Crepe Soles – Yay or Nay?

When I started my own shoe brand, J.FitzPatrick, one blog reader told me, ‘Justin when you add black crepe soles to a pair of dress shoes, I will be the first to buy them and you can name them after me.’ I always thought it would be a cool idea but not really the easiest material to source and on top of that, not the easiest to market to more than this customer as crepe is really just not so common and in reality not so dressy at the same time.

By nature, it is meant for rough and rugged use as was once worn by military officers on their desert boots (aka chukkas – popularized by Clarks). Crepe is cool and hard-wearing but has its downfalls. It creates a beautiful contrast and looks great with denim. I also love it when paired with suede. So why don’t we see crepe soles used more often? One might especially ponder this as the world, and what people are wearing, seems to be getting more casual.

A few years ago I introduced two models with crepe soles. I really loved the chelsea boot model and have given it quite a bit of use since launching it. I feel that it really gives a different appeal to the chelsea boot, rather than the standard rubber sole.

Obviously, with the crepe sole, I can’t really dress it up. But that is the appeal for me. It’s the perfect casual boot that goes with everything. And it got a lot of use with that idea in mind. The other boot, the Whidbey, I designed to look like a fancy Timberland-style boot. This was made to appeal to the American market for something casual but in a smarter fashion than your common Timberland boot with a slimmer profile and cleaner lines/stitching. Sadly, it didn’t do well.

What was funny, as I was launching my A/W season with crepe soles, Crockett & Jones had this same idea in mind, but doing so for their SS19 collection and adding it to more than just boot models as I had done. And of course, while I have a good relationship with C&J we did not plan this by any means but it was refreshing to know that we were both with the same ideas in mind as two brands of the same industry. In the end, none of it panned out for anyone and we all discontinued the crepe sole models to be left for Made to Order purchases.

What I really liked though about Crockett & Jones’ offering was the double monks above. A snuff suede double monk is the perfect model to add a crepe sole to. While a lot of people are wearing double monks with their suits, I personally like a double monk as a smart casual shoe. Something I might wear with a nice pair of denim jeans and a casual unlined navy hopsack jacket. Adding a crepe sole to that outfit helps to add depth to the look. It adds a detail that, for me, makes it that much more interesting.

Before this, you didn’t see crepe soles so often on smart shoes. It was something that Clarks championed on their classic desert boot. While we head toward a more casual era of style, one would think that crepe soles would become more popular. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case. Only time will tell if this sole will forever lay on the sidelines or creep toward the forefront!

What shoe model would you like to see a crepe sole on? Or do you think that it should stay out of the collections of shoe brands?

—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob

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