The huge shoe event in London is back for its sixth instalment, on Saturday May 4. There’ll be 14 shoe and menswear companies from around the globe exhibiting, a marketplace for second hand shoes, a free shoe shining service, plus the finals of the world championships of shoe shining, shoe patina and shoemaking. Here’s all info about the big day.
Location: Showcase.co, 12 Regent Street, St. James, London.
Date: Saturday May 4 2024
Full schedule for the day:
11.00-18.30 Trunk show open for the public, FREE OF CHARGE AND NO REGISTRATION NEEDED.
Exhibitions with:
Platinum sponsors
– Saphir (shoe care, France)
– Bridlen (shoes, India)
Gold sponsors
– Acme (shoes, China)
– CNES (shoes, Vietnam)
Silver sponsors
– 100 Hands (clothing, Netherlands)
– Attila (shoes, Hungary)
– Blk Brd (shoes, India)
– Bresciani (socks, Italy)
– Hornets (vintage clothing & shoes, UK, will also host the second hand shoes marketplace)
– Oct. Tenth (shoes, China)
– Raymar (shoes, Japan)
– Stefano Bemer / Schola Academy (shoes & shoemaking school, Italy)
– Yearn (shoes, China)
Special partner
– The Valet (shoe and clothing care service)
On display are the top 30 shoes in the World Championships of Shoemaking.
11.00-18.30 Second hand shoes marketplace, hosted by Hornets. Visitors may also bring their own shoes and sell on site. (More info below)
11.00-18.30 Free shoe shining service by Saphir.
11.15-17.15 (1 hour break 14.45-15.45) Final of the World Championships of Shoe Patina in collaboration with Saphir and Bridlen, 1st prize shoes from Bridlen, shoe care kit from Saphir, gold medal. (More info in the qualification post here)
15.00-15.30 Final of the World Championships of Shoe Shining in cooperation with Saphir and Bridlen, 1st prize shoes from Bridlen, shoe care kit from Saphir, gold medal. (More info in the qualification post here)
17.30-17.50 Award ceremony for the patina competition, and for the World Championships of Shoemaking, organised in collaboration with Kirby Allison, Master Shoemakers and Parker Schenecker. The top ten including the three podium positions are presented. In the prize pool is £6,000 (€7,000 / $7,600), shoemaking awls by Phil Norsworthy, medals, plus being exhibited at Isetan Men’s, Tokyo, and 10+ at other locations around the world. (More info in the Call for competition here)
18.30 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.
Last year’s event set a new visitor record, with almost 1,300 people.
The London Super Trunk Show is one of the world’s largest open events on quality men’s shoes. Started in 2017 (with hiathus during the pandemic), it’s been growing slowly but steadily since the start. Organised by Jesper Ingevaldsson of Shoegazing and Justin FitzPatrick of The Shoe Snob blog, the two leading blogs on quality shoes, and now also with Kirby Allison who runs one of the largest menswear YouTube channels. The event venue Showcase.co is located on 12 Regent Street, just below Piccadilly Circus, across the road from the world’s nr. 1 shoe street Jermyn Street. There’s a store-front towards Regent Street and behind this is the exhibition venue (which you also may enter from Carlton St.), on street level, where we also have a bar/café serving the guests during the day.
To have the chance to see, try on and order shoes from this many international brands during one day is surely an exclusive thing.
The event is open for everyone with no registration needed, between 11.00-18.30. Last year almost 1,300 visitors from literally all over the world came to see, try and order shoes and clothes, meet fellow shoe aficionados and people from the industry, see interesting scene events, get a free shoe shine, and just have a great time in general. It has become a great meeting place for the quality shoe and menswear world.
Below we’ll present all the exhibitors and also give more info on the marketplace for second hand shoes, but as always, we’ll also have a stage area where some of the event’s highlights will take place. Already 15 minutes after opening the doors we kick-off the World Championships of Shoe Patina, organised in collaboration with Saphir and Bridlen, where three finalists will paint a pair of uncoloured crust leather shoes throughout the day. And at 15.00 the final of the World Championships of Shoe Shining takes place, where three finalists will use Saphir shoe polish to shine a Bridlen shoe as lovely as possible in just 20 minutes. Read more about these contests in this article (note that qualifications are open until March 10).
A pair of crust leather Bridlen austerity brogues will be transformed with Saphir dye, cream and polish by the patina contestants.
In the shine contest the finalists have 20 minutes to polish a factory new shoe to a glorious look.
On site we will also have 30 entries in the World Championships of Shoemaking, sponsored by Kirby Allison, Gary Tok’s book project Master Shoemakers, and Parker Schenecker (brother of the shoe enthusiast Edmund Schenecker, co-founder of the contest, who sadly passed away a few years ago). This year a full strap penny loafer is to be made, as always we expect to see some of the finest craftsmanship possible. At 17.30 when we first announce the winner of the patina contest, we will then present the top ten of the shoemaking champs, where the three shoemakers on the podium will share a price pool of £6,000 (€7,000 / $7,600), get a shoemaking awl by Phil Norsworthy, and their shoes will go on a world tour to be displayed at 10+ locations including Isetan Men’s in Tokyo. All info about the shoemaking world champs here.
Last year a balmoral boot was the contest shoe, here’s the winning one made by Athanase Sephocle of Berluti.
The medals that the shoemaking contestants aim for.
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’re really looking forward to this annual big happening for people interested in classic men’s shoes and clothes. Hope to see many of you on Saturday May 4, 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
Saphir
Saphir and their premium range of shoe care, called Saphir Medaille d’Or, is the gold standard of shoe care products globally, and the products that everyone else benchmark towards. It all started with a brilliant wax polish introduced in the 1920’s, where the original recipe is still in use, but up until today they have added just about any shoe care product imaginable to that. Production takes place in their own factory in France.
Saphir’s products are known for both the high quality of care and protection, as well as for being very easy to use. If one have tried for example their Creme Pommadier shoe cream, it’s hard to go back to others. All Medaille d’Or products contains natural ingredients, like beeswax, carnauba wax, essence of turpentine, lanolin, mink oil, neatsfoot, vegetal materials and so on. Read more about Saphir in this article from a visit to their factory.
Bridlen
Bridlen from India has established itself as one of the main Asian brands in the world of quality men’s shoes. A company who has run their own shoe factory since 1986, and together with the people behind introducing Meermin in Japan (which was their first market), they developed their own brand. They have set India’s manufacturing of welted footwear on the map worldwide, showcasing a high level of craftsmanship and excellent design skills.
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 £200 / €230, meaning you’ll get a lot of shoes for your money. Read more about Bridlen in this review.
Gold sponsors
Acme
Acme is probably the highest rated maker of welted shoes in China, offering fully handmade shoes to world class standard. It’s a workshop with about 15 people based in Beijing, who makes shoes in a wide variety of styles. They have slightly simpler range called called Marvel, which still is hand welted with hand stitched soles, priced from £700 / €800. Apart from this, all shoes are made to the same absolute top standard as bespoke, no matter if it’s RTW, MTO, MTM or full bespoke. There things start at £1,200 / €1,400. Read more in this review or here showcasing my latest pair.
CNES
CNES is one of Vietnam’s largest manufacturers of quality men’s shoes. They’ve been big in some Asian markets for a long time, in recent years they’ve made its way into Europe and the US as well. CNES has a wide range of shoes, everything from super sleek dressy and elegant models, sometimes with patina, to chunkier more casual stuff. They do several constructions, like Blake, Bologna, Goodyear and hand welted constructions. Always a lot of bang for your buck. Goodyear welted start at £180 / €210, and their hand welted shoes for a bit more.
Silver sponsors
100 Hands
The Dutch company 100 Hands shook up the menswear sphere with their amazingly high quality, fully hand stitched shirts a bunch of years ago. Today they are a well-established player whose products continue to be sought after, and their own factory in India now houses 170 people. Their handmade shirts, and also nowadays some casual jackets, are sold at amazing prices for what you get.
Attila
The Hungarian brand Attila makes shoes that are hand lasted, hand welted with handmade sole stitch – real traditional craftsmanship. They offer a wide range of styles, all from traditional chunky Austro-Hungarian styles to sleek modern shoes and even artistic exhibition pieces. Their new digital MTO tool they have on their site makes it easier than ever to design your style. Prices start from £430 / €500.
Blk Brd
Blk Brd from India is offering hand welted shoes and boots at seriously amazing prices. You’ll find solid workwear boots, Shell cordovan loafers, seamless wholecuts, spiral wholecuts – a whole bunch of various shoe styles. Blk Brd run its own factory in Agra in the north parts of India, and has slowly but surely gained more recognition internationally. Prices for hand welted shoes start at just £115 / €130 (!).
Bresciani
Bresciani was founded in the Italian city Spirano in 1970. They offer various wool-, cotton- and silk mix socks of very high quality, as well as super exclusive stuff like 100% cashmere socks. The excellent fit and comfort is what people around the world love them most for and which has built their reputation. They offer some playful stuff, but most known are their classic thin dress socks.
Hornets
One of London’s most famous vintage men’s clothing stores, Hornets houses in three locations in central Kensington. They are stocking mainly vintage classic English with modern and big name designers, in clothing, shoes, accessories, with new hats and cuff links. They’ll bring a small selection of their best stuff to the event, including some serious rarities, and also hosts the marketplace for second hand shoes (more info on this below).
Oct. Tenth
Oct. Tenth is a Chinese brand founded by the couple Xibao and Chu, who had long experience in the shoemaking trade and run their own workshop in Shanghai, before they started their own brand in 2020. The shoes are made of imported premium leathers, hand welted with handmade sole stitching at the waist area and refined finishing, making them look way more expensive than they are. Prices from £650 / €730.
Raymar
Japanese Raymar has taken their home market by storm, with their highly affordable welted footwear, made in close collaboration with a Chinese factory. One range of Goodyear welted shoes, one range of hand welted with machine stitched outsoles. Closed channel leather soles and slightly rounded waists, with leathers from famous European tanneries. Fine shoes starting at £220 / €260.
Stefano Bemer / Schola Academy
Stefano Bemer is one of Italy’s most famous men’s shoe companies, offering bespoke, MTO and RTW shoes of superb standard. Classic Italian styling and good quality-price ratio. They’ve recently incorporated the Florentine tailoring Sartoria Vestrucchi under their heir as well. Bemer also run one of the world’s premier shoemaking schools, under Schola Academy, which they will introduce further at the event.
Yearn
Yearn is unlike many other Chinese makers based in Chengdu, with its own factory with 10 employees, led by Jie Zeng who has worked in the shoe business for decades. They make really sleek elegant looking shoes on lovely lasts, which are hand lasted, hand welted with fully handmade sole stitching. Upper leathers from European tanneries like Annonay, Bonaudo, Weinheimer etc. Priced from £400 / €470.
Special partner: The Valet
Helping us in the organising team with lots of things is The Valet, where Tom Beecroft (who used to run The Jaunty Flaneur) has taken his shoe care service – doing shines, patina as well as repairs – and teamed up with alterations tailors and dry cleaner expertise. A one stop place for all your shoe and garment care needs, housed in the Piccadilly Arcade in central London.
Marketplace for second hand shoes with Hornets
Shelves at last year’s marketplace.
Last year’s appreciated marketplace is back. This year the men’s vintage clothes and shoes shop Hornets is the host. One part is that they will bring some of their own shoes to sell at the event. But also, they will host a second hand shoes marketplace where visitors may bring your own shoes to sell at the event, which all the hundreds of visitors may browse through.
For those who want to sell shoes, email addie@kirbyallison.com, write Super trunk marketplace in the subject line, and you will get some more information about the practicalities. To summarise, you will get a seller number to label each shoe with, the label should also state size and price. You then drop the shoes off at the event between 11.00-11.30 on May 4, and pick up any unsold pairs preferably after 18.00. Hornets will take 20% of the sale cost, where much of it goes to cover payment costs and for their work during the day. Any shoes left behind will end up in Hornets shop.
With hundreds of visitors one have a good chance to sell off shoes that one don’t wear any more.
With quality products like welted shoes, it’s a nice thing to sell shoes that one don’t use too much to new owners, not least good for the environment, and maybe you’ll end up with some funds for new pairs from one of the exhibitors at the event. For buyer’s, the opportunity to try on the shoes is of course excellent when buying second hand, and chances are great for a bargain, both from Hornets’ own stuff and from things visitors bring.
Hi Jesper and looking forward to another Super event !
Hope I can make it !
Andre: Cheers, hope you’ll make it as usual!
How can I find/communicate with some of the finalists in the patina contest. I would like to have several pairs of my shoes patina’d.
Thanks.
Is there a 2024 NY show and if so what are the details? Appears 2023 was a fabulous and important event for those sartorially inclined.
Richard J Coyle: Yes of course! October 5, more info will come later on.