George J. Cleverley
Cap-Toe Brogued Elastic Gusseted Slipper
In the manner of Nikolaus Tuczek
Euro 1850

From the late 70s to his death in 1991 the great George Cleverley worked as a design consultant for New & Lingwood, and, today, the excellent firm bearing his name, George J. Cleverley & Co., under the direction of Mr. George Glasgow, carries out the master’s great legacy. Cleverley is considered to be the greatest master shoemaker of the mid- to late-20th century, and in a direct line with his master, arguably the greatest master of modern English shoemaking, the London shoemaker, Nikolaus Tuczek, about whom I will write more in the coming months.

Cleverley apprenticed under the great Nikolaus Tuczek who’s stylistic influence can be seen clearly in the present pair of slippers, and, indeed in the work of many great shoemakers including Lobb who name more than one style after that master. The beauty, not to mention the historical importance of this lovely shoe cannot be exagerated. Compare it to an example from the 1950s; no other version of this shoe -and more than one fine shoemaker has made a copy- comes as close. This is a wearable work of art that distingushes the wearer, certainly one of the handsomest models of the 20th century.

The late, lamented firm of Tuczek of #17 Clifford Street, W1, bespoke society shoemaker, is a legend in the trade among historians and collectors. The importance of this master is only confirmed by the fact that George Cleverley, began his career with Nikolaus Tuczek in 1920 and remained with the firm 38 years before opening his own workshop. Tuczek’s designs, which this Cleverley Slipper follows closely, are exceptionally sleek and most often feature his characteristic chiselled toe and elastic side gussets. It can be conjectured that this was Tuczek’s legacy as there is little to compare with the dramatic lasting, the intricate detailing, and the painstaking construction of the Tuczek style. But finally it is the overall effect of the design, the harmony of decoration and sculptural form that distinguishes this shoe. There is very little to be found from the last half century that possesses the stylistic boldness or quiet equipoise of this present pair.

The company was taken over by John Lobb around 1970. In a phone call, Mr. John Hunter Lobb recalled to me that “We took over the remnant of Tuczek in 1968.” Lobb has an unbrogued model called Elastic Sided with Plain Tuczek Style Elastic – (SS597) which, no doubt, they consider derivative of the great master’s style. What is needed is a scholarly study on the modern history of shoemaking, that is to say, 19th and 20th century shoemaking, the great houses, American as well as English and Continental, the many lamented masters never mentioned (understandably) in such as the Laszlo Vass book on contemporary shoemaking, Herrenschuhe Handgearbeitet. The 20th Century began with a myriad of shoemaking workshops, both factories and cottage industry that produced some breathtakingly beautiful tours-de-force of shoemaking. These masterpieces and the artists who made them, like Tuczek and Cleverley, should be studied, the few remaining shoes photographed and memorialised. Where is the passionate, young and scholarly aficionado to do this? Please look in on this section of the website in the coming weeks at which time I hope to display some of the early 20th century shoemaking masterpieces from my collection.

Size Details:

Shoe Condition:

New with original "GC" embroidered, ultra-suede Travel Bags.

George J. Cleverley
Cap-Toe Brogued Elastic Gusseted Slipper
In the manner of Nikolaus Tuczek
Euro 1850

Von den späten 70ern bis zu seinem Tod 1991 arbeitete der grosse George Cleverley als ein Design-Consultant für die Firma “New & Lingwood”. Wir können mit Fug und Recht sagen, dass wir einen einzigartigen Half-Brogue Derby vor uns haben, von einem der weltbesten Schuhmacher, entworfen von einem der grössten Meister-Schuhmacher der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts: George Cleverly. Cleverly, der in direkter Linie wiederum von seinem Meister abstammt, dem zweifelsohne Grössten der englischen Schuhmacherkunst, dem Londoner Schuhmacher Nikolaus Tuczek, über den ich in den kommenden Monaten noch ein wenig mehr erzählen werde.

Versandkosten: Käufer zahlt EUR 6,90 Versandkosten als versichertes Paket (innerhalb Deutschlands).

Size Details:

Shoe Condition:

Neu und ungetragen mit original Ultra-Suede "GC" Travel Bags.