Johnston & Murphy Custom Select -- Made in the USA

[AlanC]

The Johnston & Murphy Custom Select program was linked at AAAC. Apparently they're made in Tennessee again. You pick a leather, pick a style and have it made to your size.

Does anyone know anything about it? It's good to see J&M back in the US again.

 

[JoeWoah]

Benefits of a cheap currency.

 

[vitaminc]

Quality wise how do they compare?

 

[Orsini]

Any idea of the price range?

 

[greekgeek]

I always liked some of their older US made shoes and can vouch for the comfort of their Trampoline line of shoes. It will be interesting to see if these compare to the old line quality.

 

[Manton]

Are these like those awesome handmade J&M shoes that Ken Pollock has filled his closet with? I would be interested in those ...

 

[AlanC]

^I don't think they're that awesome. I would assume they're probably AE/Alden level with the option to designate leather color.

You'll have to go deadstock to get the Handmades.

 

[gnatty8]

Good find. Some of those look very nice. Be curious to hear if anyone has any experience with these.

 

[JLibourel]

Indicative of the disdain the forum culture has for J&M that this program is only now getting noticed. It's been available for several years. As I recall, the price when I became aware of it was somewhere around $450, which still makes it appreciably more expensive than A-E and (I think) Alden, certainly way more expensive than A-E at the prices I have been accustomed to paying for them!

My sense is that, while they are probably decent-quality shoes, they are nowhere near the same quality level as the old Handmades, that I think sold for $1,000 back when a grand went a good deal further.

 

[AlanC]

^Jan, I had thought at one time that all of the J&M manufacturing had moved offshore--had it not?

 

[Tarmac]

I am not an expert on jm but I have seen many examples of aristocrafts labeled "made in the USA" from seemingly all kind if recent years on ebay. At charlotte airport I saw a line of trad oxfords which looked better quality than alden and retailed for. $375 and up. They did not look like a new line at all ie they had been sitting in display for years. I have been looking for a pair at discount to no avail.

 

[Sid]

I stopped by the J/M store in the Houston Galleria tonight. I was told $375 for the made in USA shoes, $425 for the custom.

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by AlanC

^Jan, I had thought at one time that all of the J&M manufacturing had moved offshore--had it not?

No, I am pretty sure the few surviving Aristocrafts, Crown Aristocrafts and the custom models are still American-made. The vast majority of their production is offshore, however.

 

[greekgeek]

Originally Posted by JLibourel

No, I am pretty sure the few surviving Aristocrafts, Crown Aristocrafts and the custom models are still American-made. The vast majority of their production is offshore, however.

Interesting, if true. I thought the last US factory closed up in 2002?


Side note....

I was at the J&M outlet last week and the somewhat knowledgable clerk seemed to be under the impression that they had no US factories.

I looked at the Optima and Trampoline shoes in current production. I shed a small tear at the abysmal quality and inferior leathers. Mexico and India were the sources. I was somewhat suprised, given that the early Mexican production from around 5 years ago was relatively high quality, leagues ahead of the recent garbage.

The clearance racks were pretty cool though. Interspersed with all of the recent crap were many vintage USA made aristocrafts, trampolines, and optimas (almost all were seconds). After scouring my size (10.5) all I came up with was one pair of badly faded (one shoe) kiltie slip ons. They felt great and i almost bought them as a "project" shoe. I think I could have removed the kiltie w/o scar damage but dying black would have been the only option so I left them.

Someone with a smaller foot (7.5-9.5) and a like of old J&M quality would have had a field day as their were alot in those sizes.

I ended up feeding the monkey at the AE outlet with brown smooth mora and brown/bone mcclains. Not bad at $157.50 ea. for firsts

 

[Orsini]

Originally Posted by greekgeek

...I was at the J&M outlet...
Could you tell us where that is located?