A Very, Very Unusual Month
I scratched my head a lot while writing the July 2020 Version of my Monthly Welted Shoe News Article. I looked and looked for new exciting things but it seems everyone is in vacation mode. However what really baffled me was the amount of scams and rude responses around the shoe world.
Therefore some of the topics of today will be New Releases, GMTOs and Septieme Largeur’s New Website. On the other edge we have a new batch of Asian Scammers and a shocking response from George Cleverly’s Instagram.
Let’s get going and grab some popcorn this time.
The Noble Shoe New GMTO’s & Arrivals
Keeping it very quick and tidy with my own news from The Noble Shoe first.
I got a lot of new exciting arrivals during the month of July with much more coming in the next few weeks. Let’s begin with the arrivals and updates!
Tip: Don’t forget to use the code FIRST5 for 5% off your first purchase!
Arrivals, Restocks & Pre-Orders
Check out what came in July:
- Carlos Santos Wingtip Derby in Guimaraes
- Paolo Scafora Collection
- Carlos Santos Tassel Loafers in Suede (& coming next week in Guimaraes)
- Carlos Santos Field Boot in Suede/Calf
Not only that since a lot of Pre-Orders arrive this week including:
- Carlos Santos Handgrade Austerity Brogues in Guimaraes
- Carlos Santos Handgrade Adelaide in Wine Shadow
Current GMTOs
As for the running Group Made to Orders, they were largely successful and active until the 15th of August! Check them all out in the Crowdfunder Page here.
- Carlos Santos Adelaide in Algarve: A classic but more affordable version of the popular Adelaide for just 299$
- Carlos Santos Handgrade V Front Derby in Patina: A unique model recommended by Hugo Jacomet himself in Petro/Bordo Shadow for 399$
- Paolo Scafora Norwegian Adelaide in Vietri Calf: The cream of the crop, a fully handmade Italian marvel with Norwegian Stitching for $1359
Thank you everyone! Onward!
Septieme Largeur & Carlos Santos New Website
I talked about this before and it certainly took longer than expected but here it is! Septieme Largeur launched their beta version of the new website and it is a massive improvement over the original. Of course, they are ironing out bugs and optimizing speed and performance.
One gripe I had with the Official Carlos Santos Website was how slow it was. However in a surprise move they finally updated it and it also looks much better. In a very interesting move they also began giving names to each shoe model. For example the classic 8866 Jumper Boot has now the codename Stallone. I won’t be using these names yet but I did chuckle with Sly Stallone!
The website looks and feels MUCH better and professional. A great job especially since it was down for maintenance for only a few days!
Shocking George Cleverly
One of the biggest shocks of the month for me was a recent Styleforum Post which I highly recommend reading (Start Here). It records the conversation between what seems to be Glasgow Jr. (one of the current owner) and Tom.
Tom did the mistake of asking if Anthony Cleverly shoes are Hand-Welted or not and a comical exchange of rude posh comments ensues. He goes on to rave about celebrities and how “poor” Tom is not ready to own George Cleverly.
Now, while the account could be subject to hacking, many went on to share their terrible experience with GC and Glasgow Jr.’s horrible attitude. Many exposed how subpar their shoes are including the Bespoke department and no matter what they are a brand I will never support. With this attitude, they won’t be around and rumor has it they are going bankrupt.
If you have bad experiences or this shocks you, please consider sharing this so they may get their act together.
Disclaimer: Whoever was typing this had very bad grammar or didn’t bother so take it with a grain of salt!
Watch Out For Scammers!
Not so long ago I warned everyone about emerging scammers from Asian countries. They steal pictures from famous shoemakers, re-brand them as their own and slap a tiny discounted price. Then they steal your money or sent you a caricature of a shoe laughing all the way to the bank.
A new kid on the block is a Chinese Scam Site called OureDeals. In a shocking, blatant way they took pictures of Yohei Fukuda among others, edited the logo out with Photoshop and began selling it. They didn’t even bother to Photoshop the Fukuda logo on the left!
What is even more hilarious is that they have a page dedicated to intellectual property rights for complaints. Big thanks to @thatguysshoes for letting me know!
I encourage you all to share this post and if you can spare the time report them to Shopify. The fact that everyone can open their own Shopify Store in a Free Trial for a few weeks means that they can do this all the time.
So be vigilant and NEVER buy from disreputable sources and sites that claim magic. At least search for reviews and comments on social media!!!
Is there another scammer we are unaware about? Leave a comment or Email Me.
Shoegazing Trunk Show 2020
A small update worth mentioning is the upcoming Stockholm & London Shoegazing Trunk Shows. The are supposed to take place in September and October but with the current pandemic restrictions it does look unlikely to happen, especially with the limits of 50 people in a room.
I expect Jesper and Justin to issue formal updates in August about it so don’t take this as a fact yet!
Crockett & Jones New Driving Shoes
I am not a fun of driving moccasins and recently Carmina decided to drop their own line. Crockett & Jones though launched their Refreshed Range of Moccasins in a delightfully tasteful artistic manner.
They used classic British motoring like Lotus to promote them and it really shows. However the price is $350 which is how much a good welted shoe usually costs. Still, go ahead and marvel at the pictures!
A Strange Month Indeed…
That was it everyone! The July Edition was possibly the strangest Welted Shoe News Article so far but 2020 is already a crazy year! I wonder what we have in store ahead of us! However it can serve as a great reminder to be vigilant and aware when shopping over the internet!
Don’t forget to share these vital news and Subscribe if you found this useful! I will see you next week with a very helpful Guide by Pure Polish Products on how to shine your shoes!
Thank you for reading,
Kostas Mandilaris,
Misiu Academy
Good news indeed Kostas. Thank you very much and I had an experience with Herring Shoes or a scammer.
Hey George,
Herring is a rather reputable shop and much of their own line is actually made by Carlos santos. What happened if you don’t mind sharing?