John Lobb: The Cobbler That Outwalked Time (And Everyone Else).

If brands are stories, John Lobb’s is less a neatly bound novel and more an epic with footnotes. Picture this: a Cornish farm boy sets out on foot to London in 1851, apprentices with a shoemaker, and ends up crafting boots for gentlemen adventurous enough to trek through gold mines. Rumour has it, a few of those early boots sported hollow heels - ideal for slipping a nugget or two past the mine guards. From that sly innovation, Lobb’s renown marched steadily onward, eventually gracing the feet of Edward VII and the upper echelons of London society. This wasn’t just a cobbler making his mark on history - it was a man sauntering through it, with a whistle in his step and mischief in his eye.

Leap forward, and Lobb becomes a Franco-British duet: the Parisian atelier on Rue de Mogador, still steered by the founding family, and the ready-to-wear wing, scooped up by Hermès in 1976 and anchored in Northampton. The outcome? A house that marries Parisian finesse with sturdy British character - like a Savile Row suit flirting with a loosened collar, equal parts elegance and ease.

Lobb insists on doing things the long way round - 190 steps for each ready-to-wear pair. In a world where shoes are churned out like takeaway coffee cups, Lobb’s artisans cut, stitch, welt, and polish as though the clock stopped sometime before mass production. These aren’t fleeting fashion shoes - they’re resolable, re-polishable companions built to outlast seasons, ready to embarrass your grandchildren with style (assuming, of course, they’re deserving).

And yet, John Lobb isn’t stuck in amber. CEO Philippe Gonzalez likes to call the philosophy “slow evolution.” That’s visible in the current collection, where the house’s icons are treated less like museum pieces and more like canvases. The Lopez loafer - in production since 1950 - now comes in supple summer suedes and fresh pastel tones that make a 70-year-old design look positively flirtatious. The William double monk sharpens tradition with a sleeker profile and lighter soles that feel almost casual, while the sneakers - so pared-back they could pass for bespoke shoes on holiday - carry the same discipline of handcraft into a world that usually prefers shortcuts. Even boots have been given a lighter, more aerodynamic treatment this season, proof that heritage can be contemporary without throwing tantrums.

It’s all stitched together in Northampton, the holy land of shoemaking, where the Goodyear welt reigns supreme. Each welt is stitched, not glued; each leather sourced from tanneries in France, Italy, or Germany with sustainability in mind. Even the adoption of lightweight rubber soles isn’t fashion chasing - it’s pragmatism, the same kind of pragmatism that once led Lobb to tuck secret compartments into mining boots.

What makes Lobb cheeky is its refusal to shout. The logo barely appears, which in today’s billboard world makes it twice as recognisable to those who know. It’s stealth luxury - a pair of shoes that doesn’t beg to be noticed but quietly outclasses everything else in the room. In 2025, when hype drops last a week and hashtags expire in a day, John Lobb is betting on something wilder - longevity. These shoes don’t want to be part of your rotation, they want to be part of your biography.

And perhaps that’s the greatest joke of all: in a market obsessed with novelty, the most radical move is to keep walking - slowly, elegantly, and with soles that will probably outlive you.

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Words by AW.

Photos courtesy of John Lobb.