"English Shoemaking At Its Most Refined" - An Interview with Richard Edgecliffe-Johnson, Chairman, Foster & Son/Henry Maxwell Ltd. (Part I)

Foster & Son, the venerable boot and shoemakers, have been producing their exquisite works of art since 1840. Recently, Frank Clune at Foster & Son was kind enough to pass along a few questions to Chairman Richard Edgecliffe-Johnson. Here, then, are Mr. Edgecliffe-Johnson's responses to my emailed questions, which offer his unique perspective on many topics, including the history of the company, the new MTO service, and the state of the industry. Many thanks to Mr. Clune and Mr. Edgecliffe-Johnson for their time and consideration.

Tell us a little bit about the history of Foster & Son. Was Foster & Son
originally an entirely bespoke operation? Are bespoke shoes made entirely on the premises? When did the company first introduce ready-to-wear shoes?

Foster & Son was founded in 1840 and Henry Maxwell in 1750. Both companies have interesting histories. Foster & Son was always what one would now call a shoemaker, although, as I’m sure you know, the shoe, rather than the ankle-length boot was only widely worn from about 1910 onwards. Foster & Son was an entirely bespoke operation until 1965 when Terry Moore joined us. Our bespoke work is mainly done in our workshop at 83 Jermyn Street and, as is the case with the other London bespoke makers, we have an extended family of highly skilled outworkers.

Henry Maxwell was originally a spurrier and had a long list of military and Royal clients. We’re still looking at the archive to pinpoint the date that Henry Maxwell first started to make boots but we believe that it was around the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, though Sassoon suggests 1870 or so.

Can you tell us a bit about how someone from Terry Moore's generation would have been trained to be a shoemaker? How does that differ from the ways in which one of your current apprentices is being trained? Is it a fairly similar process when comparing eras or have things changed
dramatically?
 

The actual training has hardly changed at all over the last 150 years and the fundamentals haven’t changed since the abandonment of straight lasts during the Regency period, which takes us back 200 years. We don’t use CAD, 3-D modelling or any modern technology and our people have been trained to use traditional tools for last making, clicking and so on, even making our own thread and the traditional pig’s bristle for bottom making. The major innovation of the last century or so has seen the introduction of the specialized electric sewing machine for closing work, replacing foot-powered machines.

It still takes many years to become an accomplished shoemaker, but the training is much more focused these days. Terry Moore trained at another well-known firm in the 1950s and was expected to learn the whole business, so he started in the wood turning factory, then spent his mornings recording details of orders, and afternoons running errands and packing parcels, and then spent a year blacking boots and polishing. Only then was he allowed to start with last alterations, and then last making. He was not allowed to see a customer until he had about 10 years’ training and made his first overseas trip after about 15 years. At Foster & Son we focus on one skill at a time and then the shoemaker branches out into other areas. People learn different skills at different speeds but we reckon you need to dedicate more than 5 years to be truly competent in one area and then you keep on learning.

Tell us about the current offerings available at Foster & Son? Is there essentially one ready-to-wear line available? Or are there tiers of ready-to-wear offerings? Is there an MTO program?

Our flagship offering is of course our fully bespoke service. As more people are looking for something totally unique, we find a lot of demand not only for shoes, ankle boots and long boots, but also other leather goods such as briefcases, portfolios and other articles made to the customer’s specifications.

Some of Foster & Son's offerings on the 337 last.

Our Goodyear welted ready-to-wear line reflects our long tradition of being a top quality house that is also accessible to customers on more limited budgets, so you can actually buy a Foster shoe for £365 and a Henry Maxwell country shoe or ankle boot at a similar price. Then our main bench made collection is constructed to a standard that might be called “hand grade” by other houses, and has a strong following.

Plain toe derbies on the 337 last.

As a bespoke house we are strong believers in the value of a fully bespoke shoe and we have not had a MTO offering for several years, but we have always done our best to accommodate special requests in our ready to wear line. As we introduce our Heritage Collection on a new set of lasts we also plan to include a MTO service. So if you care about shoes but can’t afford bespoke there should be something for you in our Foster & Son or Henry Maxwell offering.

Wingtip tassel loafers.

Recently, Foster & Son established an online presence at Style Forum. What was the motivation behind that effort?

Foster & Son historically has built its business almost entirely on personal recommendation, and has a strong “insider” following, but clearly it makes sense to move with the times. We are a very personal business and have been cautious about social media but we are hugely enthusiastic about our work and feel we have a fascinating story to tell, so Style Forum is an excellent way for us to reach out to a knowledgeable and enthusiastic group of people. We also hope that engaging with a group of this quality will keep us on our toes: there’s nothing healthier than honest feedback!

Based on some of the posts that I've read in your affiliate thread at Style Forum, there seems to be a healthy respect and maintenance of a vintage Foster & Son shoe collection, which is something you don't necessarily see at some of the other English shoemakers. How extensive are the archives? Can a prospective bespoke client have a look for inspiration when contemplating an order?

 The archives are quite extensive, with paper records and shoe samples going back to the nineteenth century reflecting the high quality and global reach of the business. It is a challenge to effectively curate the material whilst running a business, but we are gradually turning the archive into a historical narrative. 

The vintage shoe collection is large and is an important historical and aesthetic resource. Some are in delicate condition, but we believe that they should be made available to give pleasure and inspiration rather than being locked away in a museum. We believe that shoe lovers know that the ‘feel’ of a shoe or boot is vitally important and will handle them with respect.

Our collection reflects our design strengths and fashion changes over the years and is very wide ranging, so when commissioning a new pair of shoes there is plenty of inspiration for creating a new twist on an old theme.  

The appeal of burnishing and patina on new shoes seems to have taken on a life of its own in the last few years. Can you tell us about Foster & Son's "fading" process (which looks magnificent, by the way)? Is that a fairly recent innovation? Is it available for all RTW models?

The Foster & Son burnishing process was originally developed in our Workshop a long time ago to replicate the patina acquired by our bespoke samples that had been exposed to sunlight in our South facing window in Duke of York Street before we moved to Jermyn Street in 1965.

Foster & Son's impressive "fading" technique on display.

With the development of our new Heritage collection we felt that it was time to make the fading available to a broader range of customers. Given that leather is a natural product that varies from skin to skin, and you do not want your shoes ruined, this is not a job for the amateur! Each shoe responds differently to the treatment and is therefore unique.

To Be Continued . . .

"Through These Portals Pass The Best Dressed Men In The World"

An excerpt from Volume One of the Gruppo GFT 3-volume set on Apparel Arts, which was most likely originally printed in the early to mid-1930s (before the Prince of Wales became Edward VIII or the Duke of Windsor):

"Nowhere else in the world are there as many fine - one might almost say superfine - men's apparel shops as are to be found packed side by side in that section London known as the West End. Here tailors crowd shirtmakers, shirtmakers crowd hatters and hatters crowd bootmakers - but with the dignity of century-old establishments, rich in prestige.

And the men who patronize these shops are no less pre-eminent as wearers of clothing than are the shops themselves as clothing purveyors. Through such stories streets as Old and New Bond, Conduit and Dover, pass men whose leadership in the world of fashion is second only to that of their most famous member, the Prince of Wales. 

Chief symbol of the prestige of the shops pictured on this and the opposite page is the fact that scarcely a one of them but possesses a Royal Warrant from the King, the Prince of Wales or some other member of British or Continental royalty. To be able to say that the Prince of Wales trades at your shop is to be able to say that you are in a position to purvey the exact clothes which he wears. And to Englishmen, as to Americans, that is saying a great deal.

 . . . Certainly, a shop like Tremlett's on Conduit Street, the birthplace of the necktie which bears its name, has something which money cannot buy. And the same thing can be said for Maxwell's the famous bootmakers, or Izod's, who specialize in fabulous furnishings."

The excerpted text included images of about two dozen store fronts of some of the more well-known haberdashers and shoe-makers of the day. While some names, such as Swaine and Adeney, Huntsman, Hilditch & Key, and Turnbull & Asser have continued to build upon their proud reputations, many of the other names have long since vanished. While Sulka persevered into the 21st century, I'm not sure what became of names like Winter & Tracy, Tremlett, Dare and Dolphin, or Morgan and Ball.

If any readers know the stories behind these once-proud British institutions, I'd certainly love to hear them.

[Also, with apologies in advance for my terrible photography]

Wildsmith's Covent: The Return of the Modified Wingtip

As many of you already know, Chay Cooper, together with the gentlemen from Cad and the Dandy, have resurrected the Wildsmith name. With the shoes really just beginning to hit the market, now seems like a good time to take a closer look at the Wildsmith brand.

Chay was kind enough to send me a pair of the Covent model in mahogany to review. As I'm a fan of the modified wingtip, or u-tip, I was looking forward to seeing the Covent in person.

On the one hand, the modified wingtip is fairly rare - not too many companies include the style in their offerings - so I think its a nice addition to Wildsmith's catalog of available models. Edward Green's discontinued Windsor (see here) is probably the most famous model, although that company recently added the u-tip Weymouth to its catalog (I'm not sure if EG currently offers a u-tip derby as well). Other than that, Vass has offered a u-tip model, but there really aren't that many examples out there.

Of course, on the other hand, the modified wingtip is a tricky design to master - to my eye, the proportions, particularly at the throat between the toe box and the lacing, need to be just right because the u-tip attracts so much attention because of its unique design. Chay and Wildsmith have proven themselves up to the challenge with the Covent, and have succeeded in crafting a classic, substantial-looking English derby.

Right out of the shipping box, I was impressed by the package that I received. Included with each pair of shoes is a tin of English beeswax for polishing.

Stamped with the Wildsmith logo, the wax was made at an English honey farm.

In addition to the tin of wax, a small shoe horn embossed with the Wildsmith name is also included with your shoes. For an additional fee, lasted shoe trees can be included with your shoes. The trees that I received were double-barreled with dark wood, almost black,  with brass metalware and a curved white plaque affixed with the company's name. Needless to say, I thought the packaging was well-done - I think customers will be suitably impressed.

Then, of course, there are the shoes. I really don't think its much of a stretch to say that Wildsmith customers are going to be very pleased with the finishing on these shoes. At approximately the GBP 400 price point, one would be hard-pressed to name a comparable shoe that shows off the same level of craftsmanship and attention to detail.

The work on the soles is impressive. The slightly bevelled waist looks closer in appearance to Edward Green RTW shoes than Crockett & Jones' handgrade line (which are closer in price to Wildsmith's models). To be clear, these shoes are not meant to "compete" with the bespoke market, or even that top tier currently occupied by Lobb, Edward Green, or Gaziano & Girling. But they'll certainly give companies like Crockett & Jones, Carmina, and Alden a run for their money.

Finally, the uppers are also well-done. the mahogany leather color has a lovely hue to it, and the subtle burnishing works well with the exquisite broguing patterns. The overall symmetry of the shoe is subtle but distinct. The square-toed 283 last works well with the modified wingtip, and I would describe the silhouette  of the Covent as sleek yet elegant. The narrowed waist of the sole is offset by the width at the ball of the foot - the effect, combined with the open lace design of the derby, is a very comfortable shoe that looks narrow but is actually quite generous width-wise. At the same time, that narrowness at the waist seems to give the shoe a more snug fit (which I like) towards the heel of the foot.

All in all, an excellent example of a modified wingtip derby. If you don't already own one, the Wildsmith Covent would make an excellent addition to your shoe collection.

For more information on Wildsmith's offerings, you can visit the company's website here.