From Britain with Love

James and I met doing our four year handsewn apprenticeship with a maker for John Lobb. I was already some way through my training and went off to start my own business, Atelier Carre, making women’s handsewn shoes and handbags to commission. James completed his apprenticeship and began making for John Lobb.

We launched carreducker out of a desire to bring the traditional shoemaking craft into the 21st century, instilling it with a greater sense of design and style and offering excellent customer service. We both appreciate good design and work well as a design team – enhancing one another’s strengths. Together we have created a distinct carreducker look, recognisable to the cognoscenti.

I have always been passionate about footwear and mens shoes in particular. James and I are both attracted to the constraints of mens footwear design, the sculptural qualities of the lasts and the opportunity to let the natural beauty of the leathers and fabrics we work with flourish. 

Since starting the business we have both started families and so we have grown organically through word of mouth and editorial in the press. Passionate as we are about our craft and carreducker, balancing work, family and life is also important to us.

When we began planning carreducker, the South Bank was our regular office and we used to meet at the NFT café where we designed our first handsewn shoe samples. Later we were accepted for a space at Cockpit Arts in Holborn, which is a thriving hub of crafts businesses and one of the largest workspaces in London. It has a great energy and sharing studio space with like-minded but different craft businesses is an inspiring environment.

Our bespoke shoes are hand sewn using centuries old techniques, which we learned during our apprenticeship. Take a look at the video below to find out more about how we work.

We pride ourselves on being British-made, whether it's our bespoke handsewn shoes crafted in our studio at Cockpit Arts, our Limited Edition shoes made in Northampton, or our Winkers slip-ons which are manufactured in Norwich. Recently we have begun collaborations using fabrics woven in Britain, including bespoke tweed & leather boots and tweed slip-ons.

Our new Winkers slip-on shoes (below, middle) are selling well and won an award at Origin this autumn. We also have a growing client list for the bespoke shoes and our Limited Editions are popular, especially the Espresso & Ice Blue (below, left) and Tan & Wedgwood colourways (below, right).

Teaching our shoemaking course and passing on our enthusiasm and skills for handsewn work; making shoes that make our clients happy; the combination of working with our hands, designing and managing a business; collaborating with our partners; the people we meet and work with.

Britain has a strong shoemaking tradition and we are proud to continue it, although it is now a very niche market. British handsewn shoemaking holds considerable cachet overseas and is still considered to be some of the best in the world.

We create men’s footwear that is the equivalent of women’s couture – made from the finest materials, created using traditional hand sewing skills, of strong construction and created to fit the customer. Our shoes are very hardwearing; stored with shoetrees they will retain their shape for longer, and both the sole and heels can be easily repaired, costing around £60 a year to maintain.

Seeing one of our shoemaking students set up her own shoemaking studio and start making for her own clients.

We receive emailed orders and enquiries through our website. Customers come to our studios for their bespoke shoes or we see them at their home, office or club (or the airport if they are in transit). We also have a presence at Stowers Bespoke on Savile Row and we showcase our shoes at overseas Trunk Shows. Our Limited Edition shoes are sold through our website and other events that we take part in during the year including Origin at Somerset House and Cockpit Arts Open Studios.

From Spring 2010 we will be at a new concept store in Notting Hill on Ledbury Road called Wolf & Badger.  In New York, Leffot carries our new Winkers slip-ons and we are looking for other high-end independent retailers across the world to carry them in stylish cities, from San Francisco to Tokyo.

We admire Lodger for its innovative approach to men’s footwear, Eloise Gray for her beautiful organic tailoring, Dashing Tweeds for their innovative tweeds, Helen Amy Murray’s decorative leatherwork, Gentlemen’s Tonic for giving Londoners great grooming and Timorous Beasties for their mind-blowing wallpapers.

Yes, where we can. We go to pick-your-own farms to stock up on locally produced fruit and veg. Near the studio Kennards on Lambs Conduit Street is a great champion for local produce, and Bea’s of Bloomsbury on Theobald’s Road produces delicious local cakes and deli food.

Holidaying in Britain is great if you can find a wonderful place to stay, have great company and can enjoy excellent local cooking. Favourites are London (you can’t beat holidaying in your own city), Edinburgh, Southwold, Brighton and Whitstable.

We hang out with our respective friends and families. We love to go to local parks with the kids, especially Coram Fields near the studio. I love vintage shopping and James enjoys partying. We both enjoy good food, markets, films and visiting exhibitions and shows.