Man, know thy shoes (oxfords)

Oxford Shoes

These shoes can be identified with their closed lacing. These shoes are also called “Balmorals”. These shoes are mostly used for formal occasions only.

But where did the Oxford come from? There are two competing origin stories: one tale explains that the Oxfords were derived from the Oxonian, a half-boot with side slits that gained popularity at Oxford University in 1800. PThe side slit evolved into a side lace that eventually moved to the instep, as students rebelled against knee-high and ankle-high boots. The boots eventually were shortened into a shoe, and this new style became popular with the students at Oxford University in the late 1800s, who had tired of the fussiness of boots.

The second theory claims that the Oxford originated in Scotland, where it’s commonly referred to as the “Balmoral”, in reference to the castle of the same name. No matter which is true, Oxfords have existed in some form since as early as the mid-1600s, and let’s appreciate the irony that what is today considered the most formal of men’s shoes is likely the product of rebellious college kids hundreds of years ago.
#menknowthyshoe

Share this:

Man know thy shoe
Derby Shoes

Derby shoes are one of the most common styles in shoes which can be identified with their open lacing style. These are the shoes for you if you have big feet. These shoes are meant for formal occasion but they can be matched with casual outfits as well.

The origin of the Derby is something of conflict,  some people theorize that we can thank Edward Smith-Stanley, the 14th Earl of Derby, for the cut. The Earl apparently was a man of generous proportions (a fat man) and his large feet made it difficult for him to wear boots.
In response, his bootmaker developed an open-laced boot that accommodated his feet better than closed-laced boots. Of course, it’s likely that the Oxford and Derby developed concurrently rather than one after the other.
The Derby cut was first mentioned in Dunkley’s account book of 1862, but it was used to describe a pair of side sprung boots, not a shoe. That changed in 1872, when the derby was described in St. Crispin’s Magazine as ” a new tie shoe better than the Oxonian as the seam is not near the tender part of the foot.” It deserves mentioning that St. Crispin is the saint of shoemakers.

Here’s another theory that also exists. Boots were the standard issue footwear for soldiers in Europe in the 1800s, and anyone who has worn boots could probably tell you they aren’t always the easiest the get on and off at the best of times, let alone in the less-than-ideal conditions of war, where soldiers are often trekking through mud and water. During the Napoleonic wars, a Prussian army officer named Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (explaining the term blucher, another name that is used to describe the Derby, especially in the United States) took it upon himself to have the boots redesigned so his men could have a more comfortable pair of boots that also enabled them to ready themselves for battle in shorter time.

And that’s the story of the Derby shoe.

#menknowthyshoe

A beautiful wedding

He wanted a shoe for his brother’s wedding.
The best man needed one also.
Their theme is blue.
They came to us,  we gave them these.
In return we got smiles money can’t buy.
Thank you Mr Phillip for patronizing us. See you at the wedding next week.
MIN’S bespoke.

#bespokeshoes #mensshoes #buynigerian #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira #diaryofashoemaker #shoegazing #shoes #buynigeriantogrowthenaira #minsbespoke #Regrann

6/9/2016

Dear diary,
A lot has happened since my last entry. Things have changed a lot. 

Firstly, I’ve changed my mind about rubber soles, they are really cool. Found some nice looking durable ones, excited about using them. Thinking of all the advantages it brings:
Comfort
Silence (good for sneaking around)
Resistant to harsh weather especially rains
And much more.. (can’t contain the excitement).

Secondly, I’ve sold my first two shoes, doesn’t sound like much, but i see bigger things ahead. Thank God for that.

Finally ,  tomorrow i am set to go shopping for leather, shoe laces, soles and much more… Promises to be an exciting adventure.

I’ll send pictures.

The unveiling of our logo

Here’s our logo. Great things ahead

Min’s #4

Min’s #2

This is officially the second min’s Shoe made,  it was made because i panicked,  I thought the shoe i needed, to fulfill an order wouldn’t be ready on time, and to my taste.

Eventually the shoe came, it was lovely and  the customer took it happily. So this got added to my collection, I hope I find buyer for it really soon.

The second trial

5/19/2016
Dear Diary,
Today was my second attempt to bring to life the shoes i designed. So, I travelled to Bakassi market in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria where the foremost Nigerian shoe craftsmen work.
These men are good, like really good, but for the want of money they shun all the prestigious stuff and make the shoes
that the masses want, leaving out the high end shoes. On getting there, I hooked up with the man that made the first of MIN’S shoes , and he gave me a tour of the place.

It felt like I was in a weird sort of heaven were all possibilities existed, but on further examination, I realized that I was just fantasizing, doing things were a lot harder than I thought.

After looking at various samples as we walked by, I noticed that most of the shoes had the same shape, indicating the use of similar “lasts”, and that posed a problem. Their shape didn’t look like mine, only one
guy had a last that was similar. So, I met the man and showed him my designs, he looked at the designs and said it was possible. But, rubber soles would be used ( bummer!). He went on to explain that leather
soles are now harder to find due to the increase in the cost of dollar, so most people chose rubber soles because they were cheaper. That almost crushed me, at that point I felt like going back home and
dumping the MIN dream. As I walked towards the exit of the market , I felt a slight urge to move into one of the market clusters where more casual shoes like loafers and moccasins were made and I found a
guy.

The guy had two shoes on his table and he was cutting some suede, while his apprentice was making a shoe, I
entered his shop struck up a discussion then showed him the designs. He agreed to do them with leather soles but at a cost equal to my proposed selling price, the samples are due next week Friday *fingers crossed*
Now, I am at a dilemma, since I have already told my potential buyers my selling price, should I sell at a loss, then in subsequent orders increase the selling price? Or should I call back the potential buyers and
inform that that the cost of their shoes have increase and lose their confidence?.
God help me
Bye diary

How it all started

For a start, I think I have always liked shoes, most especially formal shoes. But they are basically too expensive to purchase. A good Bespoke shoe costs about 50,000 Naira ,and that is a huge amount of money for any average Nigerian.

In January 2016, while praying an idea dropped. I realized i could make dress shoes (derby shoes, oxford shoes, brogues etc), and make them cheap enough for the majority of the Nigerian populace. I realized I could make a difference, I could satisfy the shoe craving that  most young men like myself have, and make some money while doing so. Thus, MIN’s Shoes was born, a birth that came with a constant urge to check out the shoe each man that comes my way is wearing.

By the way, MIN originally stands for  “Made in Nigeria”, and should have been pronounced as “M.I.N”  but “MIN’s” sounds way cooler. so i stuck with that. So this is how it all began.