An Evening with Gaziano and Girling
Tony Gaziano and Dean Girling were in town on Friday to meet with clients (existing and potential) over the weekend and nosh with The Rake over Laphroaig single malt whiskey and canapes at the Four Seasons hotel. The pair of bespoke shoemakers, in concert with Kevin Seah Bespoke hosted the rakish affair with over 40 people in attendance over the course of one stylish evening.
A Rakish affair with Kevin Seah, Gaziano and Girling
Founded in 2006, Gaziano & Girling is a bespoke shoe company founded in by the duo of Tony and Dean. At their first ever trunk show in Singapore, whilst fondling a pair of croc skin oxfords and absentmindedly swirling Laphroaig 10 years in the other, I got to speak to one half of the pair. Tony Gaziano himself was an alumnus of Cleverley and Edward Green and since the founding of his namesake workshop, it has become one of the most classic yet innovative shoemakers in England.
Both bespoke men’s shoes and Made to Order footwear made by Gaziano and Girling are surprisingly versatile. In fact, we wouldn’t be remiss if we were to categorically state that with their designs, there is indeed something for everyone. For example, classic English shoes are updated with modern touches like a shaped waist in the last, these are some of the few elegant details that manages to attract both the old school gent and sartorially adventurous upstart.
Completely handmade by five craftsmen, bespoke shoes are an invitation for Rakes to express their personality through his idealised shoe- shape, type of leather and even details like contrast stitching are not off limits. Unless you are blessed with extremely average foot proportions, chances are, most ready to wear shoes would either pinch the foot or compresses the toes, with a beech wood last sculpted in proportion to an individual’s foot, the end result is perfect fit and comfort.
Fewer then 100 pairs are made every year and now, Gaziano and Girling bespoke shoes are in Singapore exclusively at Kevin Seah Bespoke.
Editor’s Note: Simon Crompton wrote an excellent 5 part review of a handmade pair of Gaziano and Girling bespoke shoes from the cutting and lasting of the leather to the stitching of the welt and sole. Start your journey [here]
3 Responses to “An Evening with Gaziano and Girling”
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Their website shows a large number of their bespoke and made to order shoes. Absolutely beautiful; obviously George Cleverley’s influence is much apparent but their innovative approach has added a much needed contemporary sense of style to the tradition of craftsman shoe making.
Hi David,
A keen observation!
Cheers,
Jonathan Ho
Group Editor
The Rake Online
There are some shoemakers who think making stunning shoes is all that matters. G&G fall into that camp. I wish they would give equal importance to the other aspects of getting a product to market — namely punctuality, accuracy, supply chain management and generally approaching this business a bit more professionally.
Upon commissioning an Made-To-Order pair, you may be told it takes 3 months. That has been known to extend, ‘due to unforeseen circumstances’, to as much as seven months. By then, what can you possibly do but wring your hands in silence. You have already coughed up a non-refundable deposit of 50%.
Perhaps you prefer going to their website and ordering a pair of shoes from there. All sizes are shown in stock and so you order yours. Only to receive an email a few days later saying they don’t have the size in stock and so sorry but do you mind waiting for 8 weeks while they make one for you. If it isn’t in stock, what is it doing on the website? Oh, it’s an oversight…we’re so sorry. Here’s a refund. Did we say how sorry we are?. Ok, but why not just try to be a bit more switched on instead of being sorry?
I have a message for G&G: gentlemen, you can make the most beautiful shoes in the universe. But it matters not one jot if you can’t get them where they belong….not on a pedestal at a trunk show, nor between the pages of a cool website. But on the feet of your customers.