Dubai: The uber-luxury brand Hermes has its Grace Kelly and Jane Birkin lines. And there are a number of brands across the entire value spectrum with tie-ins to all manner of celebrities.
Now, Dubai is to have one of its own, courtesy the venerated British shoemaker John Lobb. The brand literally takes the concept of association a step further by creating a collection tied to a selection of global cities.
Dubai thus becomes one among 11 to have a bespoke collection that bears the "essence of the city" and featuring the distinctive John Lobb stamp. But unlike the other cities, Dubai's will feature sandals — a first for the 150-year old company.
"We wanted to offer footwear that's appropriate for each city and it had to be sandals for Dubai," said Renaud Paul-Dauphin, CEO of John Lobb, in a telephone interview from Paris. "The style of the company has been to adapt to local needs."
Mind you, it's strictly bespoke and that comes with a price tag, and quite a steep one at that. The collection — part of the brand's ongoing ‘Spirits of Capitals' initiative — starts at Dh20,000. There is also a pricier crocodile skin option, which would make it the most expensive sandal in the world.
"Every model will go as per the customer's request, which means anything can be changed at his request - having a limited edition is what bespoke is all about," said Paul-Dauphin.
"Bespoke has been the DNA of John Loeb for the last 150 years and wanted to get this activity under the limelight and create a bit of excitement by offering key cities around the world their own pair of bespoke shoes.
"There is a saying I particularly like: "If you don't know where to go, turn around and know where you came from". That's what we are doing now."
The ‘Spirits of Capitals' exhibition was given an airing in Dubai yesterday and will go until November 12. In the lead-up to their creation, design teams were assembled in each city and tasked with bringing out two sets of shoes to best embody that particular location.
The teams brought together not just the designers and artisans making the shoes, but even clients, artists and writers.
Creation process
"What was simultaneous was the creation process when we started on the project two years ago," the CEO added. "The rollout of the exhibition is taking place in different cities. It's now on in Dubai, it was there in New York earlier and soon going to the Far East."
But given that the brand's heritage was steeped in making shoes, did it come as a bit of a culture shock to start on sandals?
"It was a surprise, I would say," said Paul-Dauphin. "Nowadays, people are much more open to following other cultures.
"The brand itself is very international with 20 stores. This means the exposure of the company to cultures and customs is very much the case.
"And because of the success the collection has been having, I think everyone understands the rationale."
Whatever one might say about the state of the global consumer sentiment, the wealthy among them are certainly spending on luxury. Lobb has been experiencing the benefit of this in no small measure.
"The brand is expanding in new markets but growing in the mature ones as well, which is interesting," the CEO added.
"We find ourselves in a very strong position in hubs and we are going to open three more stores in China before the end of 2012.
"In the Middle East, we are always at new opportunities — Abu Dhabi is an example, Kuwait is another, and one day it could be Saudi Arabia.
"We have to do it step by step — it's a very strategic project for us as we speak."
In the local market, the brand's stores are owned by the Qatar-based Al Mana Retail Group. "We can't afford to go direct in every market and it's natural to make alliances where they are necessary," said Paul-Dauphin.
Extending the line bey-ond shoemaking is another option.
"The brand's strengths in one area should not come in the way of expanding in other lines," he said.
Sandal range
The two sets of sandals representative of Dubai draw inspiration from John Lobbs classic William monk shoe. The versions are available in either calf skin or crocodile.
Apart from Dubai, the Spirit of Cities collection takes inspiration from the cities of London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Moscow, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul and Geneva.