Monday, 6 October 2014

Wildsmith London: Architects of the Unlined Loafer

Wildsmith is a prestigious and age-old name in British shoemaking, and one with a fascinating sartorial heritage. The Wildsmith family owned a cordwaining premises in London's West End for some seven generations. Founded in 1847, the brand very quickly established a reputation for producing quality English footwear and proceeded to serve not only the military and nobility, but London society at large. The firm remained the fashionable go-to shoemaker for well over a hundred years, outfitting celebrity and Royalty alike. Amongst the firm's many achievements was to be allotted the role of producers of the Household Cavalry's dress boots, as well as the crafting of shoes for John F. Kennedy, David Niven and Cary Grant, to name but a few of Wildsmith's wealth of high-profile clientèle.


The company's greatest achievement however, stemmed from the it's relationship with possibly the most famous client of all; King George VI, for whom Wildsmith created for the very first time, an unlined leather loafer - the shoe which became the predecessor to the modern unlined penny-loafer as it is known today. Originally known as the '582' after its last number, the shoe was derived from a bespoke pair of house shoes, designed for His Majesty to wear when relaxing in his shooting hose. Wildsmith's signature unlined loafer is still the shoe of which the company is most proud today; a shoe of beautiful simplicity and versatility, upon which lies generations of shoemaking experience and prestige.


Today, Wildsmith continues to produce playful collections with fine attention to detail. Note for example the symmetrical pairing of the eyelets on the polished black calf whole-cuts above, or the intricate geometric punching across the two-tone monkstraps below. Lasts are well-balanced and angular throughout, with strongly pronounced chiselled and squared toes. The leathers used are waxy, durable and feel attractively substantial. The degree of handwork employed in making the shoes is also attractive, from the hand cutting of the shoe's pattern, clicking each panel of the shoe by hand, and a final finger polishing of each and every piece before its ready for the shop floor.



Also impressive is the way in which the collection itself hangs together as a concept; it looks almost like an expanded vision of the ideal modern gentleman's shoe wardrobe. A selection of fully brogued Oxfords and Derbies in black, chocolate and rosewood sit alongside more casual plain and toe-cap Oxfords in suede, with burnished navy single-monkstraps and polished black wholecuts making the grade for impressive occasion shoes. And of course, all this centres around the signature Wildsmith unlined apron loafer, offered in a full spectrum of brown tones, together with the classic black and a pair of snuff and tobacco suede pieces - ideal for all occasions in spring and summer.


The shoes themselves are no longer made in London, as production has moved to Northampton, but this is no bad thing. As the centre of the luxury British shoemaking industry, this allows Wildsmith access to further generations of specialised shoemaking expertise. The integrity of the Wildsmith brand has been retained through a continued personal connection to the Wildsmiths themselves. The current generation of the Wildsmith family still sit on the company's board and are actively involved in the design of the brand's shoes. Nothing is passed which does not meet their exacting standards, ensuring that the name of Wildsmith, so remains synonymous with quality and the concept of the 'investment shoe' remains iconic. In the words of the late John Wildsmith, owner of the business in the 60s, 'you're either in bed or in your shoes, so it pays to invest in both.' This is a mantra which Wildsmith adhere to today, and their shoes most certainly continue to be fine English investment pieces, with a fascinating heritage behind them.  

Wildsmith shoes start at £275.00.

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