John Lobb Bootmaker is a company that manufactures and retails a

luxury Luxury may refer to: *Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises *Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars **Luxury tax (sports), surcharge put ...

brand of

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...

s and

boots A boot is a type of footwear. Boot or Boots may also refer to: Businesses * Boot Inn, Chester, Cheshire, England * Boots (company), a high-street pharmacy chain and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom * The Boot, Cromer Stre ...

, mainly for men but also for women.

Leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...

goods such as wallets and belts are also available. Founded by

John Lobb John Lobb (27 December 1829 – 17 January 1895) was an English shoemaker and the founder of the company John Lobb Bootmaker. He founded his first successful company making boots for gold diggers in Australia. Early life John Lobb was born in Tywar ...

(1829–95), John Lobb Bootmaker has been in business since 1849 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and circa 1900 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Gov.uk, National archives
/ref> John Lobb's son William took over the business and after he died in 1916 the business was led by

Betsy Lobb Betsy Lobb (15 November 1868 – 9 December 1956) was the owner and managing director of John Lobb Bootmaker a royal warranted maker of bespoke boots and shoes in London and Paris. Life Lobb was born on Forder farm in South Brent in Devon in 1 ...

. The original London bespoke workshop at 9

St James's Street St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centur ...

remains family-owned and continues to operate independently (as John Lobb Limited). In 1976, the John Lobb Paris shop was acquired by the

Hermès Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès ( , ), is a French luxury design house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Its logo, since ...

Group, which has developed the John Lobb ready-to-wear shoe brand around the world. The two companies continue to maintain their bespoke shoe-making tradition, with the original Lobb family workshop in London and the Hermès owned workshop in Paris.

History

opened a shop in London in 1866 and produced footwear for European royalty. John died in 1895 but by then his son William had taken over the business. Unusually they did not mechanise like their competitors but stuck to craft techniques. Following the success of the London base, William opened a shop in Paris in 1901 and another (unprofitable) shop in Regent Street, London in 1904. In 1901 William Lobb married Betsy Smerdon and after the marriage they went on a

grand tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

. William died in 1916 and it was Betsy who saved the business. In 1976, Hermès was allowed to use the "John Lobb" name. Only about 100 pairs of ready-to-wear shoes are finished per day. The original, family-owned John Lobb firm still produces handmade shoes one pair at a time. Until the 1980s, John Lobb operated only custom-made activity in London and in Paris. From 1982 onwards, the ready-to-wear activity has complemented the made to measure, and distribution has expanded. The London company was the subject of a 1945

British Pathé British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

film, ''Shoes for the Famous'', and an episode of the June 2016

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

documentary series, ''Handmade: By Royal Appointment''.

Present operations

In 1976, John Lobb Paris became part of the Hermès Group. The London bespoke workshop, John Lobb Limited, remains in the hands of the family and operates independently from its premises at 9 St James's Street. The ready-to-wear collection debuted in 1982, and the first store showcasing the line opened in 1990 in

. In June 2014, the Hermès Group announced the appointment of Paula Gerbase as John Lobb's first ever Artistic Director. The New York Times, Matthew Schneier: ''John Lobb Spruces Up Its Classic Footwear'', 13 novembre 2014
/ref>

Gallery

File:Royal warrants of John Lobb, bespoke shoe and bootmaker, 88 Jermyn Street, London (2).jpg, Royal Warrants of John Lobb, bespoke shoe and bootmaker, London File:Lobb bootmakers London.JPG, Storefront and workplace of John Lobb, London File:Shop_interior_of_John_Lobb,_bespoke_shoe_and_bootmaker,_88_Jermyn_Street,_London.jpg, Shop interior of John Lobb, London File:Display_of_boots_at_John_Lobb,_bespoke_shoe_and_bootmaker,_88_Jermyn_Street,_London.jpg, Boots from John Lobb, London File:Workplace_of_John_Lobb,_bespoke_shoe_and_bootmaker,_88_Jermyn_Street,_London.jpg, Workplace of John Lobb, London File:Display of men's shoes at John Lobb, bespoke shoe and bootmaker, 88 Jermyn Street, London (2).jpg, Display of shoes at John Lobb, London File:Shoemaker working at John Lobb, bespoke shoe and bootmaker, 88 Jermyn Street, London.jpg, Shoemaker at work, John Lobb, London File:Selection_of_leather_swatches_at_John_Lobb,_bespoke_shoe_and_bootmaker,_88_Jermyn_Street,_London.jpg, Selection of leather swatches at John Lobb, London File:Shoe lasts of Queen Victoria from 1898 at John Lobb, bespoke shoe and bootmaker, 88 Jermyn Street, London.jpg, Shoe lasts of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

References

External links

John Lobb Limited
(at 9 St James's Street, London)
John Lobb SAS
(part of the

Group) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lobb Ltd, John Shoemakers Shops in London Shoe brands Shoe companies of the United Kingdom Manufacturing companies established in 1849 Retail companies established in 1849 1849 establishments in England British Royal Warrant holders Comité Colbert members English brands Luxury brands