George Glasgow Jr. for Cleverley, Interview

As I promised, I will be providing interviews once a month (consider this the one for February) from people in the shoe industry, both known and unknown, who make a considerable impact on what comes out as well as shape the trends, ideas, and styles we see today. For this month, as you may have noticed from the title, I have George Glasgow Jr., who is the son of the owner (and heir to throne) of historical shoe firm, George Cleverley. Enjoy!

1. What is your role with Cleverley?

I am the Creative Director at George Cleverley but I have several roles. When I am in London I spend time with our last maker and am leaning the last-making process. I also measure clients. I have been traveling with my father on U.S.A. visits since I was 13 years old, so most of the clients have become friends. I also design new styles, which I speak with clients about and get their feedback on.

Unfortunately, most of my time is spent traveling, so it is a slow process.  I design our new styles and cover the U.S.A. & Asia markets by holding trunk shows.  I'm off to Asia in 3 weeks for about 3 weeks to visit Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul & Beijing to hold Cleverley trunk shows.  Additionally, I visit customers who are unable to meet with us on our regular trunk shows.

2. What's the most exciting thing about being at the top of a niche, bespoke/RTW shoe company?

I'm very lucky to meet some wonderful gentlemen and some very interesting characters in this business.  You just never know who is going to walk into our London shop or worldwide trunk shows. We could start the day off with a university professor followed by a movie star, but both have the same appreciation of fine footwear.

3. Being that you are the son of Mr. Glasgow Sr., you were relatively pre-destined  to be in the shoe trade but did you ever want to do/to be something else? 

I grew up around the Cleverley workrooms and used to make regular family trips to our workshop which we have in Cornwall, so I guess I was in the business by default. However, I went to the University of London where I studied Economics & Politics. After graduating I moved to Los Angeles to work in finance as an investment analyst, which I did for 3 years. I would use my holidays to work with my father on his U.S.A. trunk shows, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Eventually I moved into the business full-time. During the trunk shows I could see that most of the clients that would come by had developed good friendships with my father, many of which he has known for many years. It was delightful to see how much my father & our whole team enjoyed the business and working with such great people seemed fun, so I had to pursue my father to hire me.

4. Can you describe the most unique shoe that a client has ever ordered for bespoke? 

It's very tough to say the most unique shoe that a bespoke customer has ordered, because even now I see many one-of-a-kinds going through our workshop. I would say the most unique for me would be an old Edwardian button boot, which we made for David Beckham. When he visited our London shop, he chose a boot that was on display which was over 60 years old and had all working buttons (sewn on by hand) which you needed a special tool to open. We designed the boot to have a zip on the other side which was covered in leather, so he could get in & out of them without opening the buttons and spending 15 minutes putting them on & off. This was pretty unique as the style of boot was Edwardian but we added a modern feature to it.

Me (The Shoe Snob): that sounds amazing, I am so jealous!!!! I have yet to learn how to make a boot, let alone design one from the Edwardian era.

5. What's you favorite model out of all of the shoes that Cleverley makes? 

My personal favorite is the "Churchill" (pictured above). It is a classic shoe with covered elastic sided features and imitation lacing. This was really a George Cleverley invention and he made it for Sir Winston Churchill. His farther & him used to make this style 60+ years ago at Tuczuc on Clifford Street. I loved this shoe so much that I designed a boot version which has imitation lacing as well, which has been well received. It's great because with the boot version it's a nice travel option as you can wear it with jeans or a nice suit. Our friends at Leather Soul (Tom & Bryan) both have some very cool bespoke boots in the works.  I think the changes they made to my boot will look very cool.

6. Can you describe the creative process for RTW (Ready-To-Wear)? 

Firstly, all of our RTW styles are derived from our bespoke shoes. By this I mean if we feel a particular bespoke styles has become popular or very admired, we will make it in our RTW range. I guess you could say our clients help us design our new RTW styles. John & Teemu are very involved in cutting / designing new styles for the RTW range. We also pride ourself on being very selective on the calf hides we buy for our RTW shoes. It is important for us that a RTW customer still gets an excellent quality shoe while incorporating some of our bespoke features like the Cleverley toe or the covered elastic sided feature. We try to make approx 10/15 new bespoke styles a year, which we take from our achieves and make a slight alteration. The ones that we feel turn out the best then get patterns made up and we do a small run in our RTW range. We also have a small workshop in Kent, which we finish shoes in that Dominic works in a few days a week.

7. Assuming that you are heir to the throne, where would you like to see the company in 15-20 years? 

In a similar place to now. My father has always run the company like a "club".  He generally loves what he does, as did the original George Cleverley. We are not interested in having our shoes in every store around the world because it takes away what is special about Cleverley.  Take Japan for example, my father started working with BEAMS (which stock our RTW & Semi-Bespoke shoes) when they only had a few stores 25+ years ago. Today they have over 100 stores and we are still as close to them as before but it has just grown organically. We get approached often from stores wanting to carry our shoes but we only like to work with other retailers that have a love and passion for shoes, as this is very important.

8. Other shoemakers/companies that you admire?

Unfortunately, I don't get to see many other shoes but the last few JLP (John Lobb Paris) that I saw were nice so it is tough to say. I like John Lobb Paris, Dimitris Gomez and Fosters & Son. Although they are not around anymore I admire Anthony & George Cleverley a great deal. We still have some of their original shoes in our London shop which are beautiful and extremely well made and keeps us on our toes in terms of quality.

9. Being apart of the trade since you were 13, how many pairs of shoes have you made/acquired for yourself? 

I have worked with Teemu learning some last making over the years but given that I am always on the road it has been difficult to devote enough time to master it. I have approx 10 pairs of bespoke shoes, 5 AC's (Anthony Cleverley) and over 25 RTW in my collection.  I can never make up my mind on my next pair because with bespoke the options are endless.

10. What's the scariest shoe trend that you see today? 

The scariest trend is how pointy / narrow some shoes are becoming. It just does not look like a comfortable fit and people are buying shoes that are too long for them to accommodate this. The other is I am seeing the words "Hand Made" on alot of products that are not but the general public think they are buying a hand made product.

Me (The Shoe Snob): I also hate seeing "Hand Made" written on the insole or sole of a shoe that was obviously made by machine. It is unfortunate how this word has been slandered over recent years. 
 
11. What advice can you offer to aspiring shoemakers/shoe designers?

I would say focus on one part of the shoe and become an expert at that. It takes on average 3-5 years to learn one part of the shoemaking process with Cleverley. For example, Adam joined Cleverley from Rolls Royce and it has taken him 4 years to become a last maker. He has also been working with John Carnera learning clicking, which he is becoming very good at. Have a house style that separates you from others. Make sure your heart is in the business more than your pocket.


---Thank you George for that wonderful interview. To all my readers: I hope that you thoroughly enjoyed the interview and learned something during it.

All the best,

Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

First it was colors....Now it will be boots!

For those of you that have been long time readers of the blog, you will know that I have been a big advocate of seeing more abnormal coloring in footwear. Back when I started this blog (in Feb. 2010), I made some predictions indicating that within a year or two, colored shoes (outside of brown and black) were going to be a lot more prevalent in the industry. 2011 marked a big push for that actually coming true. More and more brands were coming out with shoes that did not really fit their overall historical image (at least not in my opinion), such as the shoes made by Edward Green for Hardy Amies (shown above & below). Two quintessential English brands, rooted in the idea of what it means to be a British gentleman, came out with a collaboration that not only blew my mind aesthetically, but also in the sense that for me, it was almost like stepping a bit outside of their boundary to create something a bit more fun and eclectic. And that was the beauty about it....brands that were evolving with the times, creating something that might be a bit out of their norm but beautiful and timeless nonetheless!

Picture Below: Edward Green for Hardy Amies (courtesy of The Shoe Buff)

And while that trend (colors) has come, and will hopefully be here to stay, the next big thing that I think will populate the shelves throughout the year (and next) will be dress boots. There used to be a time --think Victorian/Edwardian eras-- where boots, such as a nice balmoral boot, were the norm and no one wore low cut shoes, as we do now. Granted, I know that this happened to be the case for more of a practical purpose rather than personal choice (due to the streets being solely dirt and therefore lacking pavement). But even though that was the case, I found this look to be quite a bit more intriguing....and elegant. Who is to say that a dress boot can't be just as elegant as a low cut shoe when paired with a suit? I quite enjoy wearing my Gaziano & Girling 'Wigmore' with either a flannel suit or my three-piece, and would even pair other one's (if I had any) so long as the boot was an elegant shape that compliments dress attire. And I could be wrong, but I think more and more people are starting to think like this...

Boots by Corthay

Boots by George Cleverley, Picture Courtesy of: Leather Soul

Everything in the footwear and clothing industry seems to always reinvent itself in some form or another, whether it be toe shapes, colors used, type of style like brogues, boots etc and in my time I have not seen as much enthusiasm for dress boots as I do now. But I don't feel that we are quite at the peak of it all. Soon, if not F/W 2012 or 2013, you will see far more boots offered in collections, more color combinations presented, and if everything goes according to my plan, more materials other than leather being used. And the hope, for me, is that more of you will jump on board and desire these boots. Because, it's time for a nice change, a time to see more elegant boots presented and people wearing them proudly! And even if you go from a boring black cap-toe oxford shoe, to a boring black cap-toe oxford boot, it will be a step in the right direction!

Boots by: Riccardo Bestetti

Wholecut Mid-Top boots by: Imai Hiroki

To Go Bespoke Or To Not Go Bespoke

Bespoke model made by my friend, for his friend

Let me first define what bespoke means. By definition from a dictionary, in what would be termed as 'old speak,' it would mean 'spoken for.' As in, a garment that is spoken for by someone, is owned and was created specifically for them and no one else. It will fit them perfectly (at least in theory) and should not fit anyone else in that same manner as we are all shaped differently.

Now that we have the definition out of the way, we can begin to talk about what it means to go bespoke, whether or not it is better than RTW or MTO and whether or not it is worth it's price. First off, you will have to bear in mind that I have made bespoke shoes, I own several pairs of them and wear them regularly, so in a sense, I am somewhat bias on the subject at hand, but will try to be as objective as I can be. And to also make a point of clarification, let's say that bespoke is strictly going to be something that was made by hand, not by machine, as I believe that this coincides with the true definition of what it means to be a bespoke product (at least in terms of shoes and suits...).

Riccardo Bestetti bespoke model

Is it worth it?

To answer this question will very much depend upon you, the person who is in prospect of buying them. You will have to ask yourself several questions:

1. Do I have messed up feet that cause me pain?
2. Is it extremely hard to fit my foot into a ready to wear shoe?
3. Can I afford it without blinking an eye?
4. Do I care about what goes on my feet?

You will usually find that the common consensus is as follows: If your feet are fairly straight forward (i.e. they are normal and can fit very comfortably into most RTW shoes, then you truly do not NEED a bespoke shoe. Now this has nothing to do with wanting one but simply the fact that if you have good feet then you do not fall under the category of people that get bespoke for health purposes. Because of this, being worth it or not will be entirely up to how you perceive the importance of fit, design, and the ultimate in superior quality. I cannot answer this for you, but can tell you that the bespoke shoes that I own, fit me better than the rest of the shoes that I own, and because of that are therefore more comfortable. But then again, I do have a slight problematic foot that is relatively flat, narrow and very low volume, which makes it hard to fit into RTW shoes that don't have narrow widths. 

Gaziano & Girling bespoke shoe

Why is it so much more expensive (and time consuming)?

People often seem incapable of fathoming the concept of paying upwards of $3000 for a pair of shoes, yet will happily pay that and even more on a suit....I have never understood this, but will hopefully be able to explain to you why the prices are as so. First off, you have to understand that it is rare that a bespoke maker is able to do the entire process all by himself/herself. You will find that many jobs these days (like closing) are outsourced. And more times than not you don't have all of these people under one roof, so therefore time constraints start to take place as the shoemaker finds themselves waiting for others.

The process is as such:

1. The last maker (and/or pattern maker) comes to measure your foot. At that same time you decide what  shoe you would like to have (i.e. design) and look at the coloring, leather, materials etc. that you like. If you choose something unique, you are creating more work for the pattern maker who will have to cut a new and unique piece of work.

2. They then take those measurements to create a precise mold of your foot, what is called a 'last'

3. After that, the pattern maker will design your pattern by way of the last. That means he uses your specific last to then create your specific pattern. If this design is something unique to you, the pattern maker might take extra long to get it right.

4. After the pattern is cut, they then cut out the leather and give it to the closer to sew all together. This part is usually outsourced so therefore they need to wait on them to complete it.

5. Once the upper is sewn together, they will attach it temporarily to the last to create a trial-fit shoe for you, to make sure that the last fits the way that you would like it to. This process involves you coming back or them coming to you, which increases the total amount of time for the process.

6. Once you have sorted this out (assuming there are no adjustments to be made), you then have to have the shoe 'made,' by the maker (this is the bit that I learned, and as you can see is just one part of the entire process).

Let's just assume that before taxes a bespoke shoe costs £2500 (which is close to the average out here in England). Now let's assume that at best, the shoemakers (owners of the company) take £1000 profit out of that, after all expenses. Now let's just assume that it's a two man firm and they can make 100 pairs a year (which is a very good number in bespoke shoe terms). That equates to £100,000 a year, but divided by 2, coming to a total of £50,000/year for each person. Now, this is all best case scenario, so let's just say that this is a good year for a pair of bespoke shoemakers. So, considering the amount of work put into a year's worth of doing this, it's not all that glorified in terms of making A LOT of money, is it? So, when you ask yourself why a bespoke shoe cost so much, you will see that a lot of work goes into it, a lot of hands touch it and there is not as much profit as you may think....it's far more for the love of making quality shoes then it is for the ambition of becoming rich!

Shoes Below: George Cleverley "Churchill" model, one bespoke, one RTW, can you tell which one?
(Pictures Courtesy Of: Leather Soul)

Can you tell the difference?

Okay, well let's now assume that you don't have problem feet and that money is not an issue. Do you still go for bespoke? Well, I certainly would and the reasons are because, for one, I am a shoe freak. Not only do I want a shoe that no one else has, a shoe that is unique to me, my taste and compliments my wardrobe perfectly but also a shoe that stands out as being made from the best materials around. You instantly see this when you see a bespoke shoe. It's not like you can spot them a mile away on someone's feet but when up close and personal with one, the distinct qualities that make it bespoke are evident and to me speak wonders about the shoe and the person, i.e. someone who appreciates fine footwear. And maybe I am bias saying this because I have spent so much time around both bespoke and RTW shoes, but not only can you tell the difference aesthetically but also in terms of psychologically, as I believe that wearing something that is made for one's self provides a feeling of pride and happiness, much stronger than any RTW shoe can give you....but hey, that's just my opinion! You will have to decide this for yourself...

Shoes Below: Gaziano & Girling (one bespoke & one RTW)

Exotics - Your cow leather alternatives

Shoes Above: Crocodile by Riccardo Bestetti

Up until I moved to Italy to learn bespoke shoemaking, I never really was a fan of exotics. This was partly due to the fact that in America, certain exotic leathers are made in a way that they are insanely gaudy i.e. blue and green 'pythons', yellow 'gators,' pink stingray etc. And the other reason being that many of them are made, in my opinion, on the ugliest lasts and in terrible styles. So, needless to say, living in the States gave me a very skewed perspective on how I felt about exotic leathers. It wasn't until I went to Stefano Bemer's RTW shop and saw these two crocodile derbies (one pictured below in red) that I began to understand that exotic leather shoes can be made beautifully...

Sea Creatures - Shark, Stingray, Fish etc.

This category is probably (no, definitely) my least favorite of the exotic leather kingdom. With the exception of shark, I really don't care for anything made from a creature that comes from under the water. I see, admire and appreciate beautiful stingray shoes made by Riccardo Bestetti, but I just don't seem to ever really desire them, especially when they have the white bit on them that looks like an eye or something. Fish too, simply awful in my opinion. While it can give a cool-looking effect, it just seems so limiting to me. What if the scales flake off? And you can't shine them, not well at least. But hey, to each his own right?

Shoes Above: Stingray by Riccardo Bestetti
Shoes Below: (L) Sharkskin by Stefano Bemer; (R) Morse Fish skin

Reptiles - Snake, Crocodile, Alligator, Lizard etc.  

Another category that I cannot say that I am ecstatic about, but I can say that I do like a nice wholecut made in crocodile or alligator. The key here is about choosing the leather properly, making sure that it's symmetry is as tidy as can be and the the scales are not too differentiating. But this is difficult (and extremely costly) to do. That's the reason why, you see that few people can do it. And they are usually the people whose shoes cost $1000+ just for their calf skin shoes, let alone the price of a crocodile shoe. Snake skin I am just not a fan of period and lizard I can only do in small amounts, like the facing of a shoe or some sort of accent on it. Now just because I know that this might come up, I will preemptively say, without embarrassment, that I have no clue how to tell the difference between crocodile and alligator. I do know that there is (according to experts) a difference between their scales but cannot say with confidence what that difference is. So, if you are one of those experts reading, then please feel free to leave a comment, in order to enlighten us all.

Shoes Above: Crocodile by Stefano Bemer
Shoes Below: (First Row) L - Croc by Dimitri Gomez; R - Snakeskin by Sperry (I believe)
                      (Second Row) L - Anthony Delos; R - Alligator by Gaziano & Girling
                      (Thrid Row) Lizard by Carreducker

Others - Carpincho, Pig, Elephant, Russian Reindeer, Mountain Ram, Pony, Ostrich etc.

Now this jumbled category does contain many of the exotic leathers that I find to be much more appealing. That being, it would appear that I tend to appreciate things that seem to have legs, with the exception of pony and ostrich that is done awfully. But the rest of these can produce a shoe that is not only intriguing but very cool too. Funny thing is, since delving myself head first into the shoe industry, I had never seen many of these leathers let alone heard of them being used to make shoes. But after having seen the likes of carpincho and mountain ram, I will definitely be on the hunt to acquire a pair or two in the --most likely distant-- future.

Shoes Above: Carpincho by George Cleverley
Shoes Below: (First Row) L - Elephant by Koronya; R - Pony by Jan Kielman
                      (Second Row) L - Russian Reindeer by George Cleverley; R - Pigskin by Gaziano & Girling
                      (Third Row) Elephant by Stefano Bemer (both)
                      (Fourth Row) L - Ostrich by Barker Black; R - Mountain Ram by George Cleverley

Shoes -- Part 2: Style & Terminology -- Loafers/Slip On's

Among the more casual forms of dress shoes within the shoe industry are the lovely non-laced loafer shoes (or slip-on's). Although the origin of loafers most likely trace back to way before the internet might tell me, the popularity of them came about around the 1930's, when Norwegian shoemakers were exporting these moccasin like shoes to the rest of Europe. Apparently American tourists took a liking to them and Esquire magazine did a feature on them, enticing G.H. Bass to come out with their own version, called 'Weejun' (hence the name sounding like Norwegian). From that point on, they seemed to skyrocket in popularity with slit-strapped loafers being made and heavily worn by East Coast school prep's who put pennies into the slit. From this trend, the term Penny Loafer (a version pictured above, by Septieme Largeur) came about, and seems to remain strong to this day. Now days we have all types of loafers and here I will begin to show all of you which ones are which. If I forget any, please feel free to add to the commentary.

Butterfly Loafers

I had never known (or maybe had never thought about) the butterfly loafer before moving to England. Then again, this place has made me more conservative (not in thinking) in the year that I have been here and because of that I might have not even taken a second look at them prior to 2010, even if I had known about them. But nevertheless, I am glad that my views have changed, as I find them to be one of the nicer loafers in circulation. This pair here, a bespoke model by Gaziano & Girling, is slightly different than the way it is usually portrayed, in it's classic sense, and that is without the brogueing on the straps. The butterfly loafer is said to have been created by Mr. George Cleverley himself and I must say that my hat is tipped to him, for I look at this and still see a loafer that is not only unique but elegantly timeless. This is one model of shoe that is surely on my to-get list!

Tassel Loafers

I tell you, there was nothing that I hated more than tassel loafers when I was young, and that is partly because I come from the States. Probably everyone can picture the guy who is wearing a baggy suit with those Cole Haan pinch tassel loafers (as we speak I am desperately trying to find a picture on Google of this, with no luck!), the ones that are super ugly with crappy leather and no shape at all. Anyway, this idea of wearing tassel loafers was ruined for me until I moved to Italy and saw how a man who knew how to dress well could pair his tassel loafers with his outfit and make them look quite nice, so long as they were not those shitty ones loved by American businessman. Surely you know what I am talking about? Anyway, I love them now, so long as they are done well, as the pair above are, by Saint Crispins.

Whole Cut Loafers

Whole cut loafers are among my favorite type of loafers, being that they have that minimalist look to them, which is strange, as I am by no means a minimalist. I don't know. My tastes change everyday anyway. Tomorrow my favorites will be apron toed loafers......Back onto subject. I like them. They are simple, elegant and let's not forget, cool (like these crazy banana yellow ones by Scarpe di Bianco). I believe that it takes a real shoe freak to like these, which is probably why you don't find them often being offered by shoe brands. When on, they look like a boot, which most people don't like to give that impression, especially when dressing in a suit. But when you have your inseam taken up to the point that the bottom of your trousers sit (with no break) on the top of your shoe with an opening of 14 inches, as I do, then you get to see the whole shoe, with no mistakes about it!

Prince Albert Loafers

Popularized -- at least one would think considering the name -- by Prince Albert, who was a great sartorialist, the Prince Albert loafer is now what we think of when using dress slippers for the house to wear in velour and pair with our smoking jackets while drinking Loius XIII (Cognac). At least that's what you see in the Ralph Lauren ads. But I like to think of them differently, like the one that I made, in brown, directly to your left. I hope to see these one day made with thicker soles and being worn on a daily basis as I think that they give the daring man a chance to be fun at throwing a nice, contrasting color of sock with this outfit, you know....to spice things up. (BTW, these are also a version of the whole cut loafer, but having a much larger opening for your foot)

Shoe By: Del Toro

Pumps

Pumps, you will find, are generally a shoe that you wear for formal occasions and will find them in some sort of patent leather form, as is the one at the top by Dimitri Bottier. But when one wants to be fun, you can find them in all sorts of arrangements, like these ostrich pumps by Barker Black. They are a fun shoe, but can really one be worn in certain environments, at least for most. I wouldn't mind wearing them regularly, but then again, traveling to the SE of London most days, I might find myself in some predicaments...that was a joke, just in case you are traumatized. Moving swiftly on...pumps, I believe, got their name from their construction, which if the shoe is bespoke or high end, should be a pump stitch. Now, I know what this word is, but I have no idea what it means. I am pretty sure that it is some way of stitching the sole directly to the insole -- by hand. But if you read the Carreducker's blog and type in pump-stitch to their search bar, you will find a much better explanation, I am sure. 

Kilty Loafers

It should be easy to see where this name derives, as it is so clearly evident. Kilty loafers are usually something that you will see paired with tassels, but have been recently popularized by the likes of Italian shoemakers to make in other versions, such as this one here, by Riccardo Bestetti. I don't really have much to say on these. Some I like, some I hate. To me they are strictly a shoe that is for fun, as I don't see them as professional. I would rather wear them with jeans...

Side Gusset Shoes (AKA lazy man's oxford - which is a loafer)

Aaawww, the side gusset shoe. Not sure that I could ever like this, as to me, it represents something that is fake, like a pre-made bow-tie. I just have never been the person for illusions in clothing, something trying to pass off as something that it is not. I mean, don't get me wrong, the George Cleverley shoe above is beautiful, no doubt, but the side gusset with laces is just not my style. Now, on the other hand, if it did not have laces, then it would be okay, but you tend to find that the majority do, as this seems to be a new trend right now in the shoe industry, probably because many men are super lazy and can't be fussed to lace their shoes but still want the professional look of an oxford.

Anyway, there are probably variations of many other loafers, but as usual, I am tired and think that the 2+ hours that I have spent on this post is good enough. So if I have missed anything, please feel free to comment. If not, enjoy the new week into September...

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

(oh yea, I have a picture of a side gusset shoe without laces, below by Koji Suzuki --- beautiful!!)