George Glasgow Jr of George Cleverley tell us why Colin Firth wore out his shoes in 'Kingsman'
George Glasgow Jr, nephew of the brand’s founder and creative director, sat down with STYLE in Hong Kong to talk traditions, social media, hit movies and style tips for dandy gents
In the world of luxury retail, it’s not easy running a family-owned business. London-based bespoke shoemaker George Cleverley deserves full credit for remaining true to the aesthetics of its founder.
Have there been any changes to the brand’s traditions and heritage?
We still do everything by hand so what you get from us today [is the same as] what you got back in the old days. The process hasn’t changed. Whereas a lot of the other brands have made things work quicker [or] have tried to get cheaper labour [or] cut corners or outsource, we still do everything the same as we did 20 to 30 years ago. Everything is handmade.
We pay so much attention to detail, [including] having the same individual work on [a pair of] shoes. The guy measuring you is also the guy making your shoes –which is different [from other brands]. It’s not a case where someone [meets you at a trunk show], takes an order and sends the order to be made somewhere else. I think this is the unique part of our business.
What about social media and marketing? How does the brand balance traditions and heritage while keeping up with the times?
We let things come to us naturally. We don’t really do [aggressive] PR. There’s a story behind all our collaborations. For example, we’re in the “Kingsman” movie because director Matthew Vaughn wore our shoes at his wedding.
Our profile has been raised quite a bit recently because a lot of our customers are famous. They’re well-known and stylish. Social media does help, because our clients are pictured wearing our shoes.
Speaking of “Kingsman”, we absolutely loved the movie and the pair of beautiful shoes with the hidden blades.
They’re really something, aren’t they? All credits go to the props department. The shoes were part of our collection, but the blades were added by the props department.