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New boy on the block!
I’ve been around the men’s footwear world for many years, but this is my first post on StyleForum.
Back in 2005 I was asked to join the management team at Foster & Son and Henry Maxwell, the oldest of London’s Jermyn Street bespoke shoemakers. Maxwell had an illustrious history dating back to 1750 and Foster & Son 1840, and they had amazing customers and a wealth of craft knowledge in their bespoke workshop upstairs. The shoemaking craft skills were incredible, but we also belonged to a wider community of workers in many other leather goods, so, under the guidance of our last maker Terry Moore, this became a new and rich chapter in my life.
As many enthusiasts will know, Fosters were aiming high when we set up our new Goodyear welted classic men’s shoe factory in Northampton in 2018, the first of its kind in living memory. Fosters’ aim was to raise the quality of our RTW offering closer to our celebrated £5,000+ Bespoke service, and the new product was therefore in a different league from historic RTW lines. The idea was simple: the best work environment, with natural daylight for the clickers and closers, the best machinery, the best shoemakers, and the best materials = the best in mens’ classic Goodyear welted shoes. Easy!
The factory got off to a promising start. With most of our team having previously worked at Edward Green, and input from our bespoke workshop, the product quality was outstanding and well appreciated by buyers, but the UK Government’s Covid shut-down in March 2020 came at a critical moment, and the factory closed after only a few hundred pairs had been delivered.
Most of the remaining stock was sold, and the closure of the factory means that no more of these shoes can be made, but that is not the end of the story! The last few pairs to come off the production line were acquired by Henry Maxwell, and we can now make them available. Most were small batch special orders and are therefore unique.
For the technicalities:
Fosters’ last maker Simon Bolzoni worked with Michael James of Springline to create a fresh set of contemporary lasts for the new collection, the No. 66 having a subtle “Terry Moore” chisel toe, the premium 83 being what we called a “smart” chisel, and the 18 casual updating their classic loafer profile. The fit is precise but comfortable, and very elegant. If you are interested, take a look at my Buy&Sell entries- a search under “Foster&Son” should bring them up.
Meanwhile, our traditional premises at 83 Jermyn Street have been taken by another illustrious shoemaking name, royal warrant holders Loake Brothers, founded in 1880, with a more contemporary look. I am still buying my shirts from Frank Foster in Pall Mall and waistcoats from Favourbrook, and the Christmas lights are going up in my favourite street.
I’ve been around the men’s footwear world for many years, but this is my first post on StyleForum.
Back in 2005 I was asked to join the management team at Foster & Son and Henry Maxwell, the oldest of London’s Jermyn Street bespoke shoemakers. Maxwell had an illustrious history dating back to 1750 and Foster & Son 1840, and they had amazing customers and a wealth of craft knowledge in their bespoke workshop upstairs. The shoemaking craft skills were incredible, but we also belonged to a wider community of workers in many other leather goods, so, under the guidance of our last maker Terry Moore, this became a new and rich chapter in my life.
As many enthusiasts will know, Fosters were aiming high when we set up our new Goodyear welted classic men’s shoe factory in Northampton in 2018, the first of its kind in living memory. Fosters’ aim was to raise the quality of our RTW offering closer to our celebrated £5,000+ Bespoke service, and the new product was therefore in a different league from historic RTW lines. The idea was simple: the best work environment, with natural daylight for the clickers and closers, the best machinery, the best shoemakers, and the best materials = the best in mens’ classic Goodyear welted shoes. Easy!
The factory got off to a promising start. With most of our team having previously worked at Edward Green, and input from our bespoke workshop, the product quality was outstanding and well appreciated by buyers, but the UK Government’s Covid shut-down in March 2020 came at a critical moment, and the factory closed after only a few hundred pairs had been delivered.
Most of the remaining stock was sold, and the closure of the factory means that no more of these shoes can be made, but that is not the end of the story! The last few pairs to come off the production line were acquired by Henry Maxwell, and we can now make them available. Most were small batch special orders and are therefore unique.
For the technicalities:
Fosters’ last maker Simon Bolzoni worked with Michael James of Springline to create a fresh set of contemporary lasts for the new collection, the No. 66 having a subtle “Terry Moore” chisel toe, the premium 83 being what we called a “smart” chisel, and the 18 casual updating their classic loafer profile. The fit is precise but comfortable, and very elegant. If you are interested, take a look at my Buy&Sell entries- a search under “Foster&Son” should bring them up.
Meanwhile, our traditional premises at 83 Jermyn Street have been taken by another illustrious shoemaking name, royal warrant holders Loake Brothers, founded in 1880, with a more contemporary look. I am still buying my shirts from Frank Foster in Pall Mall and waistcoats from Favourbrook, and the Christmas lights are going up in my favourite street.
