The first big player in the classic shoe industry that might fall due to corona seems to be British Foster & Son. They closed their factory this summer, now they are according to unconfirmed info to close their Jermyn Street store where their bespoke workshop has been based as well. Here’s a summary of what we know and the most credible rumours.
NOTE: NEW AND CORRECTED INFO ON THE TOPIC HAS BEEN ADDED FROM FOSTER & SON, SEE BOTTOM OF THE ARTICLE.
Foster & Son started its operations already back in 1840, nowadays it also incorporates the brand Henry Maxwell, and has had its store and workshop on the famous shoe street Jermyn Street in London since the 70’s. They had the iconic lastmaker Terry Moore run the bespoke department for decades, and his heir Emiko Matsuda kept things on the highest of levels. In 2006, the company was bought by businessman Richard Edgecliffe-Johnson, and together with Japanese partners they opened their own Ready to Wear factory in Northampton two years ago. The premium RTW shoes made there was well received with an excellent quality for the price, and things looked positive. Now – the story of Foster & Son is not as bright anymore.
Picture from the now closed factory in Northampton. Picture: Foster & Son
Of course, a lot of the problems is due to the situation with the coronavirus, and how it has affected the sales of their shoes. But to be fair, Fosters had problems before, and they had lost many of the staff in the bespoke department, with for example Emiko Matsuda leaving to start her own brand, and lastmaker Jon Spencer go to John Lobb. Plus, the manager of the new factory, Matthew Allen, who was an important part in setting it up, left quite early after the opening. When corona turned the world upside down, Fosters didn’t have the strong foundation needed to stay afloat.
Rumours about the problematic situation started circulating a few months ago. Then, this summer the factory was closed, not even two years after its grand opening, and the around 15 people in the staff was terminated. Two of them joined Gaziano & Girling, but the others were out of jobs. Now, according to sources in England which Shoegazing have talked to, the Jermyn Street shop is to be closed by the end of this month (this is not correct according to new info given by Foster & Son themselves, see more below). They run a sale on everything in their stock at the moment, both old bespoke samples, uncollected pairs, and RTW stock. Also retailers like Skoaktiebolaget have just launched a sale on all their Fosters stock. According to the info I have it’s still uncertain what will happen with the bespoke business, if it’s to continue in some form without the current shop and workshop on Jermyn Street or not. The bespoke business and factory have been two separate companies. Still, if the bespoke operations were to continue in some form, info states that owner Richard Edgecliffe-Johnson would need to pay the Japanese investors to use the name Foster & Son.
Bespoke samples with a natural bleached patina from decades in the shop window at Fosters Jermyn Street residence. The shoe in the middle is about 80 years old.
Time will show how the Foster & Son saga will end, or if at least the bespoke part manage to stay alive in some form, perhaps with new owners or new investors or so. Of course we hope that all will be saved and be able to continue its journey. It was once one of the greatest firms in the West End, and if it would be over for good, it would be seriously sad. What’s also frightening, is that there’s a big risk that we will see more brands in the shoe industry around the world go down the same route in the near future, if the situation with Covid-19 in the world doesn’t take a turn for the better.
Note: Shoegazing have tried to reach Foster & Son representatives with questions on the situation, without getting any replies.
UPDATE: After the article was published Shoegazing has been contacted by Foster & Son, where owner Richard Edgecliffe-Johnson shared the following to “correct the impression that [the article] has given”:
· Our Jermyn Street store has been open since early June. We are very happy indeed with our talented staff and despite these challenging times, we are continuing to serve our customers as we have for 180 years and we plan to do so for many years to come.
· The actual situation in Northampton is that our Japanese partners have decided to withdraw and the factory is closed while we make alternative arrangements.
· Your suggestion that the departure of some staff should create doubt on the health of our business is unwarranted and completely inaccurate.
Very sad to hear!
Christopher L: Yes, really sad indeed.
Loved visiting the Jermyn Street store and look at all the old samples there. Nothing I could afford ordering, but still a shame if it won’t be around anymore.
The Foster & Son story isn’t over yet!
Really sad, but “deserved” if Matthew Allen is an important part of your business plan.
Carl K: It’s a lovely store for sure, with amazing shoes on display.
Anon: I really hope it isn’t!
Bsas: Ok…
So sad, I missed your sale Jesper!
Just wondering if the title is still correct after the company’s denial?
And as a reader I wonder why Foster&Son were not interviewed when this article was written?
After all it’s about them. That should be good practice in journalism, even if their reaction is “no comment”.
No matter how reliable your sources are, it’s always a weakness in journalistic research if an article relies on rumours.
Apart from that, keep on the good work 🙂
Bård: It’s not a statement, but a question. And I certainly hope that the answer to it is a big no. But the only factual thing wrong with the article was the info on the Jermyn Street store closing (although this is stated as unconfirmed info), the other things are more a question on how you interpret and present the situation, where I of course understand that Fosters present it the way they do. To have the major investors pull out and need to close a factory is nonetheless still a serious issue.
If you read all above I clearly state that I tried contacting Foster & Son ahead of writing the article (sent two mails and contacted a representative on Instagram), I’m an educated journalist, and both the procedure writing the article and the content follow good practice. In hindsight, I of course wish I had Fosters view before writing the article, especially since it’s wrongly stated that they might close their store, it would definitely have been written differently, but common practice in journalism when having an article which isn’t fully accurate is not to remove those part, but to have corrections added either to the article or to a new follow-up article (since otherwise those who have read it before will never get to know the corrections and other viewpoints made, and vice versa).
Apart from that, thanks! 🙂
I hope (and pray) that Foster & Son will continue! The patinas of the bleached shoes are incredible…I was struck by the age of some of the shoes: it is confirmation that classic design is classic for a reason…
Tony
Anthony Jones: Certainly hope so to! Always been one of my favourite British bespoke brands, and their RTW has impressed.