LONDON’S FINEST CRAFTSMEN
London’s historic pub The Punch Bowl is no longer owned by Madonna and Mr Guy Ritchie. Although Mr Ritchie gained the pub in the couple’s 2008 divorce, it was sold five years later and has now been completely refurbished. That work deliberately brought out all the beauty of the wooden beams, the rich paneling, and the history of this Grade II-listed building – a public house that has been at the centre of Mayfair life for almost 300 years.
Today, it provides an apt setting for the craftsmen that are gathered in its attic dining room. Their crafts have changed little over those same centuries. Their suits are still cut with shears from a paper pattern. Their bespoke shoes are still made on wooden lasts, chiselled into the shape of a customer’s foot. And their bespoke perfumes are created by hand mixing and sampling, each ingredient weighed in the imperial measurements of original, centuries-old recipes.
Each of the six has a passion for a traditional – but still, arguably, the best – method of dressing and adorning a man. And they have brought along items that demonstrate that tradition. Asked to bring something of sentimental value, each presents a practical piece rich in history. “We are mere custodians of our crafts,” comments bespoke tailor Mr Davide Taub. “We maintain our techniques and traditions, handing them down just like these items have been handed on to us.”
MR ADAM LAW, 34
Soft-spoken and unassuming, Mr Adam Law has become a mainstay of George Cleverley in his 10 years with the company. In that time he has sized up the great and the good: Mr Michael Caine, Prince Charles and Mr David Beckham are all customers. Mr Law creates the individual lasts and cuts the patterns for the shoes that are made from scratch in the tiny workshop directly above Cleverley’s store in Mayfair’s Royal Arcade.
DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE A SHOEMAKER?
No, after graduation my first job was at Rolls Royce, doing upholstery on the Phantom. I was stretching leather over foam and the different styles of seats. It was interesting initially but got a little repetitive, so I decided to go back to school and do a course at Cordwainer’s studying shoemaking – and do work experience at the same time. In the end I got a full-time job at Cleverley before the course finished.
ARE THERE MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CARS AND SHOES?
A few. You’re working with leather, but there isn’t the tension or force required with upholstery that you have with shoes. And it’s all quite homogenous – you don’t have the challenge of fitting different shapes of foot to a pattern and leather pieces.
WHAT PERSONAL ITEM DID YOU BRING WITH YOU?
It’s the size stick that belonged to Mr George Cleverley, the founder of the firm. It was made in 1928. I use it every day in the shop to measure the length of customers’ feet.
HOW WOULD YOU ADVISE SOMEONE BUYING THEIR FIRST PAIR OF BESPOKE SHOES?
Get something simple and elegant. Sometimes too much choice is a bad thing. Ordering a classic shoe that is handmade will always look great because of what it is, rather than how fashionable it is.