John Lobb vs Crockett & Jones vs Edward Green

[navysuede]

Herme's owns Lobb and they are not going anywhere..Prada owns Church and they are not going anywhere.As for outsourcing to India,,I know that alot of uppers are now crafted there then
sent back to be made into footwear..Loake being the major player in that arena..What of R.Tricker
Company??

 

[navysuede]

About the leather..Almost all the finest shoes will be made of calfskin.The best has been coming
from France, Germany and Italy.Note;Hermes owns a French Tannery(Gordon Choisy) which
is often tasked to make some incredible leathers for Hermes bags and John Lobb shoes.Just a little info for the Forum..

 

[Milgauss]

Thanks for all the responses, guys. I think I will check out the C&J handgrade for my next pair - they have a great choice and I might try the 337 last this time....maybe something like the Stanley.

My only impressions so far after having inspected a shoe from each of the brands is that the Lobb leather seems softer and more pliable than the others. Unfortunately, because of my very small shoe size it is near impossible to find my size in the store or the factory (UK 5 1/2) in the model I want.

Thanks again

 

[Harrydog]

To some extent the choice is between Lobb Museum calf and the EG crust leathers.

Then one moves to styles and last. Both EG and Lobb have some very appealing models. I agree with the criticism of the more trendy Lobb styles, but you still have the Philip II for a great classic captoe or the Sutton for a little more modern styling.

So...I guess I am saying I have found shoes in both catalogs I like...

The Sutton in chestnut or the Beaulieu in burgundy on the 82 last...these are among my favorite shoes.

 

[whnay.]

C&J Paris is really nice. Indifferent about EG vs JL because I like them both.

 

[Amar ezzahi]

I would prefer JL for the leather and EG for the lasts.

 

[von Rothbart]

Originally Posted by RJmanbearpig

Bengal, perfectly put.

And yet Lobb will outlast Green, since it has Hermes' money behind it, a better retail presence and higher profile, and flashier designs and PR.

Get your Green while you can. I am the Cassandra of quality brands the way Manton is with respect to nculear peril.

I am cautiously optimistic. EG has a huge following in Japan, the current strength of yen against the sterling should help. RL is still a big customer.

 

[Robwynge]

I own none of the three, so takethis for what it's worth...

Based on pictures posted on this very forum, I have seen shoes from all brands look pretty creased and worn. In fact, some of the worse creasing I have seen was on a Gaziano & Girling, so the shoe could not have been more than a year or so. Point being: you should get the shoe the fits the best and meets your style preferences. Once worn, I suspect the differences in workmanship and leather quality will produce fairly marginal performance differences, so only pay the premium for EG or JL if they meet the criteria above or if you have money to burn and want to try out shoes from the brands with the best reputations.

 

[yace]

What's the difference between John Lobb Paris and John Lobb St. James?

 

[Leather man]

I don't agree with the C&J shop. I have C&J handgrade, benchgrade and lots of Edward Green. Whilst C&J Handgrade leather is lovely it is not as lovely as EG leather.

Comfort - a day of wearing C&J - feet not as happy as a day of wearing EG. Sometimes the quality is in the hidden things. Its not last shape - the handgrades on 337 last fit me well as long as there are no seams ( ie monks, boot and wholecut).

Choice - very little choice regarding width and colour with C&J. I do not understand shoemakers who say " you can have any fit as long as its "E"! - That's UK " by the way.

I have no experience with John Lobb apart from seeing lovely pictures!

FWIW John Lobb Paris is ready to wear and John Lobb St James is now a separate company and is bespoke. - for benefit of the previous poster.

 

[Leather man]

Originally Posted by von Rothbart

Do you hear any rumor that EG may be in trouble?

In all fairness to Lobb, there are still plenty of very nice newer models - Vale, Chapel, William II, 2006, 2007, 2004, Luffield, Towcester.... and they are still making the classics like Philip II, Jermyn II, City, Chambord....


Not in trouble at all! Shop tell me they are unbelievably busy due to Japanese and Continental tourists with a few American cousins thrown in! I think weak pound is helping here. Its mainly the home market thats tanked but that happened a long time ago when the British decided it was a virtue to dress as if we'd just left the gym!

 

[sartort]

rtw vs bespoke. Lobb Paris bought the rights to use the name for rtw from Lobb St. James.

I own all 3 and they are each great in their own regard. CJ is probably the best value. But my favorite last is EG's 888 and EG probably wins my favorite all around. It also fits my foot the best. I got my Lobbs because I feel they make the finest double monk, the Chapel.

When I wear any of them, I am not thinking to myself about how fine or not fine the waist treatment is. About the only comparitive quality I do notice aesthetically is how much I enjoy EG's tightly trimmed welts.

My advice, browse the shoe damage thread and shoe pictorial index and find examples that you find appealing and go from there.

 

[Golf_Nerd]

Originally Posted by Robwynge

... In fact, some of the worse creasing I have seen was on a Gaziano & Girling, ...

But back to John Lobb vs Crockett & Jones vs Edward Green

 

[Moss]

C&J is a great value, especially from Plal and Pediwear. Some EG shoes are hard to match with equivalent C&Js and the 82 last does not have a good counterpart at C&J. John Lobb is altogether different in terms of styling.

 

[puffdaddy]

I think there's enough value in the Edward Green brand that even if trouble ever arose, someone would be there to buy the company.

That said, after talking with several non-UK shoemakers about EG, it seems the general concensus is that the company does too much MTO to really be a financial success. Whether this is true or not is subject to opinions probably much better informed than my own. The logic goes that shoemkers at the plant hate the hassle of having to deal with "one-offs" and that the process is generally ineffcient by nature.

To me, the biggest risk is not EG's survival, but rather that a larger entity with an international retail presense could come in and significantly alter the model.

Theoretically you could see a larger "in stock" selection, but with MTO prices that are significantly higher and significantly fewer options.

If I was Polo RL and wanted to buy EG, I'd stock:

2 boots (Shannon, chelsea)
2 loafers (sloane, belgravia)
4 bals (plain cap toe, semi brogue, full brogue, wholecut with toe medallion)
2 derbies (Dover and something like the Holborn)

. . . in black and a brown (depending on the model), with the odd suede or burgundy thrown in.

I'd eliminate 60% of the MTO options and charge $2500 per pair for MTO.

Of course, I'd hate to see this happen . . .