VR: Your age and occupation?<\/span><\/p>\n AL: I\u2019m 43, a shoemaker, and I\u2019m running my own business.<\/span><\/p>\n AL: I took a foundation diploma in Art and Design, then went on to study Fashion and Textiles at Brighton University.<\/span><\/p>\n AL: I\u2019ve got two daughters, 12 and 9. I\u2019m divorced but in a happy relationship now\u2014nearly three years together. My kids think what I do is boring. They reckon my shoes should be more colourful, more exciting. Maybe they\u2019re right\u2014maybe the market <\/span>does<\/span>\u00a0want rainbows and stars on bespoke shoes.<\/span><\/p>\n AL: My dad worked at Sheerness Docks, and my mum was disabled and so a housewife. I have an older brother who studied maths and is now working in banking. Creativity wasn\u2019t really a thing in our house, so I had to figure it all out myself. But they were proud I found something I loved, even if they didn\u2019t fully understand it.<\/span><\/p>\n AL: Painting, music, and generally getting obsessed with things. I\u2019ll fixate on a song, a film, or an artist and just disappear into it. The way a painter uses a brushstroke to suggest something instead of spelling it out\u2014that\u2019s magic. I try to bring that same energy to shoemaking. Less is more. How can I be conservative with my knife cuts and get it to flow seamlessly, effortlessly?<\/span><\/p>\n AL: It all started during university. I did a sandwich degree, so my third year was spent doing work experience. I ended up at Paul Harnden Shoemakers, and that was my first real taste of shoemaking\u2014it stuck. When I went back for my final year, I told my tutors I was focusing on shoes. They weren\u2019t happy, but it didn\u2019t matter\u2014I knew what I wanted to do.<\/span><\/p>\n As for why classic shoes instead of fashion? Classic is rebellious in its own way. It\u2019s about doing something so well that it doesn\u2019t\u00a0<\/span>need<\/span>\u00a0to change.<\/span><\/p>\n AL: After graduating, my first job was working on leather interiors for Rolls-Royce\u2014nearly two years making the Phantom. Beautiful work, but every car was the same, just in a different colour. So I left, intent on getting into shoemaking. I moved to London and spent six months knocking on doors before I got offered a place to train at G.J. Cleverley. I stayed there for nearly 17 years, learning the art of bespoke shoemaking the old-school way.<\/span><\/p>\n I learned by watching, by doing, by cutting things apart to see how they were made. Learning the details that make a shoe last decades instead of just seasons. I\u2019ve read a lot of books, but books can\u2019t teach you how leather moves, how it breathes. You have to feel it.<\/span><\/p>\n AL: Right now, I make traditionally built English shoes\u2014classic, but never boring. I\u2019m also working on designs that reflect more of <\/span>me<\/span>\u2014shoes with character, with a bit of soul.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n VR: Do you have a favorite shoe model and leather type?<\/span><\/p>\n AL: I don\u2019t have a favourite model\u2014what I love is when a shoe just <\/span>works<\/span>\u00a0for the person wearing it. That moment when they put it on, and you can tell it\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>theirs<\/span>. That\u2019s the best part. <\/span>For myself, I live in Chelsea boots. Easy to wear, comfortable, and a great way to show off toe shape and leather quality.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n VR: There are several fine shoemakers in England. Why should my readers try you?<\/span><\/p>\n AL: If you want to order from a company where you\u2019re just another name in the book, I\u2019m not your guy. If you want someone who actually listens, who takes the time to understand what <\/span>you<\/span>\u00a0want, then we\u2019ll get along just fine.<\/span><\/p>\n Shoemaking is a relationship. The first pair is just the beginning. Each one after that gets better because we learn more about what works for you. It\u2019s a process, and it should be fun. I want you to love wearing your shoes, not just admire them from a shelf.<\/span><\/p>\n AL: Longevity. Fit. A shoe you actually want to wear, not just something that looks good in a box. <\/span>A well-made shoe lasts, but more importantly, it\u00a0<\/span>lives<\/span>\u2014creases in all the right places, molds to your foot, gets better with age.<\/span><\/p>\n VR: Who or what inspires you?<\/span><\/p>\n AL: Anything and everything. Paintings, music, film, food. I collect records\u2014I love Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, ESG, Liquid Liquid. Post-punk, no-wave, rare gems nobody knows.<\/span><\/p>\n I remember the first time I saw\u00a0<\/span>Pulp Fiction<\/span>\u2014it blew my mind. The way Tarantino plays with structure, the way the dialogue crackles. The way an old piece of furniture has been worn down by a hundred years of use. The way a single brushstroke can suggest an entire figure. <\/span>That\u2019s the stuff that gets me. The\u00a0<\/span>details<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n AL: A British shoe is solid, structured, and built to last\u2014welted, refined. French shoes have a similar construction but tend to have rich patina finishes. Italian shoes normally look longer, narrower, flashier\u2014usually Blake-stitched, which makes them lighter but not as durable. German shoes tend to be Heavy-duty, double-stitched, built like tanks.<\/span><\/p>\n British shoes have that balance\u2014elegance, but with substance. That\u2019s what I make.<\/span><\/p>\n Pictures: Adam Law<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.keikari.com\/english\/wp-content\/pictures\/2025\/03\/Bespoke_shoemaker_Adam_Law_interview_at_Keikari_dot_com.jpeg\")
<\/a>VR: Your educational background?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>VR: Do you have children or a spouse, and how do they relate to your shoe enthusiasm?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>VR: How did your parents and siblings react when you decided to become a shoemaker?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>VR: What other hobbies or passions do you have besides footwear?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>VR: How did you first become interested in shoes, and when did you turn toward artisanal shoemaking? Why classic models instead of fashion?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>VR: How did you acquire your knowledge of the craft\u2014through books, in-house training, workshops, or something else?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>VR: How would you describe the house style of Adam Law Footwear?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>VR: What is your definition of a well-made shoe?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>VR: Finally, what, in your view, is a British shoe? How does it differ from a handmade French, German, or Italian shoe?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>www.adamlawshoemaker.com<\/a><\/p>\n