The Churchill II

Very few upstanding shoemakers can rival the story behind George Cleverley’s iconic model, the ‘Churchill’. In the midst of The Blitz during World War Two, Winston Churchill, an ardent fan of George Cleverley bespoke, required a well made dress shoe which he didn’t have to reach down and tie whilst he frantically worked out of his underground bunker, now known as The Churchill War Rooms. (You can easily imagine the burly man grumbling with dissatisfaction at the notion of having to tie his own shoelace…). So the innovative craftsmen at George Cleverley developed what would later be known as the Churchill.

A full brogue with an acute chiseled toe, Cleverley’s Churchill has imitation laces — strips of leather sewn in place to appear perfectly tied. Covered elastic sides, which sit below the ankle at a 45 degree angle, allow one’s foot to slide in an out with ease, and result in a practical, comfortable and classical shoe. The idea of imitation laces and elastic sides has now been used by many other great shoemakers, but, George Cleverley created it, and the Churchill has never been more popular than today. We decided to introduce the “Churchill II” in mid-2018 to reflect modern times. The “Churchill II” features the imitation laces, covered elastics sides but with a lot less broguing!

Word by Benedict Browne

Photography by Justin Hast