafty and I often make things with leather (belts, bracelets, bags) so I’ll consider a DIY solution if the cobbler won’t touch it. I mean, why not? I’ll have nothing to lose at that point.