The time has finally come that Gaziano & Girling opens the doors to their much anticipated patina service, the first that a British company has ever offered. I had hinted at this back in March (see here), when they were toying with the concept. While I knew that they were going to eventually do it, like any smart company, they took it slow so that they could first finalize their shop and then start working on other projects such as this. At last, with two patina artists under their employee belt, both trained at Corthay, they can now launch it in confidence and see what happens next. I personally think that it will become a great success as they revolutionize the British shoe industry. Let’s now sit back and watch as other British companies scramble to copy this service….the question is, who will be first?!
Getting down to the nitty gritty, the pricing for the service will commence at �120 (VAT included, so only for those of you outside of the EU) and go up from there depending on how intricate the requested patina becomes. There are some limitations however to what leathers can be work on and that is pretty everything but grained leather such as pin, scotch and hatch. They apparently don’t hold the patina very well and at the sake of having unhappy customers within 2 months after a patina, they would rather just not offer it all (smart in my opinion). But all else goes! The turnaround time is around a week but I am going to predict that it will be more around 1-2 weeks and just might grow from there depending on how popular this service becomes.
They wanted to emphasize that their version of patina will not be a replica or copy of that which the French do, but rather keep it in tune with English ideals and conservatism. I mean that in the sense that while the client can choose what they want, the idea of the patina will to be subtle, not ostentatious, i.e. something that you would necessarily noticed from 10 feet away but would be in awe over if up close. And I don’t doubt it, especially when you see what the two patina artists are capable of….
Have a nice weekend to all!
Sincerely,
Justin, “The Shoe Snob”
What is the best way to polish a patina? Should I use a neutral creme or do I have to match the various colors to each creme?
You should always use a polish that is a little darker than the color of the patina.
“Alas with two patina artists under their employee belt” <– This made me chuckle, I presume you mean "at last". Sorry, I know that your on a tight schedule and probably don't have time to do a proof read before you post. No offence meant.
Great blog as per usual.
no offense taken! thanks for spotting it
You mean to say our favourite shoemakers are now giving us even more options? This is crazy … and I love it 🙂
How do you polish a shoe with a patina? Does it cover the patina up?
Totally confused about what this process actually is ..forgive my ingnorance but would you be able to explain perhaps in another post Justin?
you polish them all the same…just need to be careful that you are not darkening too much by being to aggressive with the cream polish. Patina’s are dyed, which in theory means they should be permanent….with polish, you simply add to the patina and thus create a longer lasting natural one….
The blue museum patina is just outstanding!
Dandy Shoe Care > All