Last year I wrote about the news that the James Fayed, owner of the British shirt company Turnbull & Asser, bought a majority stake in the Northampton shoe manufacturer Tricker’s. Now merges between the two companies are announced, as Turnbull’s Creative Director Roberto Menichetti will take the same role at Tricker’s, and their footwear will be integrated into Turnbull & Asser’s retail network.
In this article you can read about how Tricker’s was acquired to 71% by James Fayed through his company Blu Heartknot UK, and was going to accelerate its shift towards a direct-to-consumer model. This was after some tough years, where turnover had declined for Tricker’s and they had some years with pretty big losses. Fayed also owns the London Jermyn Street shirtmaker Turnbull & Asser, and it’s now clear that the plan is to bring the two brands closer to each other.
In a press release sent out by Tricker’s today, they presented that the American-Italian designer Roberto Menichetti, apparently co-owner of Blu Heartknot and today Creative Director at T&A, will take on the same role at Tricker’s. He has a long background in the fashion industry, among other things at Jil Sander, Burberry and Celine.
Roberto Menichetti, new Creative Director of Tricker’s.
From the perspective of Shoegazing, bringing in people from the fashion industry and press release sentences like “under Menichetti’s creative leadership, Tricker’s will pursue a clear, product-led agenda: preserve the signatures that define the house – its hand-made construction, traditional shoemaking expertise and quintessential English character while advancing comfort and everyday performance for the modern customer” can make one a bit nervous. We’ve seen other classic shoe brands transform into over-cushioned nightmares with “advanced technology”-materials that will never beat proper leather on most regards.
Classic country footwear – what Tricker’s is known for.
But at the same time they clearly state that “Tricker’s will continue to manufacture in Northampton, safeguarding its end-to-end
shoemaking expertise and supporting the long-term sustainability of British craft”, and Tricker’s MD Martin Mason highlights “the integrity of our materials, the discipline of our processes and the pride of making in Northampton.” Hopefully, Tricker’s manage to preserve what they are loved for while at the same time manage reaching new customer groups.
One way they will try to do that is through the retail network of Turnbull & Asser, for example in their flagship stores in London and New York, while Tricker’s own stores like their Jermyn Street one will remain. It seems like there’s big ambitions for Tricker’s, and it’s surely one of the classic quality shoe brand’s that has potential to make it among a wider customer base. If things are done right.
Tricker’s store in Tokyo. Pictures: Tricker’s
The link between Trickers and T&A makes sense. Both have a long tradition and both have a reputation for quality products. Although, I’m sure I did read that Trickers are stopping their production of formal shoes (maybe I dreamt that), which seems strange given the market of T&A. I guess Trickers are now pretty much exclusively known for their less refined, country boot, so perhaps it makes sense.
I thought it was a strange press release. There wasn’t really any need to rock the boat in this way just to announce a new creative director. I’m sure there will be changes, and I’m sure the prices will continue to rise. Hopefully we won’t see another nightmare scenario as when Prada purchased the shoe brand that must not be named.
Ross: Yeah like you say, they fit well in some regards, a bit less in others. Country style footwear is what Tricker’s is synonymous with for sure, haven’t heard they would stop completely with regular classic dress stuff but haven’t been much of that for long time.