John Lobb has been producing luxury and formal footwear for men and women for over 150 years. Started in 1866 by John Lobb himself, the company started as a small footwear production service for royalty. Their success producing shoes and boots was so great that the company decided to open up another store in Paris. The company produces a classic, sturdy, and durable shoe with an English look.

John Lobb’s “Bespoke” program is a staple in the company. This Bespoke service arranges a client with an artisan to produce something customized and specific to the client. As they say on the John Lobb website, “at the heart of the Bespoke service is the relationship between the client and the John Lobb artisans who serve at every stage to fulfil making their wishes become a reality.” They focus on the interpersonal relationship between the customer and artisans. The constant communication between the two coupled with the artisan’s attention to detail ensures a shoe production process that yields an ideal and precise result.

There are several appointments involved in the John Lobb Bespoke process. At the first appointment, the artisan takes many detailed measurements of the client’s foot and starts to hand carve a model of the contour of their foot. This wooden model of the shoe then serves as the last to shape the leather to start the actual shoemaking process. “Whilst wearing the trial shoe, final measurements are taken and incisions made by the Master Last-maker to examine the shoe for even the slightest pressure points to the foot. This allows the artisan to further refine the precision of the clients last.”

A note of pride for John Lobb is their selection of leather from highly distinguished tanneries from around the world. “Long established relationships with distinguished tanneries across the world mean that the John Lobb Bespoke atelier has the pick of the finest leathers on offer, including prized rarities and exotic hides, allowing the client unparalleled choice and assured quality.”