Shoes: Who makes what for whom.

[thinman]

Originally Posted by RJMan

But Ferragamo doesn't make its own shoes either, right? The thlot plickens.
I've emailed Ferragamo with this question, as well as questions about the lasts used to construct various shoes in the Tramezza line, but I got no response. Perhaps they don't know which lasts are used by whomever is making their shoes....(this "last" statement is wild speculation) Edit: *Great* thread, by the way. We've needed to collect this information for some time.

 

[Holdfast]

For UK readers, I popped into John Lewis today and found out their own label shoes are made by Loake.

Not my personal cup of tea b/c of the uninspired styling (though they did have a halfway decent chukka boot) but the better ones are actually quite decent considering the price point if you're looking for a durable workhorse shoe.

 

[marc237]

Originally Posted by jcusey

No longer for Polo, except for the various Darlton models. According to Ron Rider, most of the English Polo shoes are now made by Sanders & Sanders.

So, how does one tell which are Sanders and which are Crockett? Also, when I was in the London C&J shop on Jermyn St. in March, the salesman was saying that they were the maker for all Polo English made. I wonder when the change happened.

 

[A Harris]

Re. Wilson & Dean at Wilkes Bashford - it is a house label, like To Boot. They have used a variety of different makers, but most models you will see are Gravati.

 

[Horace]

Originally Posted by Cantabrigian

To have Brooks Aldens resoled - can you take them to BB or to Alden?

To Alden, you can send your shoes, those that were made by Alden, for Brooks Bros.

 

[rach2jlc]

I have one pair of Sanders & Sanders, a pair of shoes that they made for E.T. Wright's "Master's Collection" (of which all of the English ones are made by S&S). It's not a bad shoe, but it certainly isn't C&J. The leathers aren't as nice, nor is the finishing, nor is the sole. I've seen several of their models, and like mine, they're a nice shoe but nothing that would stop traffic.

I'm assuming... hoping... that Polo is requiring special upgrades for their Polo models, because most Sanders shoes that I've seen run in the $200 range or so (my shoe is a canvas oxford and was about $180 retail). Thus, if Polo is expecting to get $595 for only-slightly-better S&S shoes, I think they will have lots of complaints.

S&S are excellent quality for their original retail price ($200 or so), are welted, and are certainly better than most "designer" type shoes, but they aren't at all comparative to my C&J's, whether regular grade or the hand grade... as evident in the price difference.

John

 

[mussel]

Alden also makes for Façonnable. And supplies riding boots for the Masschusett State Troopers.

 

[Morris]

Brooks / Peal & Co. monk straps are indeed made by C&J. I inquired and received confirmation from C&J yesterday.

Peal & Co. Monk Strap

C&J Grosvenor

 

[petng]

Trickers makes boots for Ted Baker

 

[Britalian]

Anyone know who makes Pollini, here in Italy?

 

[Swededude]

What about Paul Smith, who makes them? I bought a pair earlier this summer, the sole says "Handcrafted in Italy". Here's a pic of them:

http://img444.imageshack.us/my.php?image=093bmp8pi.jpg

 

[LA Guy]

This is all really cool guys, but just because a manufacturer X makes shoes for Company Y doesn't mean that X and Y shoes are of comparable quality. X just does stuff to Y's specifications. Just thought I'd point that out so that someone stumbling on this thread doesn't get puzzled when company Y's shoes are sometimes cheaper than X branded shoes.

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by Swededude

What about Paul Smith, who makes them? I bought a pair earlier this summer, the sole says "Handcrafted in Italy". Here's a pic of them:

http://img444.imageshack.us/my.php?image=093bmp8pi.jpg
Paul Smith in the past used Trickers and Crockett & Jones to make shoes for them. Recently I've seen its shoes marked made in India. I think Paul Smith uses whoever is cheap enough to get the job done, as would Ted Baker.

 

[ColumbiaKai]

Does anyone know who makes shoes for Dries van Noten?

 

[Get Smart]

Originally Posted by RJman

Paul Smith in the past used Trickers and Crockett & Jones to make shoes for them. Recently I've seen its shoes marked made in India. I think Paul Smith uses whoever is cheap enough to get the job done, as would Ted Baker.

London level shoes are "handmade" in India, the mainline and PS shoes are made in Italy. Actually, my mainline brogued boots came with a really nice heavy duty booklet detailing the construction process with tons of photos about how the boots were made. Brand self hype propaganda? I'm sure, but it's still a pretty nice booklet.