Cutting It Apart: $10,000 John Lobb Shoes (RTW vs. Bespoke)
Gentleman's Gazette Gentleman's Gazette
1.69M subscribers
47,706 views
1.2K

 Published On Sep 17, 2021

Explore what's inside John Lobb Shoes, the construction techniques, and the materials used: https://gentl.mn/cutting-apart-john-l...

#JohnLobb #RTWvsBespoke #notsponsored

SHOP THE VIDEO:
→ Gold Monkey Fist Knot Cufflinks: https://gentl.mn/gold-cufflinks-monke...

GUIDES YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS:
→ Is It Worth It?: John Lobb: https://gentl.mn/john-lobb-paris-shoe...

VIDEO CREDITS:
→ Host: Sven Raphael Schneider
→ Camera & Editing: Chris Dummer

Want to see more videos? Subscribe to our channel!
→ https://gentl.mn/youtube

Become a part of the Gentleman's Gazette community - support us on Patreon!
https://gentl.mn/patron
________________________________________________________________________
Gentleman's Gazette
https://gentl.mn/home-gentlemans-gaze...
https://gentl.mn/shop-fort-belvedere5
Facebook:   / gentlemansga.  .
FREE EBOOK: https://gentl.mn/gg-newsletter-sign-up3

00:00 Cutting Apart John Lobb Shoe Introduction

John Lobb is among the names that stand out when talking about men's shoes. The brand has a long and fascinating history, but what is it in their shoes that made them so popular up to this day?

00:30 John Lobb Paris RTW Shoe - Heel

If you think about it, what's different maybe to others is the kind of rubber layer. And we really don't know if it's for waterproofness. That's interesting. Then, lots of nails on the heel, thermal cap in the back. It's like a really thin one in the front.

04:10 Outsole & Welt Stitching
05:41 Shank & Cork Layer
06:56 Welt & Gemband
07:50 Uppers (Saddle & Vamp)

Outer layers seem to be quality calf leather. Nice nut sanded, nicely tanned. Interior, surprisingly, we have the shank. Metal reinforced some kind of artificial material shank. Another leather shank.

10:00 Sock Liner & Insole
10:40 Remaining Upper Areas
12:32 Heel Counter Area
13:29 Finishing Up
15:55 Raphael's Thoughts

And then, the kinds of pressed leather products. We would have expected maybe higher quality leathers throughout, maybe even for the heel cap, the toe cap. Would have expected truly all leather. Maybe, if it's the leather product, it's not the highest quality out there. Considering the price, we're a bit disappointed by that.

17:20 John Lobb London Bespoke Shoes - Overview
18:10 Shoe Trees & Detailing
19:00 Heel Layers
21:49 Channeled Outsole
22:30 Inner (Hair) Padding
23:40 Cork Midsole
24:55 Welt (& No Shank)
26:26 Tassels & Uppers
27:52 Heel Counter Area
28:45 Remaining Upper Areas
31:16 Insole & Sock Liner

You can see in a bespoke John Lobb shoe, there are fewer nails. You have the insole without the gem band. It's all done by hand. All the caps are leather. The liner was leather. And it's basically an all-leather shoe except for this foam and the thread. There are obviously lots of nails in the heel that you wouldn't quite see otherwise. And then, the really kind of hair-like material. Cork, only back but, no shank. That's definitely not what we would have expected.

33:36 Conclusion

We can definitely see that the $10,000 shoe is much better made. It's handmade. It takes more time. It has all the fit adjustments that you want. It has shoe trees. But, other bespoke shoemakers basically operate the same way.

There was nothing where we were like, "Wow! They use any special construction or materials or anything of that kind that would make that shoe a lot better."

With the bespoke shoe, obviously, the fit matters immensely and we can't judge the fit based on that. So, you get a fantastic fit from John Lobb. But, not from other shoemakers, obviously, that is a big plus in favor of John Lobb.

That being said, we trust that there are many shoemakers who can make you a well-fitting pair of bespoke shoes. In fact, in places like, Italy or in Austria, you may find a pair of bespoke shoes from not so well-known shoemakers that is just about the price of a John Lobb ready-to-wear shoe.

So, in that case, we'd obviously always prefer the bespoke shoe for the craftsman over the factory shoe from John Lobb.

show more

Share/Embed