What is it that makes a shoe a 'classic'?
Is it the fact it is a certain colour, leather, style, with or without laces, what is it?
It is all of these things that in ones own mind that makes a shoe a classic. The full brogue, the semi-brogue, the oxford (with and without punched cap), the monk shoe, the penny loafer, the tassle loafer, infact the list can go on and on. I like to think that every shoe that is handmade becomes a classic, in the way that it is made individually for each person, everyone is different and so the full brogue for one person is going to look slightly different from one to another, whether due to the shape, the punching, the choice of colours used on the uppers and linings, the different choices of perforations on the toe, vamps, and quarters etc, this is what makes each one a classic in its own right. This is what is so special about being able to choose the shoe that you want the shoemaker to make for you. I love making shoes, and being able to help in the way of designing something for someone that is a little different. I think we are all aware that there is nothing new but to explore and stretch the possibilities of styles a little more creates our own 'classics'. A bit like the elastic sided shoe i have shown that has an alligator top with a black calf bottom, and the way the shoe is cut to make it look longer and slimmer, detailing that is important enough to make a shoe noticeable but not rediculous, smart and not too crazy and at the same time elegant enough for people to notice that it is something that cannot be bought off the shelf. The person wearing that shoe feels special as they also know that very few will have the shoe they have. This is what i believe creates a classic shoe, something a little out of the ordinary that looks good, and will be noticed by people that know what they are looking at.
