Wrong shoe experts...

[norcaltransplant]

I called RL awhile back around Xmas to inquire about resoling some "English benchmade shoes," and here was the response:

"Dear Mr. xxx,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us and thank you for your interest in Ralph Lauren.

All of our footwear, including Purple Label, is manufactured by Ralph Lauren Footwear which is a division of Reebok. Unfortunately they do not offer any type of repair service.

If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Lisa
Product Specialist
Polo.com
1-888-767-0367"

Go figure, I always I wondered why I could dunk in my Greens, maybe I should try the RL PL wholecuts for some extra hops. Oh well, food for thought...

 

[bengal-stripe]

There is something like a political, and there is something like a true answer. Obviously Ralph Lauren Headquarters' policy is not to disclose the production sources of their stock. You would have gotten a similar answer if you had enquired about a suit: "All suits are produced by RL suits" and from Ralph Lauren's perspective it makes sense to reply like that.

The truth is Ralph Lauren does not "make" a single item, but they "manufacture" (commission) all of them. Suppliers might change from item to item and from season to season and sometimes it might take considerable effort to find out who actually has produced an older item.

Up to now Edward Green has made Ralph Lauren PL shoes, but tomorrow they might be made by someone else. Currently the other English shoes are made by C & J, but I have seen older RL models, which were made by Alfred Sargent. Some shoes are made in Italy, some in Brazil, some probably elsewhere.

You can always send the EG-made models to Green directly for refurbishment.

 

[norcaltransplant]

Is there anyway I can get my Benchmades repaired then?

 

[bengal-stripe]

Most Ralph Lauren English benchmade shoes are made by Crockett & Jones, but I believe not necessarily all of them. You could contact C & J, send a picture of the production marks and ask for a quote. But it would be quite expensive to send the shoes back and forth across the big pond. Enquire locally about a good shoe repairer. Some local people are excellent craftsmen, others will be butchers; therefore ask to see samples of their work. Another alternative is Allen-Edmonds. They repair not only their own, but also other manufacturer's shoes. You definitely can expect a good standard of workmanship there. https://www.allenedmonds.com check out: Recrafting