Church's Appreciation Thread

[shoefan57]

My late father’s Church’s shoes from the 1960s and 70s used leather that G&G and Edward Green would be pleased to get hold of today. The soles were not hidden channel stiched but very very neatly done. He also had an outstanding pair of Church’s in tan Mountain Ram skin which I asked Edward Green for about fourteen years ago but the factory said they couldn’t source it. The Church’s of old were very very well put together. Not perfect though. My father’s black shoes for work would crack after six to seven years of wear and yes he alternated pairs and used shoe trees and cream polish. They became his gardening shoes in good old fashioned tradition.

G&G claim that the quality of skins is better than years ago and refute the claim that it’s worse. I don’t have their vast experience but based on my rather large collection I would say that even EG and G&G’leathers are nowhere near the quality they were fourteen and more years ago.

 

[shoefan57]

Apart from struggling to recruit and train skilled workers, the customer is often to blame for the decline in quality too. The EG factory manager told me about ten or eleven years ago that customers complain a lot about prices and simply won’t pay for the best of the best anymore. He didn’t tell me what the factory could do but didn’t because of price sensitive customers ( even at the EG end of the RTW spectrum!) but seemed quite cross about it. I think he wanted to maintain the highest of standards and was doing his best with the customer base as it is today.

 

[shoefan57]

Sorry for a third post but wanting to head off criticism at the pass so to speak, it seems to me that it’s absolutely appropriate that there are good welted shoe makers in England and elsewhere, making shoes that people can afford. I’m not saying that all GYW shoe makers should be making the best of the best - it’s important to me that as many people as possible can enjoy GYW footwear. My point was that even well heeled (pardon the pun) customers complain about prices, so I’m told.
The other challenge for the factories is that the handbag makers have taken ownership of the great tanneries making it much more costly for the shoemakers to buy skins.

 

[Fenners81]

Sorry for a third post but wanting to head off criticism at the pass so to speak, it seems to me that it’s absolutely appropriate that there are good welted shoe makers in England and elsewhere, making shoes that people can afford. I’m not saying that all GYW shoe makers should be making the best of the best - it’s important to me that as many people as possible can enjoy GYW footwear. My point was that even well heeled (pardon the pun) customers complain about prices, so I’m told.
The other challenge for the factories is that the handbag makers have taken ownership of the great tanneries making it much more costly for the shoemakers to buy skins.

I think this is the most sensible contribution yet. For me personally, I’m happy to pay less for shoes that may not have the full belt and braces construction that G&G etc use. I have so many pairs that my middle tier shoes like C&J will still last me a lifetime or at least as long as I need them for. I personally couldn’t care less about channelled soles, fiddle waists and a ridiculous amount of welt stitches per inch. If people want to pay a premium for these incremental upgrades then I’m all for that, but there need to be options for all tastes and wallets as you so aptly point out.

 

[PairOfDerby's]

I think this is the most sensible contribution yet. For me personally, I’m happy to pay less for shoes that may not have the full belt and braces construction that G&G etc use. I have so many pairs that my middle tier shoes like C&J will still last me a lifetime or at least as long as I need them for. I personally couldn’t care less about channelled soles, fiddle waists and a ridiculous amount of welt stitches per inch. If people want to pay a premium for these incremental upgrades then I’m all for that, but there need to be options for all tastes and wallets as you so aptly point out.

I would echo this. My 11 pairs of Church's and 5 Crockett and Jones (plus the odd Cheaney, Gucci and so on) are almost all what would be classed as Country (apart from the loafers). I've said this before, but stitch count, fiddle back waists and hidden channel soles are not important to me when I'm trudging around the GameFair or walking/working the labs. I don't think any of us on here buy a new pair of shoes because our old pair are worn out. I am surprised though, that any of the brands we're talking about have cracked after 5/6 years with proper maintenance. I've had one pair of Church's that have cracked. They are Chelsea boots and were my first good pair of shoes. I didn't know how to look after shoes back then. I wore them every day for years without rotation or shoe trees and occasionally used beeswax (probably every six months). I am confident that all of my current shoes will last me a lifetime. (maybe not the Gucci).

 

[DorianGreen]

I would echo this. My 11 pairs of Church's and 5 Crockett and Jones (plus the odd Cheaney, Gucci and so on) are almost all what would be classed as Country (apart from the loafers). I've said this before, but stitch count, fiddle back waists and hidden channel soles are not important to me when I'm trudging around the GameFair or walking/working the labs. I don't think any of us on here buy a new pair of shoes because our old pair are worn out. I am surprised though, that any of the brands we're talking about have cracked after 5/6 years with proper maintenance. I've had one pair of Church's that have cracked. They are Chelsea boots and were my first good pair of shoes. I didn't know how to look after shoes back then. I wore them every day for years without rotation or shoe trees and occasionally used beeswax (probably every six months). I am confident that all of my current shoes will last me a lifetime. (maybe not the Gucci).

Also surprised by the crack, a good quality shoe with proper maintenance and care shouldn't crack in that short time. I suppose it could have been bookbinder, that notoriously is more prone to cracking.

In your case it's pretty reasonable that your Chelsea boots have cracked, even the best leather won't survive such heavy abuse.