£13k BESPOKE John Lobb St James Ltd Leather Boots Wood Trees Riding Polo Size 5.
John Lobb Ltd is the FINEST shoe maker in the world!!!
It provides only bespoke service.
Boots (cost £9,963) come with original John Lobb bespoke boot trees (cost £3,231 alone).
Full price paid: £13,194. You have to wait for 8 months for the boots to be hand crafted in London. Absolutely fantastic boots which will last for a lifetime!
Size: UK5 = US6 = EU39
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THE HISTORY OF JOHN LOBB SHOEMAKERS
Defying time and trends since 1849, we hand craft exquisite footwear and leather goods for the discerning of the day. Using the same gentle and ancient craft of the last and awl as mastered by our founder, we create shoes that are germane to the modern world; reflecting both the times and character of the wearer.
A family business for over 170 years, today we are still driven by a singular purpose: the celebration of the unique and the original.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Our story
1849
Humble beginnings
A lame Cornish farm boy named John Lobb, who dreams of being a shoemaker, journeys to Australia on the coattails of the gold rush after being rejected by all of the major shoemakers in London. Arriving in the Turon Region, he establishes himself in a small tent and sets about producing innovative boots for gold prospectors.
1829 - 1895
John Lobb
A bootmaker by Royal appointment
John Lobb produces a pair of riding boots for the then Prince of Wales. They are of such quality and distinction that he is awarded the firm's first Royal Warrant. Quite how John Lobb - the then Australian-based shoemaker - was able to attain the measurements of the future King; and from them fashion the much lauded pair of boots, remains a part of shoemaking legend.
1863
1866
John Lobb returns to London
Following the grant of his first Royal Warrant, international demand for John Lobb’s shoes increases and the firm moves to London, opening a shop at number 296 Regent Street and proudly displaying the Royal Warrant on its façade.
1866
Shop on Regent St.
1880
A love affair with St James’s Street begins
John Lobb opens a second shop at 29 St James’s Street; allowing him greater proximity to his customers, who often frequent the local gentlemen’s clubs, and the Royal Household.
1880
1901
John Lobb expands into Europe
With ambition to match that of his father, William Hunter Lobb opens a branch of the John Lobb business at 1 Rue du 29 Juillet in Paris to serve its customers in France. In 1976 a controlling interest in this French arm of the business only was sold, while the John Lobb brand around the rest of world continued under the ownership of the Lobb family. This endeavour would be an important milestone for the company, and the legacy of this time still exists within the DNA of the firm today.
1937
Continued international shoemaking acclaim
The firm wins its 9th medal for shoemaking at the Great International Exhibition. This is added to medals previously won in the years from 1862 to 1900 in London, Paris, Vienna, Philadelphia and Chicago.
1944
A commitment to the craft despite adversity
Devastation strikes. One terrible night, at the tail end of World War Two, the shop at 55 St James’s Street is destroyed. Sturdy as their boots, The Lobb’s keep calm and carry on ensuring that despite the damage, the workshop was still operational, and the team could get straight back to their craft.
1962
The new home of bespoke shoemaking
The firm, now with Eric Lobb at the helm, moves to its current premises at 9 St James’s Street, which, with its large shop floor and extensive basement, makes it the perfect home for bespoke shoemaking.
1984
1984 Queen's Award for Export
The firm is awarded the Queens Award for Export Achievement, in recognition of its continued sale of boots, shoes and leather goods to customers around the world.
Unbroken family lineage continues
Eric Lobb, the man to whom much of the firm's post war success is accredited and who was pivotal in securing the firm a further three Royal Warrants, passes away. John Hunter Lobb takes over his role as chairman of the firm. A role he continues in to this day.
2009
The official visit of TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
As a Warrant holder to HRH The Prince of Wales, the firm is honoured to be chosen as one of three Warrant holders for an official visit by TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
2020
2020 and beyond
Under the dutiful eye of the 5th generation of Lobb’s, the firm continues in an unbroken lineage of family values, commitment to craftsmanship, and of championing the possibilities of bespoke as an antidote to the mass produced and one-size-fits-all. Today we are still driven by a singular purpose: the celebration of the unique and the original.
MAKING THE SHOES THE CRAFT
The Gentle and Ancient Craft of Shoemaking
In the strongest possible contrast to the factory-made article, a pair of our handmade shoes are a work of art, unique to their owner. They are created by the close teamwork of a number of specialised craftsmen, all of whom have served long apprenticeships to acquire their particular skills.
The Fitter
First, the customer’s feet will be measured and examined by the fitter, who meticulously notes the precise statistics of each foot, recording not only its basic dimensions but every individual feature.
The Last Maker
The fitter’s measurements, tracings and notes will go to the last-maker, whose brilliance rests in his ability to use such data in carving a solid block of well-grained maple, beech or hornbeam into a precisely contoured model of the customer’s foot; outlines, indentations, protrusions and all. The individual last thus created is used to construct a first pair of shoes and will be added to the many thousands of lasts retained on the Lobb shelves; ensuring that subsequent pairs can be made to the same standards of closeness and comfort.
The Pattern Cutter
Lasts are then passed into the capable and dextrous hands of the pattern cutter, under whose eye the pattern will be cut to not only the specifications of the last, but to those of style the customer has chosen.
The Clicker
Another of these trade aristocrats is the quaintly named clicker; a lover of leather whose experience of the properties of hides and skins enables him to pattern, choose and cut the eight pieces of leather used in the upper part of each shoe. Because of his experience of the various colours, weights, grains and flexibilities of the leathers, only he can help to ensure the smartness and durability of a shoe in which material is perfectly matched to function.
The Closer
The sewing, stiffening, lining and final shaping of the clicker’s pieces around the last, are the responsibility of the closer. The closer cuts, skives and stitches the upper part of the shoe; ensuring its strength and lasting distinction.
The Rough Stuff Cutter
The uppers and lasts are passed to the rough stuff cutter who selects and trims all the materials which make up the bottom of the shoes. This includes parts such as the welt, the stiffeners, the lifting for the heels, and the inner and outer soles. Only the best quality oak bark tanned sole leather is used, with each part carefully selected and cut.
The Maker
The maker takes the carefully-assembled upper and adds the essential long-wearing Lobb sole - made of the best English oak bark tanned leather - and the layered, riveted heel. So precise is the work of a Lobb maker that he can tell you the exact number of stitches to the inch needed to give maximum strength to the union of sole and upper on any particular shoe.
The Socker
The socker fits the thin piece of leather to cover the innersole. It’s this piece that carries the shop’s name and the royal warrants printed in gold. He will also fit any padding or metatarsal pads that the customer may require.
The Tree Maker
The tree maker will fit wooden shoe trees exactly to each individual pair of shoes, thus maintaining the shape of the shoes and prolonging their life for many years to come.
The Polisher
The polisher brings the shoes to their final pristine glory, and with that, another pair of Lobb shoes has been born. A process which has lasted months, compared with the factory articles produced in minutes, has resulted in an individual masterpiece – a Rembrandt compared with a penny print.