Of all the collaborations men’s shopping and lifestyle website Mr Porter has embarked upon, this has got us most excited. Of course, every one from Alexander Wang to Raf Simons and Ami have created capsule collections for the store. But this one’s shoes. And more importantly, Grenson, the British heritage brand founded in 1866.
Mr Porter has invited six up-and-coming London men’s labels -- Agi & Sam, Craig Green, Christopher Raeburn, Matthew Miller, Katie Eary and Sibling -- to create six different pairs of shoes and give it their own unique twist on the brand. The collection, with the price for a pair starting at Dh1,789, will be available from February 18 on mrporter.com.
The Directory caught up with Tim Little, who joined Grenson as creative director in 2005 and later bought the brand, to talk fashion and where his fabulous shoes fit in the bigger scheme of things:
Q: How did this project come about with Mr Porter?
A: We have worked with Mr Porter on our G:Lab project before, where their buyers have made up their own unique versions of some of our shoes, and it’s been very successful. They came up with the idea of asking six of the UK’s best new menswear designers to do the same. It’s the perfect project because the shoes are unique but are based on classic British shoemaking, and dovetail with Grenson’s design aesthetic.
Q: How did you decide on these six designers with Mr Porter?
A: To be honest, Mr Porter chose the designers but if we had been asked to, we would have probably come up with the same list. They are the key new talent in British menswear and all have a unique style which makes the project interesting and fresh.
Q: What was the brief given to them, if at all?
A: It was tough. They had to choose from one of eight Grenson styles and then work with our leathers and materials to create their version of one of our shoes. They could make minor changes to the pattern, but mainly had to play with materials, colours and soles. Each one we did over a table in about two hours, although we then made changes over the next few weeks.
Q: What is the Grenson G: Lab programme?
A: The G:Lab programme is where we make shoes in limited numbers to someone’s own specification. We sometimes do it for individuals, and sometimes for our retail customers.
Q: Has it been a challenge trying to keep a label with such a long history relevant?
A: It has been a huge challenge to find the balance between contemporary and heritage, but now that we’ve found our niche, it’s a lot easier. In the early days, the more contemporary stores didn’t want ‘traditional’ shoes, but now they see the relevance.
Q: From creative director of the company to owner, tell us about your Grenson journey so far?
A: It started in the 1980s when I first bought a pair. Then in 2005, I was called by the then owner who wanted to revitalise his family business, Grenson. When I arrived, it seemed like a daunting task, as the business needed a major overhaul. After a year, it was still tough going as we constantly came up against people not understanding the value of a traditional brand to a modern market, but eventually we started to make some headway and the business showed signs of turning. In 2009, the owner told me he wanted to sell up as he had other priorities in his life and we sat down and worked out a way for me to buy it from him.
Q: How have you seen men’s fashion evolve over the years, not just shoes?
A: Men have decided over the last 10 years or so that it’s OK to care about your appearance. It used to be thought of as shallow but now people realise it’s a good thing. In addition, men have learnt the stories behind brands and products, which helps them, as they are thirsty for information. It also helps them to justify a purchase, so the internet has created a new market for menswear where products are discussed and their provenance, design and manufacture are compared. Men often like to weigh up whether something feels like value and they need to know how it’s made to do that. The other big change is that men are more casual which opens up the possibilities. When we had to wear suits, shirts and ties, there wasn’t much scope for fashion choices so we just kept it simple.
Q: How has your brand been received in the Middle East?
A: We have a nice following in the Middle East. The men there understand quality and search it out. They like to find the best of each category and really value well-made products. Grenson is fairly new to the market there, but our reputation is growing. It’s a market we value very much as we like to sell to people who really care what they are buying.
Q: Where would you like to take Grenson next?
A: People always say you have to have a five year plan but we like to work season by season. I don’t have a clue where we will be in five years but I know that if we keep concentrating on the product, we’ll be OK. The one thing I would like is to grow our women’s business more. It’s pretty new but gaining a strong following, and other than that, its just more of the same I’m afraid.
*Grenson’s colloboration with six designers will be available from February 18 on mrporter.com
What the designers say about their collaboration with Grenson:
“The shoes were designed to be a juxtaposition of Natural elements. Hand woven laces, embossed leather and an assortment of textured wood coming together to create something incredibly brutal, masculine and beautiful.” — Matthew Miller
“We took inspiration from our SS14 collection, called East Side Story — a knitted take on the original film West Side Story, in which the Jets and Sharks gangs rumble and women cha-cha. Following on from this glorious technicolour riot of red, lilac and pale blue, who else could be a perfect ‘leader of the pack’ other than, well, Elvis! Would you step on these blue suede shoes? Typically Sibling, we couldn’t resist a flash of pink, and think that a man who buys these would appreciate this undercover flamboyance added to a very classic Grenson loafer.” — Cozette McCreery, Sibling
“The idea was to keep the basis of the shoe’s shape and material both very classic and very true to Grenson. We wanted it to look almost as if the shoe had been repaired in a very quick and lo-fi way, using a raw elastic strap across the top of the shoe.” — Craig Green
“The inspiration for these shoes stems from our instinctive appreciation for texture and print — we used this to play with the elements on a classic shoe but allow it to function and have a contemporary aesthetic. We tried to reinterpret the classic black shoe using various elements such as classic leathers. With the use of a solid black sole, we were able to add an element of sportswear to the piece.” — Agi & Sam
“This collaboration for MR PORTER was a fantastic opportunity to focus our ongoing research into military functionality and the crossover into streetwear. I wanted something unique that would also underpin our spring/ summer collection, which is available online at MR PORTER, so opted for a canvas and leather brogue with an original sole detail used on British Commando boots. I’m incredibly pleased with the outcome and hope it offers a special combination of Grenson and Christopher Ræburn.” — Christopher Raeburn
“While working on my heavily punk-influenced AW14 collection, I was looking at a lot of classic punk album covers. I remember looking at The Clash’s London Calling cover and loved that it paid homage to Elvis Presley’s 1956 debut album. And while I generally don’t think about using shoes in my shows, I thought this was the perfect time to put my own stamp on a more formal shoe and also pay tribute to the King. So I opted to create the perfect blue suede shoe with a double monk strap and double welted sole to give it a more aggressive stance.” — Katie Eary
