Alfred Sargent

rabiesinfrance · Jun 9, 2011

I'm looking at what's out there and AS seem to have pretty much gone - Pediwear seems to be winding down their stock (lots of bargains to be had), and other retailers seem to have ditched their shoes. Naturally, this makes me nervous about buying anything - issues about quality, perhaps?

asdf · Jun 9, 2011

Originally Posted by rabiesinfrance

I'm looking at what's out there and AS seem to have pretty much gone - Pediwear seems to be winding down their stock (lots of bargains to be had), and other retailers seem to have ditched their shoes. Naturally, this makes me nervous about buying anything - issues about quality, perhaps?

Kinda the opposite: they are focusing upwards on the quality spectrum with their "exclusive" and "handgrade" ranges. It's a shame, really, because I thought their premier line was just about the right balance of quality and price.

kraftar · Jun 9, 2011

I believe they're launching a new range of shoes in September so maybe they're clearing out the old stock to make room for the new stuff. Can't say anything about the quality as I don't own any.

sinnedk · Jun 9, 2011

Well AS is mostly focusing on handgrade shoes, very high end, however, richard the shoehealer has quiet a few, he orders mostly the country line, check https://www.shoehealer.co.uk/ also i have a pair in the fs thread cuz im trying to get something else, see below

rabiesinfrance · Jun 9, 2011

I'm interested in their country zugs - difficult to find leather type. I think Sargent have the reputation, like Tricker's, for making decent country footwear. Nice solid stuff. Personally, that's the only line I'd look at, and the price can be very variable - pitched upper Â£200s in some cases. I'm reluctant to try Tricker's as their brown zug is 'slightly oiled' - can be difficult to maintain. If they don't look right, then I'll return.

It does concern me that the rats appears to be leaving a sinking ship!

countbaron · Jun 9, 2011

I dont know about rats or ships

I know I was told by someone at a social gathering that this brand was a reputable high end brand. I have usually relied on my wife for shoe buying - she knew my baseline requirements simple as they were, i.e., that they must have laces and be black or brown , but that was it

for several reasons I now want to make my own decisions and when I googled this name and I got what I described in my original thread- which was not much

my question to this forum -which is google's favourite- is very simple : is this brand worth it for high end shoes or should I go look somewhere else?

No bull please,
I have enough troubles

countbaron · Jun 9, 2011

And yes, I did create a new ID in this forum because I was afraid asking these questions would jeopardise my attempt to sell shoes here, which i simply bought in a Northampton factory shops- marriage breakup and all

I don’t know where Alfred and sergent sell shoes but I was hoping to buy some here in the UK.

As it stands god knows where these shoes are made/can be bought at a factory outlet

Sorry for all the context- but it has been a difficult few months

JamesX · Jun 9, 2011

A&S have been retooling since last year. Their shoes vary greatly in quality depending on which line you go after.

AFAIK I have not heard anything about them going out of business.

sinnedk · Jun 9, 2011

Originally Posted by sam_of_sung

it seems my original post has been hijacked despite the fact that no one replied to it I was honestly looking at Alfred and Sargent shoes when i posted my question yesterday I dont know how things work here, but my question still stands: is Alfred and Sargent a viable concern or not? I dont care about point scoring

what is Alfred and Sargent? and whats your question? viable concern?

Originally Posted by rabiesinfrance

I'm interested in their country zugs - difficult to find leather type. I think Sargent have the reputation, like Tricker's, for making decent country footwear. Nice solid stuff. Personally, that's the only line I'd look at, and the price can be very variable - pitched upper Â£200s in some cases. I'm reluctant to try Tricker's as their brown zug is 'slightly oiled' - can be difficult to maintain. If they don't look right, then I'll return. It does concern me that the rats appears to be leaving a sinking ship!

I gave you a link where you can get AS country line in the previous post
Trickers are great and good quality shoes, i highly recommend

Originally Posted by countbaron

I dont know about rats or ships
I know I was told by someone at a social gathering that this brand was a reputable high end brand. I have usually relied on my wife for shoe buying - she knew my baseline requirements simple as they were, i.e., that they must have laces and be black or brown , but that was it
for several reasons I now want to make my own decisions and when I googled this name and I got what I described in my original thread- which was not much my question to this forum -which is google's favourite- is very simple : is this brand worth it for high end shoes or should I go look somewhere else? No bull please, I have enough troubles

AS is good high end shoes, look into EG, Lobb, G&G, Rider Boot co, basically go to www.leffot.com to find what you want in high end

Quadcammer · Jun 9, 2011

very pleased with my AS premier chathams

asdf · Jun 9, 2011

afinepairofshoes.com has a bunch of their shoes also

blakewho · Jun 10, 2011

Alfred Sargent are a long-standing maker of good quality shoes. They had some financial difficulties a couple of years ago but have now altered their business model to move away from the Loake/Cheaney/low end Grenson area and concentrate more on handgrade shoes of the same sort of quality as Edward Green, or perhaps even better. There are lots of examples on this forum and elsewhere on the net of the work they are doing now and speaking to people in the trade they are creating some beautiful shoes. It looks like this move into a higher quality and price bracket could be a success for them.

The old AS models may not be around too much longer. But they were always well made and good value for money. If you're thinking of pulling the trigger on a pair then go for it. I have four pairs myself and they are all among my favourite shoes.

Don Carlos · Jun 10, 2011

Originally Posted by sam_of_sung

is Alfred and Sargent a viable concern or not?

Yes.

They are not going out of business. They are simply discontinuing a lot of the lines presently in the market in preparation for an upmarket relaunch toward the end of the year. Retailers carrying inventory of their current lines are probably just clearing out existing stock. Frankly, this makes for sme great deals right now. A lot of the soon-to-be-discontinued lines are great, and especially attractive at such deep discounts.

dasai · Jun 10, 2011

Last week here in Japan, I saw a punch-cap oxford, called the "Rush", which I quite liked. I wonder if it's a discontinued model, a yet-to-be-officially-announced model, or something Japan-exclusive.

Leather man · Jun 10, 2011

It is correct that Bodileys of Northampton and Pediwear have abandoned AS. I suspect the main reason is AS move up market - and for Bodileys the natural replacement has been Cheaney. Pediwear also appear to be abandoning Cheaney.

Two people in the retail sector have told me that AS are still not in the clear yet financially - does this mean their future is uncertain? - only AS are in a position to know that - and if they were still in trouble they would not admit it of course - nor would I expect them to.

The fact that their website is "offline" until September does not inspire confidence either - although the reason given is they are re-developing it - and without any other evidence we must assume that the given reason is correct.

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