Mr Porter’s Best of British Shoemakers Collab Shines Light on Loafers

More often than not, putting your best foot forward means putting on the right shoe. But picking the right shoe is a lot less simple than just sliding into the pair closest to the front door—it’s a highly subjective choice. What are you wearing with this shoe? Will you be walking very far in it? Are you getting shod for work or pleasure? The list of considerations goes on.

The good news for many of us is that it’s hard to strike the wrong note wearing a well-crafted loafer. And recently, the good people at Mr Porter collaborated with seven standout British brands (including Cheaney, Church’s, Edward Green, George Cleverley, Grenson, John Lobb and Tricker’s) on an exclusive selection of loafers that offer subtle upgrades on the classic style.

“The UK, and more specifically the town of Northampton, have been fine-tuning the art of shoemaking for centuries,” said Mr Porter senior buyer David Morris in an email. “This rich history dates as far back as 1401 with the establishment of Guild of Shoemakers, which more or less established the rules and standards behind British shoemaking and punished those whose work wasn’t up to snuff. You can’t argue with 600 years of perfecting the craft.”

You also can’t argue with the appeal of the assortment, which varies from Cheaney’s perforated suede beef roll penny loafer to a version from Grenson that comes mounted on a serious, chunky sole whose last job could have been in an active combat zone. While not all of the loafers depart from the classic silhouette of the slip-on style, the variety in this curation is by design.

“We asked our favorite British shoemakers to create something unique and exclusive for us that celebrates the legendary British loafer,” Morris added. “The result is forward-thinking shoes rooted in time-honored tradition that you can’t find anywhere else.”

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All in all, there are 29 styles available in the collaboration. You can take a look at some of our favorites below.