An in depth look at the design process with Yohei Fukuda, through to prototyping and manufacturing in Northampton.
The goal of The Armoury Shoe Collection was to produce a new line of shoes that was uniquely ours. We partnered with a master of English shoemaking, Yohei Fukuda. Fukuda-san trained and developed his skills under the tutelage of great English shoemakers: John Lobb, Gaziano & Girling and Cleverley.
We realised that in order to arrive at something truly unique we would need to design every aspect of the shoe, including the last, completely from scratch.
Fukuda-san carved the wooden forms as if he were making bespoke lasts, slowly refining them into prototypes. Once the shape is finalized, the lasts are size graded and duplicated in fibreglass for factory production.
Our Hajime 始め last is inspired by the Japanese word for ‘beginning’. The last features our signature soft chisel toe, a low, sleek profile, and a wider forefoot.
The inspiration for this shape was mid-century race cars with their low-slung silhouette and sweeping lines which in this instance, lead back to the shoe’s quarters. To compensate for the shallower profile, Fukuda-san widened the ball of the foot to ensure comfort.
Jiro 次郎 translates to 'second son’, as it was the second last that we developed with Fukuda-san. It was designed as a loafer last featuring a soft almond toe and slightly tighter heel than our Hajime last. We also added more space in the toe box and forefoot. Shoes made on the Jiro last are especially comfortable for people who have fallen arches, pronate a little or have wider toes with a thin heel.
The uppers give shoes their distinctive character and were equally as diligently designed as the lasts. Here it is easiest to see the result of our intention to develop a classic range of shoes with an excellent silhouette and subtle detailing.
We designed, made, deconstructed and remade numerous prototypes before arriving at the final designs.
Our first release in 2017 was a tightly edited line of classic town Oxfords: a captoe, a semi-brogue, and a wingtip.
We then spent the next 3 years prototyping our further releases. No detail was left to chance. We spent hours balancing the proportions of a split-toe, refining the stitching and adjusting the welt to perfection. We're immensely proud of the end result.
Northampton is the home of English shoemaking. We partnered with a century old factory with generations of family-run experience. Their skills allowed us to create a hardwearing shoe in our unique, bespoke led style.
In the uncompromising search for quality all of our shoes are goodyear welted, feature a wooden shank, are fully lined and made with premium calf leather or suede. They offer exceptional value, especially when well maintained.
The efforts in manufacturing are undermined without sourcing excellent raw materials. We focus on finding hides that are soft enough to minimise the breaking in period but durable enough to withstand years of use. These leathers are hand cut in Northampton by ‘clickers’, a term for the people in charge of inspecting and cutting leather.
An essential part of quality shoe making, the welt is a strip of leather that runs along the perimeter of a shoe outsole. This strip acts as a middle-man between the upper of the shoe and the sole, allowing for shoes to be resoled several times without damaging the upper.
Hot cork is used to fill the void between the outsole and insole. This provides a soft cushion for your foot and helps the shoe form to your foot shape over time.
The use of a wooden shank provides arch support whilst maintaining pliability.
The heel is built up using multiple layers of leather which are stacked and nailed one on top of the other. This process is time consuming but produces a longer wearing heel with the ability to replace individual layers when they are worn through.
The Armoury Shoe Collection has grown to cater for every style preference and occasion. Here we explain the details that make them all unique.
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