Two new entry level shoe ranges have seen the light of day this summer, with British online retailer Herring launching the Classic Elite line and J. FitzPatrick Footwear introducing their JF Line. Both with RRP at about €260 (the latter with a current pre-sale discount) and good looking Spanish-made Goodyear welted shoes.
The other week Herring Shoes, who is one of the largest online retailers of quality shoes in Europe, introduced a new line to expand their range of shoes under their own label. They have already quite a wide scale of offerings, from cheap Asian-made Goodyear welted shoes at €150 passed British-made welted lower-end stuff with open channel stitching etc., up to midrange Goodyear welted shoes made in Northampton with closed channels, bevelled waist etc. With the Classic Elite line they have, through the slightly cheaper production costs in Spain, been able to add closed channel stitched leather soles and a bit improved specs compared to the British-made stuff in the price range of €260. The models and the design are still quintessentially British though. Seven models as start, all in several different leather choices, where the wholecut stands out a bit since it’s not that common in this price range.
J. FitzPatrick Footwear, the now US-based brand of Justin “The Shoe Snob” FitzPatrick, have previously only offered midrange welted footwear with mainly more bold and progressive designs. Now they are introducing the JF Line, with more classic models in a lower price range, at about €250. Until they arrive in stock in August they are however offered at a discount so down at only €170, and especially for European customers this can be the time to jump in since pre-sale orders will ship from Spain instead of the US so no customs or VAT will be added. The shoes are manufactured in the same factory in Almansa as the more expensive models, and are Goodyear welted with a thin half rubber sole and leather board heel stiffeners, and a bunch of nice looking models and make-ups are offered (also here wholecuts, though with medallion this time).
Jesper – do you think the mid-range shoe market has become too crowded? It seems like Justin had a hard time differentiating, and a lot of his designs were pretty standout and unusual.
It seems like a pretty impossible position to compete against established brands like C&J at the same price?
Sam: TBH, the entry level segment is even more crowded, so it’s not an easier task to succeed there, even if there’s more customers buying at that price point. And don’t think he has really failed in the midrange segment, he will continue with the regular range as well. But it’s tough for most out there today, in all price brackets from Blake stitched stuff up to full bespoke, fierce competition over a decreasing numbers of customers (on most markets, though no steep curve but goes slightly downwards) and corona situation to top that up…