John Lobb has opened a club-like store, with interior design by the French firm Ciguë, at 51 rue François Premier in Paris. The brand’s CEO, Philippe Gonzalez, described it to Fashion Network as a “place and moment to cool down.” “Even if you don’t buy today,” he continued, “you will remember what you have learned and want to come back.”
The store offers three kinds of service at increasing price: Ready-to-Wear (with items costing about $1,500), By Request ($2,000 and up), and Bespoke (in the neighborhood of $5,000). At this third level, John Lobb produces and maintains a last for each customer, and finished products can take four months or more to complete. The heart of the store is in fact devoted to the second level, which is also the most recent. There are leathers, buckles, soles and other options on display in drawers, for use on custom versions of existing John Lobb models. The brand will also replicate a favorite pair. Bespoke shoes are fashioned by a team of 15 artisans at a Parisian workshop on Rue Mogador, whereas a team of 110 in Northampton, England, handles Ready-to-Wear and By Request.
Founded as a bootmaker in London in 1849, and acquired by Hermès in 1976, John Lobb operates 19 stores at present. It is moving its California store to new premises on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. A store in Los Angeles will be opening on June 18, followed by one in Dubai in October. The store in Fukuoka, Japan, is being expanded. There are plans to expand John Lobb’s women’s line as well. The new Parisian store already stocks women’s versions of the Lopez, the City and the Lawry boot.
