John Lobb Bootmaker

John Lobb Bootmaker
Ltd
Industry Fashion
Founded Sydney, Australia (1849)
Headquarters 9 St. James's Street, London, United Kingdom
Products Clothing
Boots
Website johnlobbltd.co.uk

John Lobb Bootmaker is a company that manufactures and retails a luxury brand of shoes and boots mainly for men, but also for women. Leather goods such as wallets and belts are also available. Founded by John Lobb (1829-95), John Lobb Bootmaker has been in business since 1866 in London and 1902 in Paris.[1]

In 1976, John Lobb Paris shop was acquired by the Hermès Group, but the London bespoke workshop at 9 St James's Street, John Lobb Ltd, remains family-owned and continues to operate independently. Hermès have developed the John Lobb ready-to-wear shoes around the world. The two companies continue to maintain their bespoke shoe-making tradition with the Lobb family workshop in London and the Hermès owned workshop in Paris.[2]

History

Royal warrants of John Lobb, bespoke shoe and bootmaker, London

In the middle of the 19th century, John Lobb, a farmer’s son, crippled as the result of an accident, made his way on foot from Cornwall to London. He was apprenticed to Tomas, the greatest bootmaker in London, unaware, as yet, that in time he would found the most prestigious dynasty of bootmakers in the world. Once he had finished his apprenticeship, he set off for Australia, at the time of the gold rush, where he supplied gold prospectors with boots with hollow heels, a safe cache for gold nuggets. Some years later, he was awarded a gold medal at the London Universal Exhibition, whereupon in 1863 he sent a pair of boots to Edward, Prince of Wales, who was impressed by the workmanship that he promptly appointed him his personal supplier.

He returned to England and opened a shop in London in 1866 and continued to build the legend of bootmaker to the Kings, and King of bootmakers.[2]

Following the success of the London base, John Lobb opened a shop in Paris in 1902.

In 1976, the famous French luxury brand, Hermès, were allowed to use the John Lobb name and continued to broaden the reach of the John Lobb brandname through its ready-to-wear line. The production of each pair of John Lobb ready-to-wear shoes is so time-consuming that only about 100 pairs of shoes are finished per day. The original, family-owned Lobb still handmakes shoes one pair at a time. Until the 1980s, John Lobb operated only custom-made activity in London and in Paris. From 1982 onwards, the ready-to-wear activity has complemented the made to measure, and distribution has extended.

The London company was the subject of a 1945 British Pathé fillm, Shoes For The Famous,[3] and an episode of the June 2016 BBC Four documentary series, Handmade: By Royal Appointment. [4]

Present operations

Hermès' John Lobb shoes are available in both ready-to-wear and made-to-measure. Its motto is "The Bare Maximum for a Man".

Hermès' John Lobb shoes are sold in its own boutiques or in luxury department stores such as []], Bergdorf Goodman, , Neiman Marcus, Lane Crawford, Leffot and Double Monk. Hermès' John Lobb also has boutiques in countries around the world, including the United States, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and several European countries.

A pair of bespoke leather shoes costs over £2400. The average price is approximately £2700 if ordering from the St James's Street shop.

Notable clients

Shoe lasts of Queen Victoria from 1898, made by John Lobb, bespoke bootmaker in London. In the background the lasts of Lord Mountbatten

Famous clients of John Lobb include Diana Spencer, Adam Markus Tomczyk, Prince Charles, Queen Victoria, Andy Warhol, Louis Mountbatten, Enrico Caruso, Jackie Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Laurence Olivier, Duke Ellington, David Niven, Calvin Klein, and Daniel Tyler.

References

  1. ↑ By Royal Appointment. ITV3. 2012. Event occurs at 8:00pm. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  2. 1 2 Dobbs, Brian (1972). The Last Shall Be First: The Colourful Story of John Lobb The St. James's Bootmakers. Elm Tree Books. ISBN 0241022738.
  3. ↑ "Shoes For The Famous". British Pathé. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "John Lobb Shoes". Handmade: By Royal Appointment. Episode 2. 13 June 2016. BBC Four. Retrieved 13 June 2016.

Coordinates: 51°30′21″N 0°8′18.3″W / 51.50583°N 0.138417°W / 51.50583; -0.138417

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