Robb Recommends: The Bespoke Shoes That Might Make You Forget Your Favorite Sneakers
Welcome to Robb Recommends, a regular series in which our editors and contributors endorse something they’ve tried and loved—and think will change your life for the better.
As a fashion journalist interested in British manufacturing, I’ve always enjoyed visiting Northampton to see the storied English shoemakers based there. I have the utmost respect for these craftsmen, as they work diligently to make shoes and boots that are long-lasting and classic in style—and I have many of their wares. Still, it can be hard to find Made-in-England designs that pique my interest beyond the prototypal styles. That was until a few weeks ago when I was styling a shoot and required evening-wear shoes with a little more pizzazz than I could find. This led me to Arthur Sleep in London.
More from Robb Report
Robb Recommends: New to Retinol? This High-End Serum Is the Best Way to Start
The 8 Best Smoking Guns for Giving Food and Drinks That Wood-Fired Flavor
I’m not the first to write about Arthur Sleep for Robb Report, and I probably won’t be the last. It’s an English shoemaker like no other I’ve encountered for several reasons. The business is based at 7-8 Savile Row, a street famed for its bespoke tailoring rather than shoemaking, and yet the company established London’s first shoe factory in over a century when it opened its doors in 2022. Its product offering doesn’t conform to designs typical of an English shoemaker—don’t expect to find run-of-the-mill brogues. Perhaps most impressively, it can turn around a pair of bespoke shoes in five hours, which is lightning-quick compared to the industry standard of 12 months. You’d be forgiven for thinking “Impossible!” but it’s true. The shop’s associates measure and calibrate your feet with a foam impression and a 3-D scanner, which develops a unique last. The uppers are clicked and closed downstairs in its hyper-proximity workshop. Arthur Sleep seems to have solved the ultimate issue with bespoke—time—bu using state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to aid its approach to precision craftsmanship.
Arthur Sleep Pablo
While perusing patent leather opera pumps and monogrammed velvet slippers, I was drawn to the brand’s newest creation, the Pablo. Unveiled a few months ago, it’s a sleek, low-profile, two-or-three-eyelet Derby that’s eminently versatile and comfortable, as it’s formed on an almond-shaped last and housed on a lightweight rubber sole. You can bespeak it in any material you’d like, of course, but Arthur Sleep showcases in butter-soft suedes treated with a nano-tech waterproofing spray to pleasingly pliable-grained leathers, the latter of which I’ve had a pair made up in a dark brown.
It’s important to note that the Pablo isn’t a Goodyear-welted shoe, which can add weight, heft, and a sense of stiffness. Rather, it’s cemented with a soft yet durable rubber sole unit reinforced with a Blake stitch, providing all-day comfort and flexibility. (The company will even repair them for free once you’ve worn through the soles.) As for how they feel to wear, comparisons are easily drawn to the comfort of sneakers, but with the formal traits you’d expect from a classic Derby. For me, they speak to the prevailing trend of considered luxury, whereby comfort and ease are paramount. The shoes aren’t rigid and don’t require breaking in, and their easygoing looks wouldn’t feel out of place in one of Peter Lindbergh’s famed Armani campaigns.
I’ve long thought classic shoes needed to be constructed with a Goodyear welt, and I’m now having second thoughts after a few weeks of wearing the Pablos. My feet certainly feel happier.
Best of Robb Report
Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
