James Kearns is a legendary shoemaker in the UK but not well known here
He belongs to the same fashion "family" as all the Carpe Diem super-legends. You could say he is the little nephew, who watched his 'family' every day and learned the secrets of a great cobbler
Super-legends like:
Simone Cecchetto: untrained legendary cobbler who created Augusta and a1923
Maurizio Altieri: the founder and visionary behind the label, who created the highly exclusive shoe brand m_moria
Maurizio Amadei: A primary collaborator who handled leatherwear and accessories before establishing his own acclaimed label, Ma+.
Luca Laurini: A team designer who later founded the architectural knitwear brand Label Under Construction.
Sarah Lanzi: An original team member who moved on to establish her own successful eponymous womenswear fashion line.
Yoko Ito: A collaborator who went on to launch her own design label, Individual Sentiments (SICK footwear)
Alessia Righi Amante: Managed sales and showroom operations for Carpe Diem, later playing a critical role in launching the commercial footwear line for Guidi.
So, that's all. He is just the inheritor of the greatest group of Avante-Garde designers the world has ever seen. No biggie...😴😂😉
Anyway, I was on his website one day and decided I really really liked these shoes that resemble my surgical mules but with a backing and much softer and unformed. But they didn't have my size so I sent an email to his company to see if they maybe had a few more in stock, hidden away.
Surprise, surprise - he himself answered, and we began a long communication about shoes that ended with him wanting to build new semi custom shoes for me - in whatever shape, size, width, and in whatever leather I wanted. If you notice in the last photograph, that is just a sample of some of the leathers he sent me from the UK to choose from.
Basically, just the nicest guy I've ever met. He went on to make four pairs of shoes for me which I treasure (except for this one which I'm not in love with.)
He is not cheap; although to his credit, I will say that he didn't charge me any extra for his semi custom work. But go to his website and see that his shoes go for between $1200 - $2500.
But don't look at how much it costs, look at what you're getting: a piece of art that will last you forever, and that will mold to your feet and become the most comfortable shoe you will ever own. His forms will never go out of fashion - in fact, he will continue to stay ahead of fashion - and you will be a part of it.
The shoes are slip-on and are tremendously comfortable. Although they say size 45 on the footbed, they really are more like a 12.5 US, larger just like a1923.
Of course I don't expect to get back all the money I spent, all the hours I worked sweating over leather samples, trying to pick the perfect ones, all the forms I kept imagining, all the nails I could feel driving into the foot bed... it almost feels like I made these shoes myself. But they will not leave me easily...