FOOTWEAR

Anello & Davide

The shoemakers Analle & Davide was founded by Anello and Davide Gandolfi. The business specialised in ballet shoes but broadened its range with time. Its creations were popular in the entertainment world. The firm made pairs with low cuban heels for The Beatles. The boot became known as the Beatle boot. They went on to shed numerous other musicians. In 1963 they furnished kinky black leather boots for a Mary Quant outfit

Location: 96 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0JB (orange, grey)

Website: wwwhandmadeshoes.co.uk

Bata

Following a visit to Ford's plants in the United States, Bata of Czechoslovakia was the first company to automate shoe production. This enabled it to manufacture cheaper shoes and thus gain over half of the British market. The company responded to the Great Recession by expanding. It opened a factory in East Tilbury on a 650-acre site. Housing, a school, and leisure facilities were built. Production was exported to the Empire. Tilbury-trained staff opened other factories in the colonies. In the mid-1980s it became cheaper to import into Britain than manufacture. In the 1990s the company began to run down its manufacturing operation.

Website: www.bata.com

Manolo Blahnik

Manolo Blahnik was raised on his family's banana plantation in the Canary Islands. His father was a Czech. He was home-schooled in the Classics from which he drew his aesthetic sense. He developed a strong interest in the feet of statues. He developed an interest in literature, theatre, and film. He sought to become a theatre designer in New York City. Diana Vreeland, the editor of Vogue informed him that his costumes were his best work, particularly their extremities. She advised him to focus on them. He therefore took to shoe design. His first collaboration was with Ossie Clark. However, at that point Blahnik did not appreciate the structural importance of steel in shoe function, therefore, his footwear appeared rubbery. In 1972 he opened his shop on Old Church Street in Chelsea. In 1981 his sister Evangeline became his business partner. As a result, the business was professionalised and placed upon a solid footing. He regarded Isabella Blow, Tina Chow, and Anna Piaggi as being muses.

In 1971 Manolo Blahnik started designing shoes.

Location: 49-51 Old Church Street, SW3 5BS (red, purple)

Website: www.manoloblahnik.com

The Chelsea Boot

In 1830 the cobbler Joseph Sparkes Hall (1811-1891) started to use rubber to makes waterproof galoshes. Seven years later he devised a boot that had side panels that were made of cotton and wire. This feature enabled the item to be slipped on and off with ease. A pair was presented to Queen Victoria. She took to wearing whenever she was engaging in outside activities, such as riding and walking. In 1840 he patented one which had elasticated side panels.

In the Swinging Sixties (1960s) the boot was taken up the fashionable young men and women of the Kings Road. It became known as the Chelsea Boot.

Jimmy Choo

The first Jimmy Choo shop opened on Motcomb Street.

Location: 20 Motcomb Street, SW1X 8JT (red, yellow)

Website: www.jimmychoo.com

Cordwainers

St Mary-le-Bow Gardens exist close to the site of what was the Cordwainers Hall. The cordwainers were leather workers. Their name was derived from Cordoba in Spain, which was a source of high quality leather.

Location: Bow Lane, EC4M 9AL. A picturesque shopping lane that acquired its name in the 16^thC. Previously, it had been known as Hosier Lane and before that as Cordwainer Street. (blue, yellow)

St Paul s Churchyard, EC4M 8AD. The site of Cordwainers Hall. (purple, grey)

Website: https://cordwainers.org

Cover Girl Shoes

Cover Girl Shoes's advertisements included a statement that it catered for people with up to size 12 feet. This was a signal that its shoes were intended for transvestites.

Location: 44 Cross Street N1 2BA (purple, turquoise)

Terry de Havilland

Terry de Havilland (n Terence Higgins) (1938-2019) was born the son of an East End cobbler. After failing to establish himself as an actor in Italy, he devoted himself to making shoes. He developed a style that was both outrageous and playful. In 1964 a boutique on Chelsea's King's Road started to stock shoes that he had designed. He inherited his father s business in 1970. Two years later he opened his own shop, Cobblers To The World, on the Road. Its basement became a gathering place for the musicians, models, and the like. There, after the shop closed, the three Cs - champagne, caviar, and cocaine - were consumed liberally. The business went bust in 1979. He then took to trading through Kamikaze Shoes, producing shoes that proved to be popular with Punks and Goths. The business closed in 1989. He then set up The Magic Shoe Company which was targeted at the fetish market. The business did not have a high profile. In the mid-1990s he encountered the American pop singer Cher, who owned shoes that he had made. Upon realising who he was, she exclaimed, My God, me and Bette [Midler] used to buy your shoes in Paris - we assumed you were French, gay and dead. Following a heart attack, he closed the shop in 2001. He then launched a brand using his own name.

Website: www.terrydehavilland.com

Freed of London

Freed of London manufactures dancing shoes. The business was founded in 1928 by Frederick Freed. Its ballet shoes are completely biodegradable: the blocks are papier m ch which has been made with a flour paste; the cloth is satin.

Each maker has a stamp with which s/he marks the shoe sole. Professional dancers usually stick to the output of an individual shoemaker.

In 2018 it was reported that Freed of London was going to start manufacturing bronze and brown pointe shoes. This was so that people from minority ethnic identities could have shoes that more closely matched their skin tones that the traditional pink ones

Location: 94 St Martin's Lane, WC2N, 4AT. The shop. (purple, red)

62-64 Well Street, London Fields, E9 7PX. The factory.

Website: www.freedoflondon.com

John Lobb Bootmakers

In 1863 the Prince of Wales granted John Lobb a royal warrant. Three years later Mr Lobb opened a shop on Regent Street.

In 1982 Lobb launched a ready-to-wear service. The business is still run by the Lobb family.

Location: 9 St James's Street, SW1A 1EF (orange, blue)

Website: www.johnlobb1849.com

St Margaret Pattens

A patten was an elevated wooden sole that enabled a shoe to be kept above mud, offal, etc.. The first reference to the Mystery of Patynmakers dates from 1379. The trade in London was concentrated on Rood Lane. In the 15^thC the Company of Pattenmakers started its still extant association with St Margaret Pattens. In 1670 the Company was granted a royal charter.

The church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. It was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren.

Location: Rood Lane, EC1M 1HS (blue, purple)

Website: www.pattenmakers.co.uk www.stmargaretpattens.org

Slipper

The smoking shoe consisted of a leather sole and a fabric upper. It was worn by affluent men when at home. Prince Albert's use of the form helped to popularise it. With time, it became the slipper.

Sponsorship

Upon one occasion the rugby No. 8 Andy Ripley found himself with two boot sponsors to please. He wore a boot made by on one foot and one by the other on the other.

James Taylor & Son

James Taylor & Son is a bespoke shoemaking business that makes shoes for both men and women. It has been located in Marylebone since the mid-19^thC.

Location: 4 Paddington Street, W1U 5QE (blue, pink)

Website: www.taylormadeshoes.co.uk

David Backhouse 2024