New York Super Trunk Show 2023

On Saturday October 14 the first edition of the New York Super Trunk Show takes place, organised by The Shoe Snob, Shoegazing and Kirby Allison, with main Platinum sponsors being Saphir and Bridlen Shoemaker. On central Manhattan more than 15 exhibitors from around the world will showcase, we’ll have the first U.S. Championships of shoe shining and shoe patina, and much more. Do not miss this day – here’s all info about the event.

 

Location: The Kosciuszko Foundation, 15 E 65th St, New York

Date: Saturday October 14 2023

Full schedule for the day:

11am-7pm Trunk show open for the public, FREE OF CHARGE AND NO REGISTRATION NEEDED. Exhibitions with:
Platinum sponsors
Bridlen (shoes)
Kirby Allison (shoe care and accessories)
Saphir (shoe care)

Gold sponsors
Acme (shoes)
TLB Mallorca (shoes)

Silver sponsors
Carmina (shoes)
CNES (shoes)
Dapper Woodworks (organisation accessories)
Divij Bespoke (clothes)
Dominic Casey (shoes)
George Lyon (shoes)
J. FitzPatrick (shoes)
Lanieri (clothes)
Norman Vilalta (shoes)
Old House Provisions (shoes)
Optimo (hats)
Skolyx (shoes)
The Last Shoemaker (shoes)

Hercules Mulligan will serve drinks during the day.

On display are also the top three shoes in the World Championships of Shoemaking, and winner in the shoe patina world champs.

11.15am-5.15pm (1 hour break 2.45-3.45pm) Shoe patina exhibition in collaboration with Saphir and Bridlen Shoemaker.

3.00-3.30pm Final of the U.S. Championships in Shoe Shining in cooperation with Saphir and Bridlen Shoemaker, 1st prize shoes from Bridlen, Saphir shoe care kit, gold medal. (More info in qualification post here)

7pm Event closes.

 

Here’s the Facebook event page where you’ll get all the latest updates. We highly appreciate any help with spreading the word about the event! The hashtag used before, during and after the event in social media is #supertrunk.

The New York Trunk Show will take place at The Kosciuszko Foundation on 15 E 65th St on Manhattan, close to Central Park on Upper East Side. It’s a beautiful old building, multi-level with several rooms, where we’ll have a stage area in centre and then exhibitors spread out across the lovely venue. We’ll have the liqueur company Hercules Mulligan serving drinks during the day. The event is organised by Justin FitzPatrick of The Shoe Snob blog, Jesper Ingevaldsson of Shoegazing and Kirby Allison.

The event is open for everyone with no registration needed, between 11.00am-7.00pm. This is the first edition of the New York super trunk, therefore it’s difficult to know how much people there will be, but we hope for more than 1,000 visitors that will come to try, buy and order shoes and clothes, meet fellow shoe aficionados, see interesting scene events and just have a great time.

Below we’ll present all the exhibitors, but as is standard for a super trunk show, we’ll also have a stage area where some of the event’s highlights will take place. It starts straight after we’ve opened the doors, at 11.15am, with the a shoe patina exhibition, organised in collaboration with Saphir and Bridlen. There Greg Park of Han Core Patina and Chris Dillon of American Patina, together with “Shack” Shackleton willpaint a pair of Bridlen crust leather austerity brogues, using Saphir products. They’ll also talk to visitors on shoe patina and shoe care.

In the afternoon at 3pm we have the final of the U.S. Championships of Shoe Shining, also this in collaboration with Saphir and Bridlen. Three finalists who have made it through the qualifications will have a Bridlen plain cap toe oxford in tan, a can of Saphir Medaille d’Or Pate de Lux and one can of Mirror Gloss, water, brush and polishing cloth and have 20 minutes to shine the shoe as lovely as possible. Winner gets the shoes, a Saphir shoe care package and of course a gold medal. Also here more info in this article.

Please follow the Facebook page for the event here where you’ll get all the latest updates, let us know you plan to attend and spread the word. We hope the first American super trunk will be a great success and an annual gathering for people interested in classic men’s shoes and clothes.

Looking forward to see many of you in New York on Saturday October 14, mark your calendars, book your flights, start preparing – you don’t want to miss this!

Below info about all the companies that will exhibit and make this a great event.

 

Platinum sponsors

Bridlen

Our main shoe sponsor of the event is Bridlen from India. A company who has run their own shoe factory since 1986, who collaborate with the people behind introducing Meermin in Japan (which was their first market). They are now a leading pioneer in setting India’s manufacturing of welted footwear on the map worldwide, showcasing a high level of craftsmanship that is a serious contender to all that is out there.

What’s sets Bridlen apart is that they make Goodyear welted shoes with the welt seam made directly to a full leather insole, the old-school way without gemming (a canvas rib glued to the insole). They also make the uppers more similar to how bespoke shoes are made, with real leather backings etc. Prices start at around $250 offering a lot of bang for the buck. Read more about Bridlen in this review.

 

Kirby Allison

Kirby Allison is the company of the host with the same name, one of the leading retailers of shoe care and accessories in America. Kirby Allison is dedicated to helping the well-dressed acquire and care for their wardrobes while discovering the world of quality, craftsmanship, and tradition, it’s done both with the webshop and the Youtube channel.

It all started with developing a range of luxury hangers, now the webshop has all one can think of when it comes to shoe care, garment care and luxury accessories. Of course selling the entire shoe care range of Saphir Medaille d’Or, the store also has for example Kirby Allison Sovereign Grade clothing accessories and a wide range of cigar accessories for the discerning men.

 

Saphir

Saphir is no doubt the highest rated shoe care brand in the world, where Saphir’s Medaille d’Or range is the gold standard for all other shoe care brands to be compared to. It all started with a brilliant shoe cream introduced in 1925, where the original recipe is still in use, but nowadays they have added just about any shoe care product imaginable to that.

Saphir’s products are known for both the high quality of care and protection, as well as for being very easy to use. All Medaille d’Or products contain only natural products: beeswax, carnauba wax, essence of turpentine, lanolin, mink oil, neatsfoot, vegetal materials and so on. In the USA, they are represented by their distributor SoleTech. Read more about Saphir in this article covering a visit to their factory.

 

Gold sponsors

Acme

Acme is probably the most acclaimed brand of all the newcomers in the sphere of welted men’s shoes coming out of China (read more in this review or here on my second pair). It’s a workshop with over 15 people based in Beijing, with backing from the people behind Medallion Shoes. They have one more basic range called Marvel, which still is fully handmade, priced at $900. Apart from this, all shoes are made to the same absolute top standard same as bespoke, no matter if it’s RTW, MTO, MTM or full bespoke. There things start at $1,500.

 

TLB Mallorca

TLB Mallorca was founded five years ago, by industry longtimer Toni Llobera Barceló who partnered up with an old shoe factory in Inca and started production of Goodyear welted footwear. They’ve managed to really hit big in a very short time and is one of the most talked about brands in the industry, not least famous for their Artista range with very slim waists and many fine details and material choices that makes them punch well-above their price point of about $400 (excl. VAT price). They also have a more affordable welted main collection, soft loafers, belts, and more.

 

Silver sponsors

Carmina

The brand Carmina is the most famous of all welted shoes brands coming out of Spain, with their own factory on the island of Mallorca. They have a huge range of shoes of more or less all styles imaginable, from the most dressy oxfords to casual cordovan boots, lots of different lasts, leathers and so on. Priced at $525.

CNES

CNES is one of Vietnam’s largest manufacturers of Goodyear welted shoes, big in some Asian markets, now making its way into Europe and the US. CNES has a wide range of shoes, both very dressy and elegant models, sometimes with patina, and more casual stuff, made with Blake, Goodyear and hand welted constructions. Welted start at $280, and their hand welted shoes for a bit more.

 

Dapper Woodworks

Dapper Woodworks handcraft some of the world’s finest wooden tie racks, coat hooks, valet stands, shoehorns and more. They are not only highly practical and expertly crafted, they are all amazingly beautiful. All are made to order according to customers preferences.  Justin Trewitt, based in Texas, started this as a side project but it has now grown into his full time job.

 

Divij Bespoke

From California we have the tailoring firm Divij Bespoke. With the base in classic men’s tailoring, they then have all they’re focus on the fit and achieving the best possible such. Apart from showrooms in Costa Mesa, CA, and Hong Kong, they travel around the US regularly, and also offer the possibility to sort measurements and fittings remotely.

 

Dominic Casey

Dominic Casey is a legend in the British bespoke shoe world. Among many other things he’s been freelancing for various London West End firms and worked a decade at George Cleverley. Now he combines organising lastmaking courses and running his own brand, where he makes shoes with classic English styling and strong traditional last shapes and proportions.

 

George Lyon

George Lyon Shoes is a young American brand founded by Josh Spiers. They make their Goodyear welted shoes in a factory in Spain, and in the same factory they also produce fine belts in the same leather as the shoes, and a belt is included in every purchase. For many who want that perfect match it’s a hunt to find a belt in the same shade, here it’s taken care of from the start.

 

Old House Provisions

A newcomer on the shoemaking scene, Drew Altizer from Charlottesville, VA, and his brand Old House Provisions, who has learned making at Stefano Bemer’s shoemaking school in Florence, Italy. He is now back in the States and setting up his own brand, slowly but surely. Style is a classic casual that is highly wearable in today’s day and age for many people, for example some really nice looking loafers’ been coming out of his workshop.

 

J. FitzPatrick

The brand of host Justin FitzPatrick of The Shoe Snob. J. FitzPatrick Footwear is a well-established by now with a good reputation for offering fine Goodyear welted shoes with a lot of charisma, always adding a special touch to all models. Made in Spain, with two ranges, the more basic JF Line at $300 and the finer J. FitzPatrick Line at $400.

 

Lanieri

Lanieri stems is an Italian tailoring firm with a renewed perspective on Made to Measure. They have grown massively and have their own stores all around Europe, and now also have started approaching the US. Once one have measurements sorted, one can also easily order online. Apart from tailoring they also have a wide range of more casual outerwear, sweaters and so on, with great quality at great prices.

 

Norman Vilalta

Norman Vilalta is known for his excellent ways of upgrading and modernising the classic shoe tradition. His premium Goodyear welted RTW shoes are made in a factory in Spain and cost about $1,000, with some amazing designs. At around twice the price he also offers a RTW/MTO range made fully by hand to the same standard as his bespoke shoes, lovely looking stuff.

 

Optimo

Optimo was founded in 1996 by Graham Thompson, who has spent his career recovering and advancing the lost art of fine hatmaking. In their own workshop in Chicago they now create some of the finest hats in the world. They offer both a wide range of ready-made hats in various materials, and you can also make your own customised hat to your exact specifications.

 

Skolyx

The Swedish company Skolyx, which host Jesper Ingevaldsson also work for, is Scandinavias largest online retailer of quality shoes and shoe care, who also sell a lot internationally. They will bring both their own Spanish-made entry-level Goodyear welted shoes and praised premium sneakers, as well as Belgian loafers, workwear boots and more from Yanko.

 

The Last Shoemaker

The Last Shoemaker is run by shoemaker Payson Muller, based in York, England, and Allan Donnelly, from Scotland but who lives in Bangkok in Thailand where he for about a decade has run a workshop making handmade shoes. Their specialty is bespoke minimalist footwear, with more or less no heel, minimal arch support, and a very wide forefoot to make it possible for the toes to be fully spread.