John Lobb has been making the finest shoes and boots for gentlemen since 1866 in London and 1902 in Paris. “It is hard to be precise because every pair of shoes takes a different length of time, particularly the first pair as you have to make the lasts,” said Lobb.

People could just disappear and that was troublesome. After an apprenticeship in Australia to manufacture boots for the miners returned to London in 1866 to open its first store in Regent Street.John Lobb was born in 1829 in Cornwall.

The craftsmanship and unmistakable style are still the main characteristics of John Lobb shoes. The brand was established in 1849 and little seems changed since.The shop is a short stroll from St James’s Palace and within walking distance of several gentlemen’s clubs, not to mention the manly shops of Jermyn Street. “The biggest difference technology has made is credit cards,” he said.“There was a time when a customer would come in, give a few references from his tailor or a bank and then they did not expect to pay, even when they took the shoes away. Founded by John Lobb (1829–95), John Lobb Bootmaker has been in business since 1849 in London and circa 1900 in Paris. In the meantime, the ready-to-wear collection retains John Lobb’s main custom qualities in its 190-step manufacturing process for each pair of shoes. “I only think about individuals because we only deal with individuals whether they be British, American, Russian Japanese, Chinese, or any other nationality.”For those who do not have the money, or the time, for a bespoke pair of shoes, the answer may lie in a readymade pair made by French luxury brand Hermes. The ‘rough stuff’ cutter then cuts all the leather for the rest of the shoe, including the insoles, sole and heels and sends this together with the uppers and the lasts to the ‘maker’ to assemble and make the shoes.The finished shoes are then socked by the ‘socker’ and sent to the ‘tree makers’ for wooden trees to be made to fit each individual shoe. The process of making a pair of John Lobb’s can take some months – image courtesy of Jon Nicholson. But now, when the grand old man John Hunter Lobb (great grand son of John Lobb) has stepped down and his less old sons, William, Jonathan and Nicholas runs the ship, they have been wanting to build a more proper online presence as well. At Northampton Shoes & Boots we’re all about celebrating the style and craft of Northampton’s footwear-first fashion industry. All John Lobb Goodyear-welted shoes are made in Northampton, England.

A basic pair starts at around £3,500, while polo boots are closer to £6,000. We have been in this street for over 100 years and in this premises for nearly 50.

Afterwards, it joins the shelves full of those lasts from thousands of other eminent customers in the basement storage racks, ready for the next order.There is no mistaking the skill involved at each stage but I am assured there is no shortage of craftspeople willing to learn. The process can also take some months. To make the shoes, we employ a lot of pieceworkers, many of whom were trained by us, who work from home and where regular customers are ordering more shoes we try to ensure the work goes back to the same craftsman for each order. The craftsmanship and unmistakable style are still the main characteristics of John Lobb shoes. Its rich heritage is reinforced by timeless qualities of craftsmanship, service and style - attributes that are now available to a wider international John Lobb audience. FREE UK delivery. All that is before VAT.