To follow on the navy casuals entirely made of crocodile featured in BSTW few weeks ago we selected a very slim and sharp pair of single monks. Much lighter in the look than a double monk this style brings a very close fit all over the foot ensuring the shoe sits perfectly all around it. Like most of our monk shoes the buckle is fitted on elastic which provides a snug fit in the wear of the shoe without creating any pressure on your instep. Kept plain without any perforations or broguing anywhere, the lines of the shoe and the patterns of the crocodile skin express their true beauty. Looking closely you can notice it was cut to make sure the scales were smaller at the toe than the instep to fully respect the balance of the design.

Last night with our friends at The Balvenie, we co-hosted a wonderful evening at The Royal Arcade in London.  The evening was focused around "craftsmanship" and we displayed the shoemaking process to over 200+ people which attended the evening events.  The Balvenie kindly conducted a whiskey tasting with some amazing years which everyone enjoyed.  A special thank you to all those who attended and we look forward to the next event.

Photos by Luke Carby

On March 13th, Cleverley had the honor to co-host an event with The Rake & The Balvenie at The Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore. It was a wonderful evening and a special thank you to Mr. Wei Koh and all who joined us.

We look forward to our next event in September 2013! 

This is a very old style of loafer that tends to have disappeared from the shoemaking scene but we, at Cleverley, decided to keep in our permanent collection. Generally known as the butterfly loafer this shoe allows its owner to mark the difference while remaining fairly classic. Here featured with a classic Cleverley suspiciously square toe the butterfly loafer is a style that can keep his elegance with a rounder smart toe shape (see our RTW model “Matthew”).

The owner of this pair of shoes wished to have it made in the formal black calf leather although the fine grain add a casual twist, but a cross over band loafer can also be a perfect casual shoe for the weekends when crafted out of an antique brown calfskin or our exquisite 1786 Russian Reindeer leather.

Last week George Glasgow Jr & I spent the week with our friends at LS in Hawaii.  We spent time both at LSDT & LSW, where we were able to meet new & existing customers.  I spent my time demonstrating the shoemaking process at Cleverley while being available to chat with customers.

Thank you to our friends at LS for making such a wonderful event possible.

When I came across this shoe in our workshop it was obvious to me it had to be featured as a BSTW. There are two main reasons why it appeared to be so obvious to me. The first one is the style, inspired by the very classic and traditional button boots we designed to adapt the design onto a shoe. By doing so the beauty of a button style is kept and it is accentuate by maintaining it very simple with only two buttons. Then in a matter of practicability we fitted a covered elastic on the inside of the shoe, allowing you to take on and off the shoes without struggling with the fastening and unfastening of the buttons. The front of the shoe is kept plain as the beauty of this design lay in its simplicity. Now the second reason why this shoe had to be on BSTW is the uniqueness of the leather it is made out of. The pattern as well as the grain of an elephant skin is absolutely beautiful.

There is a small supply of regulated elephant hides that are certified to have originated from animals that died of natural causes without being hunted. Cleverley hand selects the best of these for their texture, color, and a strong grain that gives each shoe a unique appearance.

This shoe is a perfect example of how excellence can be achieved with a handmade bespoke pair of shoes.

Since the last few months we have noticed a growing interest for slippers, which nowadays tend to be worn outside the house. At G.J.Cleverley we offer a very wide selection allowing you to get a pair made out of your own fabric, with your initials embroidered or with one of the Cleverley designs well appreciated from our regular clients.

For more information please do not hesitate to contact me at pierre@gjcleverley.co.uk

After cruising on the different shores of what bespoke leather shoes can offer it came to me that a return to the classic roots wouldn’t do any harm. Chocolate brown calfskin oxfords semi brogue with perforation design on the toecap is the bespoke shoe of this week. With the plain oxford and the full brogues, it is the most current style ordered by our clients. The smart Cleverley suspiciously square toe shape and the bevel waist give to the shoe its strong character and its distinction from a standard ready to wear one. I think one of the challenge in making a real bespoke pair of shoes is that it has to elegantly complement its owner outfit without being noticed, unless spotted by the eyes of a shoe connoisseur, and if I am pretty confident in saying that the challenge has been completed.