THE COLLECTOR'S EYE

HOW SOMEONE WHO COLLECTS OBJECTS READS A SHOE, AND WHAT THEY SEE THAT MOST PEOPLE MISS

THE COLLECTOR DOES NOT LOOK AT SHOES THE WAY OTHER PEOPLE LOOK AT SHOES. HE LOOKS AT THEM THE WAY HE LOOKS AT EVERYTHING. WITH THE SPECIFIC ATTENTION OF SOMEONE WHO HAS SPENT YEARS LEARNING TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THINGS THAT ARE WELL MADE AND THINGS THAT MERELY APPEAR TO BE. IT IS A SKILL BUILT FROM HANDLING. FROM COMPARISON. FROM THE ACCUMULATED EXPERIENCE OF HAVING BEEN WRONG.

HE IS RARELY WRONG NOW. HE CAN READ A SHOE IN THIRTY SECONDS.

WHAT HE LOOKS FOR

THE FIRST THING IS LEATHER. NOT THE COLOUR OR THE FINISH, WHICH ARE SURFACE DECISIONS AND CAN DISGUISE ALMOST ANYTHING. THE GRAIN. THE WAY LIGHT MOVES ACROSS IT. WHETHER IT HAS THE SUBTLE VARIATION OF A FULL GRAIN HIDE OR THE MECHANICAL UNIFORMITY OF A CORRECTED SURFACE. FULL GRAIN LEATHER HAS A PARTICULAR DEPTH. A SENSE THAT THE SURFACE CONTINUES DOWNWARD INTO THE MATERIAL. CORRECTED LEATHER IS FLAT, REGARDLESS OF HOW WELL IT HAS BEEN FINISHED.

THE SECOND THING IS CONSTRUCTION AT THE PERIMETER. WHERE THE UPPER MEETS THE SOLE. WHETHER THE JOIN IS CLEAN, WHETHER IT BEARS EVIDENCE OF STITCHING OR ONLY OF ADHESIVE. A SHOE STITCHED CAREFULLY AT THE PERIMETER BY A CRAFTSMAN WHO WAS PAYING ATTENTION LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM ONE ASSEMBLED AT SPEED. THE LINE IS DIFFERENT. THE TENSION IS DIFFERENT.

THE THIRD THING IS THE LAST. THE SHAPE OF THE SHOE. WHETHER THE PROPORTIONS FEEL CONSIDERED OR APPROXIMATE. WHETHER THE TOE SPRING IS CORRECT. WHETHER THE HEEL SITS WITH AUTHORITY OR WANDERS SLIGHTLY.

WHAT HE FEELS

HE PICKS IT UP. THE WEIGHT TELLS HIM SOMETHING. NOT WHETHER IT IS LIGHT OR HEAVY, BUT WHETHER THE WEIGHT IS DISTRIBUTED CORRECTLY. WHETHER IT SITS IN THE HAND WITH BALANCE. HE FLEXES THE SOLE. THE RESISTANCE, THE POINT OF FLEX, THE WAY THE MATERIAL RETURNS. A SOLE CORRECTLY SPECIFIED FOR A LEATHER SNEAKER HAS A PARTICULAR CHARACTER HERE. NOT THE IMMEDIATE COMPLIANCE OF A CUSHIONED SYNTHETIC. A CERTAIN FIRMNESS THAT WILL EASE WITH WEAR.

WHAT THE COLLECTOR KNOWS

THE COLLECTOR OF FINE OBJECTS OPERATES ON THE SAME PRINCIPLE REGARDLESS OF THE OBJECT. HE IS BUYING THE DECISION PROCESS OF THE PERSON WHO MADE THE THING. EVERY OBJECT IS A RECORD OF THE CHOICES MADE IN ITS PRODUCTION. EACH CHOICE EITHER REFLECTS A MAKER WHO UNDERSTOOD WHAT THEY WERE DOING OR ONE WHO DID NOT. THE BEST LUXURY SNEAKERS ARE NOT THE MOST EXPENSIVE ONES. THEY ARE THE ONES WHERE EVERY DECISION WENT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

THAT JUDGEMENT IS WHAT THE COLLECTOR IS BUYING. THE SHOE IS JUST THE EVIDENCE. 1812 ENGLAND MAKES LUXURY HANDMADE SNEAKERS FOR PEOPLE WHO READ OBJECTS CORRECTLY.