These limited-edition John Lobb brogues pay ode to the patron saint of shoemaking
Storied British shoemaker John Lobb presents its latest ‘Saint Crépin’ edition, a yearly 500-run release of a shoe which shows off the heights of its Northampton workshops
Since 1996, storied British shoemaker John Lobb has paid an annual ode to Saint Crépin – the patron saint of cobblers – with a limited-edition style which shows off the very heights of its artisanal workshops in Northampton, where each shoe is created using an intricate, time-honed 190-step manufacturing process.
The 2024 edition, the Henry, is celebratory in every sense: built, as is tradition for the Saint Crépin edition from the slender 7000 last – created in collaboration with the seasoned makers of John Lobb’s bespoke atelier in Paris – it is a sophisticated riff on the traditional Oxford brogue, here elevated in glazed high-shine leather with unique leather-lace wingtip detailing designed to evoke hand-stitched embroidery.
Available in an edition of just 500 individually numbered pieces, the Henry – only available in John Lobb stores – is completed with the house’s ‘Prestige’ sole, treated with an elegant black stain. A leather lining is carefully matched to the shoe’s upper.
Though primed for occasions, the Henry arrives at a wider shift in men’s footwear, where the once-ubiquitous sneaker is being eschewed for more classic styles – among them penny loafers, derbys, monk straps and brogues, designs that have been at the heart of John Lobb since its advent in 1849.
John Lobb’s Henry brogues are available in a limited-edition run of 500, £1,800, from the brand’s stores and online.
A version of this story appeared in the December 2023 Entertaining Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print from 9 November, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today!
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Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*, joining the team in 2022. Having previously been the digital features editor at AnOther and digital editor at 10 and 10 Men magazines, he has also contributed to titles including i-D, Dazed, 10 Magazine, Mr Porter’s The Journal and more, while also featuring in Dazed: 32 Years Confused: The Covers, published by Rizzoli. He is particularly interested in the moments when fashion intersects with other creative disciplines – notably art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and reporting from international fashion weeks. Across his career, he has interviewed the fashion industry’s leading figures, including Rick Owens, Pieter Mulier, Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Christian Lacroix, Kate Moss and Manolo Blahnik.
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