John Lobb Paris Bespoke

[old henry]

Carl, we have a computer taking over what a skilled craftsman has done with his hands for hundreds of years. It is like a computer making your suit pattern. The last is the pattern. Do you prefer the human hand and eye and touch;the smell and feel of the wood;the man who spent his life and his life-blood to carve a block of wood in the shape of your foot; or the "precise perfection" of the computer ?

We watch the beauty of the old ways disappear very fast. The last or pattern made by a computer program is the future. ALL of the old tailors who taught me - ALL - are gone.. You will have to get used to it.

Frank

[carl browne]

I hope you're mistaken about that, Frank.

Consider the Swiss watch; a twenty-five cent quartz chip in a gold case is far more accurate. Yet there's still a considerable market for the beautiful, hand-made, mechanical version. The owners of these things enjoy the private knowledge that great craftsmen have spent hours making them the best they can be. I think there will always be a demand for beautiful, hand made things.

It's this spirit that animates "The London Lounge."

And of course you're still with us.

C

[old henry]

That is very kind of you. Thank You.. I love the ritual of winding my Grampas sturdy old watch. It is clunky and fun. But Carl. Who will make these handmade items that there is a demand for ?

[alden]

Who will make these handmade items that there is a demand for ?

That is indeed the question. I have no doubt there will be demand, its the supply that worries me.

[Kuro]

Good evening,

I thought that the links below might be helpful w/r/t bespoke from Lobb Paris. Some photos of their new workshop/salon on rue de Mogador.

http://www.jamesbort.com/2010/05/john-lobb-ateliers/

http://www.net.esa-paris.fr/~alexis_bon ... lobb1.html

[Robert Watkins]

"Lobb Paris no longer hand carve a wooden last but make a plastic last using computers."

Can anyone confirm this?

I know that the trial shoes are now frequently made in polyurethane, but supposedly on a wooden last.

As of a year ago, trial shoes in leather had not been completely abandoned. I ordered a pair of mocassins on a last that had previously been used only for richelieus. The formier insisted on a trial shoe in leather. This greatly increased turn-around time and work involved, but did not add to the price.

[Kuro]

Hello,

The lasts are made of wood. However, if I am not mistaken and remember correctly they have a lathing machine. The block of wood shown in the pictures in the links above is turned into something workable for the lastmaker (think the term for the last at this point is a "blank" or a "draft" and there is a knob on the end of it). After that turn the last is worked by hand. You can see the different stages of their lasts here http://www.iconofly.com/en/sur-mesure.html starting at :20. Think other lastmakers work from the same starting point, but certainly there are members here that will have more insight into the process at different makers.

Visits to the salon/workshop in Paris can also be arrange through the boutiques...

[Robert Watkins]

Kuro:

Thank you for the reply. I have never seen or heard anything during my visits to the Paris shop that made me think John Lobb sur mesure had stopped making wooden lasts. Maybe the moderator would consider a correction to the post in question?

Robert

[old henry]

Lobb Paris is owned by Hermes. They make a computerized plastic last. Lobb london is still the Lobb family. They still make a wooden last the old way..

[Kuro]

Lobb Paris is owned by Hermes. They make a computerized plastic last. Lobb london is still the Lobb family. They still make a wooden last the old way.

Sir,

Please note that the pictures and videos above are of the Hermes owned Lobb Paris.

I can offer an empirical data point as well, but instead perhaps you will be willing to provide further data to support your view?

[m-lan]

...

[crooky13]

Lobb Paris is owned by Hermes. They make a computerized plastic last. Lobb london is still the Lobb family. They still make a wooden last the old way.

Please see the link from the lobb paris website and more importantly that it states..."If the client is enjoying the bespoke service for the first time, an original wooden last will be carved by hand."

http://www.johnlobb.com/en/shoes/bespoke/history/

[ScarpeDiem]

This is my first time on this site as I was invited by a good friend of mine to offer a word or two on the subject of John Lobb. I've read some of the posts and I'm not where it has left off, but I can tell you for certain that during my time as the General Manager for the flagship store in NYC for John Lobb, the Hermes owned, Paris based, bespoke, John Lobb had just switched over from hand carved wooden lasts to a computer measured plastic last.

I think it is great that they are still offering a first time customer a wooden last but for sure the method has changed to computer made plastic. I welcome any questions.

Dennis -

[Kuro]

This is my first time on this site as I was invited by a good friend of mine to offer a word or two on the subject of John Lobb. I've read some of the posts and I'm not where it has left off, but I can tell you for certain that during my time as the General Manager for the flagship store in NYC for John Lobb, the Hermes owned, Paris based, bespoke, John Lobb had just switched over from hand carved wooden lasts to a computer measured plastic last.

I think it is great that they are still offering a first time customer a wooden last but for sure the method has changed to computer made plastic. I welcome any questions.

Dennis -

Hi Dennis,

A question for clarity - does your statement refer to the lasts for the shoes made in Northhampton (i.e. their "ready to wear") or to the lasts for the the shoes made in Paris (i.e. their "bespoke")?

Thanks.

[crooky13]

Dennis

Many thanks for your comment, it is not disputed that plastic lasts are used for their rtw and mto lines. However, as I understand JL Paris bespoke are only made and offered in their salon in Paris where they make you a last, by hand, in wood and from scratch. At least this was the case earlier this year when I visited them in Paris.

I can't seem to understand why they would still offer new customers a wooden last if they now use plastic lasts, this would mean that they:

- take measurements by hand; this is done by their "master lastmaker" (a term which itself implies hand craftsmanship)
- make a wooden last by hand (normally kept for future shoes, as per JL Ltd, Foster & Sons, Cleverly, etc.)
- decide not to use the wooden last
- copy the wooden last exactly and make a plastic one (otherwise the shoes would not fit as per the measurements)
- then hang the wooden last on a wall for posterity

Thanks