Oliver Sweeney bespoke

For those who like bearing their souls (or at least their crests) on the soles of your shoes, a new venture by British cobbler Oliver Sweeney should put a spring in your step. Catering for the ever-increasing market for whom off-the-rail just won't do, Oliver Sweeney is introducing a bespoke service with over 100 different design possibilities from which to select the perfect pair of shoes.

Customers can choose from a range of 24 materials including ostrich and iguana skin alongside more traditional leather options, between two toe shapes, the 'Twister' and 'Venice' as well as colour, piping and lining options. Our favourite touch however, is the option of having a personalised stamp on the leather sole of your shoes: finally a more subtle way of wearing your crest than on a garish signet ring.

After the design is signed off by the customer it will then be sent to Oliver Sweeney's factory in Ancona, Italy, where it will be created uniquely to the customer's specifications and hand finished, arriving in a traditional wooden shoe box at your door within twelve weeks of your first consultation.

23 August 2007 | Fashion