By order
Full grain leather or suede? Rose gold, palladium, or anthracite buckles? A welted or non-welted sole? Customising a pair of made-to-measure shoes can be a tricky experience, but when it comes to John Lobb’s By Request service, you’ll find yourself revelling in the freedom it allows with its incredible array of options. The Hermes-owned company prides itself on its rich heritage, which stretches back to its foundation in London in 1866, along with its 190-step manufacturing process for each pair of shoes, which ensures the exceptional quality of its footwear.
Stepping up to answer the growing demands of sartorialists across the world, their By Request service offers customers the opportunity to create their own pair of handmade John Lobb shoes or boots, tailored to their unique preferences and personal style. (By Request is available locally at WJ & Co. in Bangsar Shopping Centre, with non-welted models starting at RM2,800 and welted models starting at RM6,200.) Although the brand is renowned for its oxford, derby, buckle, and boot styles, the service also extends to loafers and sneakers, proving that made-to-measure shoes aren’t the sole territory of formal footwear.
Nicholas Holt, John Lobb’s Regional Director for Asia Pacific, and Wen Yeunh, Co-Founder of WJ & Co. – both well-shod men – agree that the brand’s ability to craft such a wide range of shoes has strengthened its appeal in Asia. “Our customers here are incredibly discerning. With the flexibility we now have in terms of offering personalisation, people want something different – a shoe that’s unique to them,” says Holt. Their Levah sneaker, which Holt himself sports, has proven to be one of their bestselling styles, given that you can choose amongst a huge variety of leathers, skins, and colours, right down to the laces, eyelets, and monogramming.
“I think that’s what John Lobb does extremely well,” Yeunh adds. “They’re able to craft a range of styles, from strong welted shoes with a very traditional spine to the non-welted shoes that work really well too.” With an archive of over 100 original designs to look through, sweeping from iconic classics to contemporary iterations, perhaps the most pertinent question is whether just one pair is enough. (And, given that it takes up to three months for non-welted models and up to six months for welted models to be completed at their Northampton workshop, why stop at one?)
“It can be quite addictive!” Holt warns. “Within a set perimeter, there are thousands of different options that you can have in our By Request service, and you can call upon the many styles that aren’t in our Ready-to-Wear collection.” As for his own personal recommendation, he selects the welted Marldon model: “This is a one-piece construction with a single seam at the back. I just love the simplicity and the shape of the shoe – it’s very clean, and you can order this in some absolutely beautiful leathers.”
