Paul Sargent (formerly Alfred Sargent) Appreciation Thread

[stuffedsuperdud]

I'm actually not super optimistic as these old world factory owners don't seem very good at 21st century business, which makes them particularly unsuited for the already uphill battle that is high-end CM. Rather, they all seem quite accustomed to keeping the rickety old train running the way it has always run, based on a few relationships established by their predecessors a long time ago, perhaps due to a mentality that the old way is the good way. That may be true for the actual craft side, but logistics, sales, marketing, account management, that sort of thing doesn't seem to be their strong suit and then they are left behind whenever a client they had been overly dependent on drops off. I am not saying to bring in some MBA twat who makes the company profitable at the expense of its soul, but there's little arguing that the current leadership is a bit in over its head.

Unless they sort that out, I would not be surprised if this Paul Sargent endeavor ends up putting out a few pairs of really cool shoes only to find out that no one except impoverished SF goons knows about them, and those guys are already committed to the other fancy schmancy players at that tier, like EG, at which point they run out money yet again.

 

[scurvyfreedman]

I'm actually not super optimistic as these old world factory owners don't seem very good at 21st century business, which makes them particularly unsuited for the already uphill battle that is high-end CM. Rather, they all seem quite accustomed to keeping the rickety old train running the way it has always run, based on a few relationships established by their predecessors a long time ago, perhaps due to a mentality that the old way is the good way. That may be true for the actual craft side, but logistics, sales, marketing, account management, that sort of thing doesn't seem to be their strong suit and then they are left behind whenever a client they had been overly dependent on drops off. I am not saying to bring in some MBA twat who makes the company profitable at the expense of its soul, but there's little arguing that the current leadership is a bit in over its head.

Unless they sort that out, I would not be surprised if this Paul Sargent endeavor ends up putting out a few pairs of really cool shoes only to find out that no one except impoverished SF goons knows about them, and those guys are already committed to the other fancy schmancy players at that tier, like EG, at which point they run out money yet again.

It's amazing that G&G broke into the market so successfully, with AS making their shoes at first and yet AS was just left there standing still. AS's handgrade line, which was essentially equal to G&G, got no traction. It was above my price point. And, I always thought the Exclusive line was on par with C&J's better finished shoes with the closed sole and narrower waist. I have several pairs from this collection. I hope they are able to compete going forward.

 

[oldworldelegance]

I'm actually not super optimistic as these old world factory owners don't seem very good at 21st century business, which makes them particularly unsuited for the already uphill battle that is high-end CM. Rather, they all seem quite accustomed to keeping the rickety old train running the way it has always run, based on a few relationships established by their predecessors a long time ago, perhaps due to a mentality that the old way is the good way. That may be true for the actual craft side, but logistics, sales, marketing, account management, that sort of thing doesn't seem to be their strong suit and then they are left behind whenever a client they had been overly dependent on drops off. I am not saying to bring in some MBA twat who makes the company profitable at the expense of its soul, but there's little arguing that the current leadership is a bit in over its head.

Unless they sort that out, I would not be surprised if this Paul Sargent endeavor ends up putting out a few pairs of really cool shoes only to find out that no one except impoverished SF goons knows about them, and those guys are already committed to the other fancy schmancy players at that tier, like EG, at which point they run out money yet again.

In Jesper’s interview with Paul Sargent he does mention the lack of proper e-commerce, social media presence, and customer service and the reliance on physical stores as problems. So at least he seems aware of the issues. That doesn’t mean they succeed in fixing them, but recognising the problem is a start.

 

[oldworldelegance]

Going back to pictures, here are my AS Armfields in the one 104 last (and matching lasted shoe trees).

 

[Northants bloke]

Highly interesting update on the Sargent story: The Alfred Sargent saga is not over! In this large interview with Paul Sargent you'll learn why the company ended up in liquidation, what will happen to the Alfred Sargent brand, and most importantly about how Paul will continue to make shoes in the Rushden factory. Read the interview here.

I am really grateful for you sharing this here Ingevaldsson. The history of the factories in Rushden including AS previous struggles are well researched but none of this news has been reported in the local media.

Rushden (15 miles east of Northampton and around 60 north of London) grew into a town from a small agricultural village in the late 19th Century entirely due to the shoe industry. These days nearly all of the factories have been demolished or converted into housing with just 3 remaining in Rushden (AS, Grenson and Sanders) and around a dozen within the county up to 20 miles. Most of us have forgotten the footwear industry still exists. Your latest report gives at least some hope.

Rushden has a brilliant out-of-town shopping centre opened around 3 years ago. It has many of UK's surviving fashion chains but it would be nice if you actually buy some of the shoes made less than a mile away.

 

[WilYa]

they look great!

could u share the link? i cannot find it even after Baidu yi xia gan xie gan xie!

Sure, https://m.tb.cn/h.49oljNk?sm=9fb042

 

[AWu]

What price did you get on sale?

Sure, https://m.tb.cn/h.49oljNk?sm=9fb042

 

[WilYa]

What price did you get on sale?

3650CNY so $565

 

[AWu]

that sounds a deal

3650CNY so $565

 

[othertravel]

How often do they have sales?

 

[dukenukem4ever]

Damn none in my size but the TB page I see says 8000 RMB ;-)

 

[SuitedDx]

Sure, https://m.tb.cn/h.49oljNk?sm=9fb042

Thanks for the link... unfortunately my Mandarin is nonexistent. I assume 40 is UK6, 40 = 6.5, etc.? Are they all G width?

 

[WilYa]

The sizing grading is correct and it seems that they only stock up to 43=UK9.
I cannot confirm the width for all models but they all appear to be G judging by the pics.

Thanks for the link... unfortunately my Mandarin is nonexistent. I assume 40 is UK6, 40 = 6.5, etc.? Are they all G width?

 

[WilYa]

Damn none in my size but the TB page I see says 8000 RMB ;-)

The web-version of TB sucks!
You need to log in to see the actual prices for discounted items

 

[Luigi_M]

EDIT: the Moore in brown are so beautiful that they deserve a better pic: