Gaziano & Girling Appreciation & Shoe Appreciation Thread (including reviews, purchases, pictures)

[j ingevaldsson]



When I spoke to Daniel Wegan last time during the trunk show, he mentioned GG does not like Horween shell because they couldn't get a consistent color and smoothness, and since they're a small shell player, they couldn't get the best pieces (and therefore quality control is an issue.) I'm guessing with Ilcea getting out of sorts, etc (and GG is not a big museum calf user either) they probably will have difficulty sourcing them reliably as well. I guess they prefer working with reliable suppliers where they can control the quality. Nonetheless, I'll ask anyways...

Ilcea is back in business again, so that wouldn't be a problem.
Hehe G&G doesn't go well with Horween, they're not that keen on the fact that they need to strip down and redo the color on all hatch grain leathers as well.

A manufacturer of anything can (and will) not offer every component/material that is available from suppliers worldwide

'Museum calf' is a leather that has been antiqued and finished on the hide, taking out the risk you do have when working with (unfinished) crust leather. With crust leather, there is always the danger that certain sections might not respond to dye/finish as you hope they would, throwing up unexpected blemishes. G&G (and Edward Green) do work extensively in crust; JL(Northampton) does not use crust at all, neither does Vass.

G&G has recently employed Thomas Brunschwig (ex-Corthay) to run the Savile Row store. Thomas is an expert patiniseur (is that the right word?) and can achieve any effect desired. I believe, G&G will soon be offering a patina service on request. So they can be far more flexible to individual wishes (just like Berluti), than if they were to use 'Museum calf', or a similar product from another tannery.

Yeah it's great with Thomas, he does some beautiful work!

 

[Saratorial_Splender]

I think G&G MTO are worth the money. but if you're looking for something more unique with special handmade elements, Bestetti is absolutely the best and he is going toward a RTW model as well. But, he is the best of the current European masters. I have over 40 GG pairs and I have 6 Bestetti pairs and while I love the G&G ones, the bestetti are more special & unique.

 

[PCK1]

I think G&G MTO are worth the money. but if you're looking for something more unique with special handmade elements, Bestetti is absolutely the best and he is going toward a RTW model as well. But, he is the best of the current European masters. I have over 40 GG pairs and I have 6 Bestetti pairs and while I love the G&G ones, the bestetti are more special & unique.

Please post pics of the 40+ pairs...

Thanks!

 

[SoGent]

Please post pics of the 40+ pairs...

Thanks!

you can backtrack some of his posts to see a good many of them . . . . the man's addicted

 

[JubeiSpiegel]

I think half the pics on this thread are his...

 

[Saratorial_Splender]

See early pages approximatel 300-400. I will post some newer ones soon.

 

[Saratorial_Splender]

There is a lot of chatter that G&G is changing their business model to concentrate on RTW and less on MTM and Bespoke. Your thoughts G&G fans!

 

[JubeiSpiegel]



There is a lot of chatter that G&G is changing their business model to concentrate on RTW and less on MTM and Bespoke. Your thoughts G&G fans!

It would seem to me that RTW & Bespoke are getting refocused efforts. While MTO seems to be taking the hit.

Bespoke options are endless as far as I can tell from their tumbler, and their bigger factory is geared towards a more streamlined RTW process. MTO on the other hand had extensive policy revisions, & pricing tiers added, making it a less attractive option in comparison to the competition (I think)...

 

[j ingevaldsson]



There is a lot of chatter that G&G is changing their business model to concentrate on RTW and less on MTM and Bespoke. Your thoughts G&G fans!

Personally I don't like the new business model, mainly because I'm a wide fit and often need to go MTO with G&G. But if I'd live in London and was a standard witdh I'd be cheering, being able to jump into the store and pick out almost any pair I want directly and bring home.

Regarding bespoke I don't think they plan to cut down on that at all, just go more from MTO to RTW. The new shop also is a step in getting more bespoke customers. Plan to learn Thomas (new store manager) to take measurements, which will make it possible for "drop in bespoke orders". They do struggle however with finding good makers. Have two new apprentices in Kettering now, which hopefully will get paid of for in the future. But they do miss Shoji Kawaguchi who recently stopped working for G&G to focus on his own brand Marquess.

 

[vorkanz]

Personally I don't like the new business model, mainly because I'm a wide fit and often need to go MTO with G&G. But if I'd live in London and was a standard witdh I'd be cheering, being able to jump into the store and pick out almost any pair I want directly and bring home.

Regarding bespoke I don't think they plan to cut down on that at all, just go more from MTO to RTW. The new shop also is a step in getting more bespoke customers. Plan to learn Thomas (new store manager) to take measurements if I'm not mistaken, which will make it possible for "drop in bespoke orders". They do struggle however with finding good makers. Have two new apprentices in Kettering now, which hopefully will get paid of for in the future. But they do miss Shoji Kawaguchi who recently stopped working for G&G to focus on his own brand Marquess.

I cant agree with you more, more wider shoes to the people!

 

[mimo]

It would seem to me that RTW & Bespoke are getting refocused efforts. While MTO seems to be taking the hit.

Bespoke options are endless as far as I can tell from their tumbler, and their bigger factory is geared towards a more streamlined RTW process. MTO on the other hand had extensive policy revisions, & pricing tiers added, making it a less attractive option in comparison to the competition (I think)...

I guess that makes sense from an industrial point of view: MTO is an inefficient sales process compared to RTW, as it requires interaction between a shoemaker and the customer, just like bespoke - even if only once. There's no production line, no stock management, just a shoemaker tasked to do something specific outside planned production. So i can see why it's getting more expensive as G&G get more commercially established, but...

Personally I don't like the new business model, mainly because I'm a wide fit and often need to go MTO

I have to agree with this, for the same reason. The value proposition for a machine welted shoe, be it JLP, EG or G&G, is borderline for me even when based on fantastic materials, lasts and quality control. I actually never bought G&G because I thought the lasts would be too narrow, but I was wrong: I visited the new shop the other day while passing through London, and the "F" fitting is great, as is pretty much everything about the way the shoes look and feel. But Dean G told me there were no plans to hold wider fittings in stock for the foreseeable future, so unless Bespoke England or one of the others happen to have a suitable order in their small stock, it's MTO. At that point, I think the balance just tips too far: the MTO charge just for a correct size, add in the already top-of-the-market price and then the very expensive trees, and it just feels punitive. As is often the case, I'll keep my eyes open for a deal, but I can't quite stomach that price, even for something so lovely.

On a plus side, I also dropped in on Justin "Shoe Snob" Fitzpatrick. His range, with lasts developed in conjunction with G&G, also have nice leather, roomy fit and excellent quality control. The new chiseled last looks hot, and if you're a G&G lover looking for a more accessible alternative, these look like a serious option. Oh, cf. the "antiquing" vs patina discussion, he's got a new tie up with Alexander Nurulaeff (Dandy Shoe Care) to offer bespoke patinas on crust versions of some of his shoes.


Originally Posted by j ingevaldsson
Shoji Kawaguchi who recently stopped working for G&G to focus on his own brand Marquess.

If you haven't seen the Japanese Shoe Thread, do. As with most of his countrymen among the cordwainer community, I'm really impressed by this guy's mind-bending dedication to detail.

 

[j ingevaldsson]

On a plus side, I also dropped in on Justin "Shoe Snob" Fitzpatrick. His range, with lasts developed in conjunction with G&G, also have nice leather, roomy fit and excellent quality control. The new chiseled last looks hot, and if you're a G&G lover looking for a more accessible alternative, these look like a serious option. Oh, cf. the "antiquing" vs patina discussion, he's got a new tie up with Alexander Nurulaeff (Dandy Shoe Care) to offer bespoke patinas on crust versions of some of his shoes.

If you haven't seen the Japanese Shoe Thread, do. As with most of his countrymen among the cordwainer community, I'm really impressed by this guy's mind-bending dedication to detail.

Though J. FitzPatrick is a long way from a G&G shoe, like you say, it's a great alternative for those who look for something cheaper but like the G&G style. Reviewed a pair from J. FitzPatrick a couple of days ago on my blog, really like the shoes: http://www.shoegazing.se/2014/05/04/recension-j-fitzpatrick-fremont-maple-calf/

Regarding Marquess, yes, he truly makes some amazing work! Love the looong waists.

 

[Itsuo]

Mimo, I should be offering two G&Gs in 6.5F in the near future. One unused, one lightly used with a brand new sole.

I think J.Fitzpatrick also mentioned he would not be stocking shoes in a wide fitting.

 

[mimo]

I'm a 9, but thank you - and Justin's shoes are a little wider in standard form.

 

[chogall]



There is a lot of chatter that G&G is changing their business model to concentrate on RTW and less on MTM and Bespoke. Your thoughts G&G fans!

They moved to a new factory so they now need to jack up the volume to increase utilization, which means less customization to streamline the process and increase yield.

On the other hand, their loss if they are stopping bespoke. The offering of bespoke tier literally defined the heart and soul of G&G from other mass manufacturers.