I've got a pair and they are the best shoes I've ever worn, I bought them with my first paycheck when I was 16, and looking at this craftsmanship it truly makes me so proud of the mastery in handcrafting that we have in Great Britain, It is truly breathtaking the amount of knowledge and skill inherent in even one stage of the shoe crafting.
i got barker shoes they from 1910's, they was my great grandfathers he pasted them down to my grandfather, then to my father, now i own them i still wear them on special occasions. If the shoes are still made the same way they would last a lifetime.
@paquitobites Edward green is definitely a step above. Although if you compare a basic CJ with Tricker's , I still think Tricker's has that handmade flair that CJ doesn't have. I have never seen a CJ handgrade, but I have heard that the Sargent exclusives are also very very value for money. I'll be sticking to herrings (loake/ barker) for Christmas!
Hi, from Argentina, your videos are very informative and well qualified from every aspect. I have one question for you please, - Can you tell me what is the model of sewing machine that apeare in midle of video is one with a puller or wheel or something that, sorry for my bad English but I hope that this well-written grammar, but if wrong, please sorry me, and very thanks to you, or thank you so much.
What is real 'handmade' is 'made just by hand'.hand stitching, hand clicking etc...this is made mostly by machines...individualy, but still by machines.
So if the ‘handmaker’ uses a hammer is it still handmade? If he uses a knife is it still handmade? If you take the knife or hammer to a shoe in making, is it really that different to taking the shoe to the knife or hammer by hand? There is no extra skill involved in handmaking, its easier, you can go slooooow. Takes the same amount of time to learn how to do it by hand or machine, I know.
Applying force to a needle by hand does not make stitching more handmade than stitching with a sawing machine. After all these machines are just mechanized tools
Well, those of us who have experience with John Lobb--both the bespoke shoes made on a carved last based on personal measurements and the catalog lines--might find this video's claims about Barker a bit excessive.
Lobb use more labour intensive techniques, therefore making more expensive shoes. Yes you get more asymmetrical lasts that you can't find with cheaper brands, yes you get more delicate leathers than you would get with machine lasted shoes. But it is open to debate how much better the quality is compared to other, cheaper Northamptonshire brands like Crocketts or Trickers. Not everyone likes the "gunboat" shape of Lobbs and more delicate leathers often mean more delicate shoes. Also this video is outdated, Barker now make their uppers outside the UK for 90% of their shoes.
I'd say these shoes are worth €600-700. They still aren't the best traditional shoes you can get. They use all same last and the lasts are identical to each other. The reality is that feet aren't identical. Craft the shoes to custom last and you put additional €200-500. Those will feel the best on your feet and will last for your entire life.
Some years ago I bought a pair of Barkers "Flex" shoes. They fell apart in weeks. They have a good reputation for quality, and everybody makes mistakes. What sets quality apart is the way in which these mistakes are dealt with, which in the case of Barkers shoes was truly shocking. The customer service line at the time was the same as the sales line. This could mean that they have a small number of issues to deal with, or that they don't take customer service seriously, or both. The contact I made finally resulted finally in my having a telephone conversation with the smug tosser in this video. He implied I wasn't telling the truth, and tried to flog me another pair of the same shoes at half-price. I refused, and it was left there, with me 120-odd quid down and a crappy pair of shoes. I will never buy a pair of Barkers again.
+Richard Curtis Sounds like you got a cemented shoe rather than a welted one. Many of the shoes in the flex line have/had cemented soles (i.e. stuck on with shoe glue) rather than properly sewn on like you see in the video, which is the traditional way of doing it. I am not a big fan of cemented soles, particularly with leather soles, mostly because they are far less replaceable than welted ones but they should not fall apart. Out of interest, the the soles get unstuck?
Problem with barker is that they don't differentiate much price wise within particular ranges. They have cemented shoes in most of their ranges (aside from their high end stuff) and the prices for calfskin and cheaper "polished" leather shoes are pretty much the same. There is nothing wrong with cementing shoes or using polished leather, but they are cheaper methods of manufacturing and the end product should reflect this.
It seems to me that since the making of this video Barker has gone downhill. Or the narrator is fibbing to us. There is simply NO WAY you can be producing the ‘finest’ English shoes in the world at £250-300 a pair retail. I even see on their website they are flogging cemented shoes with a fake welt. A reason to boycott right there for any lover of quality shoes. Probably corrected grain leather, too. Are the ladies still employed making the uppers, or did Barker send their jobs over to India like Loake and others? Just so people are aware, many of these companies have the uppers made in Asia, then send them over to England to have the sole put on so they can call it ‘Made in England’. If this is not shameful, why don’t these companies boast about putting British ladies out of a job for cheap third world slave labour?
Rev.James C Don't be so rude on Indian labour, we make world class shoe's of all brand in such a quality that every shoe makers want their shoe's to be made in India.. About the Manufacturer Logo,we produce shoe for their requirements and they pay for the same to print logo as "Made in England" or "Made in Italy".. Leather section made my English men's. Design & Style section from English men's. Quality (Upper Stitching )double checked by English men's. Only the bottoming made by English men's in England... We Indians don't have chances to buy them for our own as those shoe's are sold only in European country & in US. So better appreciate workmen & craftsmen ships those who involved in make an valuable Shoe for you.. Thanks..
