The London Super Trunk Show is officially 5 days away now!
Let’s jump into the Special Announcement: FREE SHOE SHINES ON THE DAY
Jesper, of Shoegazing, managed to get Samuel Norsworthy (Patina Artist and Shine Extraordinaire) in collaboration with our main Partner, Saphir, to create a Shoe Shine Bar where clients can get complimentary shoe shines services of up to 15 mins, either on the feet or by leaving their shoes. A great reason to stop by!
After a 3 year hiatus, we finally have the opportunity to get shoe lovers around the world, gathered in one venue along with 10 different brands from different countries, cultures, price points, and make. A great time is surely ahead of us and we are excited to be back at it. That we, being myself and Jesper of Shoegazing Blog.
Now that there is an official countdown, just wanted to recap a few things about the event and who will be there. Of the ten brands coming, I wanted to highlight 5 today (having done 5 last week) of the different price categories, just to break it down a little more. So, let’s take a look.
The technical info is below:
Location: Showcase.co, 12 Regent Street, St. James, London.
Date: Saturday, May 7th, 2022
Full Schedule for the day:
11:00-19:00 Trunk show opens for the public, FREE OF CHARGE AND NO REGISTRATION NEEDED. Exhibitions with ACME Shoemaker, Bridlen, Catella Shoemaker (Daniel Wegan), CNES Shoemaker, Mori of Shoemakers, Modum Shoes, Norman Vilalta, Paolo Scafora, Septieme Largeur, and Skolyx / TLB Mallorca. Also exhibitions with the event’s main partner Saphir (shoe care) and partners Bresciani (Italian Socks, among the finest) and Cad & the Dandy/The Valet/Arthur Sleep shoes (tailoring etc), plus shoemaking championships partner Master Shoemakers (book). On display are all competition shoes in the World Championships in Shoemaking.
11.15-17.15 (with 1-hour break from 14.45-15.45) Final of the World Championships in Shoe Patina in collaboration with Saphir, 1st prize a pair of TLB Mallorca shoes.
15.00-15.30 Final of the World Championships in Shoe Shining in cooperation with Saphir, 1st prize a pair of shoes from Loake.
17:30-17:50 Award ceremony for the World Championships in Shoemaking, in collaboration with Kirby Allison’s Hanger Project and Master Shoemakers. The top ten including the three podium positions are presented. In the prize pool is 6,000 GBP (€6,700 / $7,800), plus being exhibited at Isetan Men’s, Tokyo, and at other places around the world. (More info in the Call for competition)
19.00 Event closes.
Please note, there is a full bar there so no one will go thirsty
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s recap the makers coming and a bit about each.
ACME Shoemaker
One of the world’s most exciting shoemakers as of recent, ACME has taken the industry by storm since its launch in March 2020, of all times. Specializing in aggressive lasts with razor-like lines, unique patinas and a mix of classic and intricate designs they offer a great alternative to your traditional high-end European maker. Starting at $1480, for a fully handmade shoe that is up there with the best of them, ACME shoes sure have brought an edge to the industry blending many styles to create one and forcing other makers to up their game to match their incredible offering of price versus quality. And the Black Panther shoes shown below will be coming to be on display at the shop where you can see firsthand how good their shoes are and can be when someone is willing to push the envelope!
Catella Shoemaker
Catella Shoemaker is without a doubt the youngest brand at the event, and perhaps also the most hyped. Since Daniel Wegan, reigning world champion and previously head of the bespoke department of Gaziano & Girling, announced his own brand a few weeks ago, bespoke shoe lovers around the world have been raving and drooling over the few things that Catella Shoemakers has shown. And the client list is already long.
With Catella, Daniel Wegan aims to persuade his idea of the perfect bespoke shoes, with the absolute highest level of making, and a design mixing classic British and more contemporary continental flair. Prices start at £4,300 / €5,100, plus £600 / €700 for the making of the last at the first order.
Norman Vilalta
Norman Vilalta has become an institution in the shoe world. The charismatic Argentinian-Spaniard learned bespoke shoemaking at Stefano Bemer in Italy, and now works from a studio in Barcelona. Bespoke is just one part nowadays though, his RTW collection has been growing steadily ever since the launch and is always offering super-cool models and colorways via his frequent GMTO runs.
Norman Vilalta is known for his excellent ways of upgrading and modernizing the classic shoe tradition. His RTW shoes are made in a factory in Spain and cost around £720/€850. At around twice the price he also offers an RTW/MTO range made fully by hand to the same standard as his bespoke shoes, lovely looking stuff.
Mori of Shoemakers
Mori of Shoemakers has a slightly different approach than most brands, in their mission to merge bespoke and factory-made shoes. The brand is founded by Maslow So, and the base collection is designed by Hong Kong based shoemaker Masaru Okuyama, and a new bespoke maker will have a small capsule collection launched each year.
The lasts and designs are made by the bespoke makers, while the shoes are made in a Chinese factory. They are hand welted with a handmade sole stitch at the waist, machine at the front, and soles and finishing which are very advanced in their making. Price from £510 / €600.
Paolo Scafora
Paolo Scafora is based in Naples, Italy, a brand that has developed its style in recent years, still distinctly Italian shoes, but with more classically styled last shapes and tighter sole edges. The shoes are hand welted with machine-made sole stitch and have leather stiffeners both in heel and toe. Superbly made.
Scafora’s prices start at around £830/€980. The MTO surcharge is 20% of the base price, which is relatively low, and the options are endless if you’re interested in making something unique. The brand has gained huge popularity in recent years with retailers in many places all over the world nowadays.
