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John Lobb vs. John Lobb

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constantmystery

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I seem to recall in one of Flusser's books a comparison of John Lobb Paris and John Lobb London and the relative quality of the shoes.
I recall he came down on the side of the Paris manufacturer...didn't he?

Anyway, I purchased some Lobbs from Hermes some years back and although they no longer have that franchise, who ended up with it besides,NM and Wilkes Bashford on the west coast?
Any discussion of the two Lobbs would be appreciated
thanks
 
#2 ·
London is bespoke only. Hermes acquired the Paris branch from the Lobb family in 1974 and used it to launch the RTW brand. Hermes still owns the brand, but today largely sells the shoes out of freestanding Lobb shops and not Hermes stores.

Flusser's comments concerned only the relative merits of the London v. the Paris bespoke product. I agree with his assessment.
 
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#3 ·
so all the Lobb in NM and the Hermes stamped Lobb in Hermes stores are all Hermes owned?

i thought Hermes only owned the Paris division of Lobb and thus stamped them Hermes.
and the NM Lobb were still the original John Lobb? or am i confused?
 
#4 ·
Brian13 said:
so all the Lobb in NM and the Hermes stamped Lobb in Hermes stores are all Hermes owned?

i thought Hermes only owned the Paris division of Lobb and thus stamped them Hermes.
and the NM Lobb were still the original John Lobb? or am i confused?
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Yes, Hermes owns the John Lobb RTW brand and all the freestanding John Lobb stores except the St. James, London, shop, which is still owned by the Lobb family and which only makes bespoke shoes. Any Lobb RTW shoe is made by a sub-division of Hermes.
 
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#5 ·
"Original" John Lobb (i.e., Lobb St. James, or Lobb of London) doesn't make RTW for Neiman Marcus or anyone else. If you bought it in a store, it's Lobb of Paris (even though it might be made in England).
 
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#6 · (Edited)
The Neiman Marcus John Lobbs are made by John Lobb (Paris) in a former Edward Green factory in Northampton. As manton notes, the "original" John Lobb (St. James's) does not make any ready-to-wear shoes.

Misunderstandings about this are rather common. First, the names are the same. Second, they share a long history. Third, John Lobb Paris makes shoes in the UK and has a shop in London. Here's the simple distinction. All John Lobb ready-to-wear shoes are made by (what we term) John Lobb Paris (www.johnlobb.com, which is owned by Hermes) and which manufactures most of its footwear in a factory in Northampton, England. The other John Lobb (the one we term John Lobb St. James's www.johnlobbltd.co.uk) only makes bespoke shoes, which it calls "made-to-measure." Both John Lobbs make footwear -- whether it be bespoke or ready-to-wear -- of the highest quality.
 
#8 ·
The original firm was founded by John Lobb in 18somethingorother. Like a lot of the top bespoke makers in London, the family founded a Paris branch, I believe before WWI. (Poole and H&K would be examples of other West End firms that had Paris branches; Poole's closed in 1940). The two Lobb shops made only bespoke shoes. The Lobb family owned both shops until 1974, when they sold the Paris branch to Hermes. Hermes also aquired the rights to use the John Lobb name as a RTW shoe brand. Hermes spent a long time -- more than ten years -- developing the RTW lasts and line before launching the brand.

The London shop on St. James Street is still owned by the Lobb family, and only makes bespoke shoes. Every other John Lobb shop (including the one I remember being on Conduit Street; is it gone?) is owned by Hermes and sells the Lobb Paris RTW shoes. The Paris branch also makes bespoke shoes, and does trunk shows in the various Lobb RTW shops. Lobb St. James travels to the US and takes orders in hotel suits, much like the travelling Savile Row taiors.
 
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#9 ·
manton said:
The original firm was founded by John Lobb in 18somethingorother.
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I believe he first set up shop in Sydney around 1858. He began sending shoes to England in 1862 and eventually made his way to London to set up his firm a few years thereafter.

Like a lot of the top bespoke makers in London, the family founded a Paris branch, I believe before WWI. (Poole and H&K would be examples of other West End firms that had Paris branches; Poole's closed in 1940). The two Lobb shops made only bespoke shoes.
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I believe the Paris branch dates back to 1901.

The Lobb family owned both shops until 1974, when they sold the Paris branch to Hermes. Hermes also aquired the rights to use the John Lobb name as a RTW shoe brand. Hermes spent a long time -- more than ten years -- developing the RTW lasts and line before launching the brand.
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I'm not sure the sale was finally consummated until shortly thereafter and there is some evidence that John Lobb St. James's continued to receive a royalty on shoes sold after that.

The London shop on St. James Street is still owned by the Lobb family, and only makes bespoke shoes. Every other John Lobb shop (including the one I remember being on Conduit Street; is it gone?) is owned by Hermes and sells the Lobb Paris RTW shoes.
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One now finds it on Jermyn Street, I believe.

The Paris branch also makes bespoke shoes, and does trunk shows in the various Lobb RTW shops. Lobb St. James travels to the US and takes orders in hotel suits, much like the travelling Savile Row taiors.
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So many choices; so little time and money. :(
 
#10 ·
Sydney? I have read the little vanity book. I thought he was from Cornwall ...

I wouldn't be surprised if they received a royalty still. It's a very valuable brand name -- too valuable to sell the rights outright, one would think.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
Your recollection is correct. There is that wonderful story of how he walked the 200 miles from his home in Corwall to London. But while Lobb trained as a bootmaker in England, he subsequently went to Australia to try to make his fortune among the gold fields. He was unsuccessful in that endeavour but began designing boots for prospectors. The rest, as they say, is history.
 
#12 ·
medwards said:
My recollection is that after training as a bootmaker in England, John Lobb went to Australia to try to make his fortune mining gold. He was unsuccessfu in that endeavour but began designing boots for miners. The rest, as they say, is history.
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Ah, now that you mention it, it's coming back to me ... Wasn't he also missing a foot? Or something?
 
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#13 · (Edited)
Yes, an accident at age 12 left him with a crippled leg. By the way, his first London shop was opened in 1866 at 296 Regent Street. One remarkable aspect to this story is that when he opened this shop, he had already won a medal at the London Exposition of 1862 for his bootmaking and had landed a Royal warrant in 1863..despite the fact he was half-way round the world at the time...a tribute to his skill, audacity, and ingenuity.
 
#15 ·
manton said:
Sydney? I have read the little vanity book. I thought he was from Cornwall ...

I wouldn't be surprised if they received a royalty still. It's a very valuable brand name -- too valuable to sell the rights outright, one would think.
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Oh yes there is indeed an Aussie connection:

John Lobb trained as a bootmaker in London before moving to Australia to try his luck in the goldfields. He never found his fortune in gold but instead came up with the brainwave of making hollow heeled boots for prospectors to hide their gold. The idea caught on and John Lobb set himself up in business in Sydney in 1858. When the Great Exhibition came along in 1862 he sent a pair of his boots along and won a gold medal for their quality. Twelve months later he sent a pair of his riding boots to the Prince of Wales and was awarded a Royal Warrant. He returned to London and established a business " John Lobb, Bootmaker" which continues to trade as the world's most famous bespoke shoemaking establishment.

Quoted from:
 
#16 ·
medwards said:
I'm not sure the sale was finally consummated until shortly thereafter and there is some evidence that John Lobb St. James's continued to receive a royalty on shoes sold after that.
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I suspect that your source for this evidence may be the same as mine. Regardless, it makes sense, especially in light of the fact that some of the original RTW models were based on bespoke models that Lobb is well-known for (the William, for example). If the Lobb family isn't getting royalties from Hermes, they should fire their solicitors.
 
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