Alec Bray
Off to a special event. Thought that I had better wear some “proper” shoes, rather than the trainers that I now normally knock about in.
Accordingly I rummaged around in the wardrobe, and found one of the two pairs of black shoes that I used to wear when I was at work. This pair – Clarks – was the more comfortable of the two, so that was a good find.
A bit dusty, having sat in the bottom of the wardrobe for some time since their last excursion. Accordingly, took them downstairs, found the black shoe polish and set to work. Hands inside shoe to support the uppers, a good rub all round. No problem.
Back upstairs, got ready, put on the nice, now shiny, shoes. Walked downstairs, walked through the garden, walked to the car, got in.
Off we went to the venue (my wife drove). Arrived a little early, sat in the car chatting. Went to get out of the car – something felt a little strange in the foot area. Looked down at my left foot, to see the start of a split between the sole and the upper. Wiggled my foot: the split got bigger and bigger. Eventually the split went all the way round the join between the sole and the upper. I’d lost my sole! What to do? What to do?
Then when I moved my right foot, the split happened on that shoe as well! It started to split all the way round the seam, starting from the mid point of the instep, round the toecap, round the outside of the shoe. No sole mio! In best Victor Meldrew voice : "… I don’t believe it !"
To recap – I’d walked downstairs, through the garden, down the path to the car – with nothing untoward: and now, after a half-hour drive, I had no shoes, just two uppers and two soles, totally disconnected !
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You just couldn’t make this up – I would not have believed it if it had occurred in a sitcom!
[Resolution: no one really looks at feet, and a pair of black socks can, with care, almost look like soft pumps… I confessed later.]
Dave Mundy
I’ve had Clarks like that!
Pete Hales
I still have a pair of Clarke’ fur lined boots which I bought in circa 1980 when I went to OBs, the fur is somewhat flattened but they still keep my toes warm.
Bought a pair of Clarks shoes today, quite expensive but I know they will last.
Chris Woolf
Sadly that may not be the case.
I’ve had a couple of pairs of shoes – both top-end makes and in the £70 range – which had nothing like the longevity of the shoes one bought a few decades ago With one the sole/upper connection went within an hour of wearing them. When queried with the maker I was told they were old stock, and must have been sitting on the retailer’s shelf for about 6 years. The rubber composite of the sole isn’t reckoned to last that long, apparently.
With the other pair the soles cracked across. In essence they were made of a version of chipboard – get them wet a few times the stuff disintegrates.
Since almost all Clarks shoes are made in Portugal, Vietnam, China etc it would be very surprising if they used significantly better materials than their competition. Shoes are reckoned as fashion items and not expected to survive more than a year or two.
The only shoes likely to last a decade or so, and be truly repairable, are handmade ones with everything stitched together. They can cost around £250 a pair, but are infinitely cheaper in cost/mile, cost/year or any other measure you care to use.
Nick Ware
I feel the need to speak in defence of Clarks shoes!
Both of my daughters worked at our local High Street Clarks shop on-and-off from as soon as they were old enough to do so, through their school and Uni days.
We think compared to many, they are an honourable company. Of course, it’s some time since it was commercially viable to manufacture everything in their Street, Somerset factory, but I don’t believe quality has suffered that much. I might be biased, having benefited a number of times from the Girls’ staff discount perk, but in most cases I’ve been told I have to throw away my favourite and perfectly good well-worn shoes simply because they look lived-in and scruffy.
The company runs regular employee training days, some in Somerset, some locally. As well as being product familiarity training, and crucially, children’s shoe-fitting know-how, it’s a team building exercise. And there are incentives as opposed to compulsory targets: Ellie won the annual employee-of-the-year prize of £1000 three years ago, and on top of that, they both have received quite generous financial support in their on-going University education. I doubt if your average box-shifting company does any of that.
The Street factory is now an outlet store, and the online store is worth a look. A good old English company that’s grown as they have since they began in 1825 gets my vote of confidence any day.
Obviously, if in spite all that, the products are no good it’s all for nothing, but I don’t think that’s the case.
Pat Heigham
I went to Clarks Street village outlet and got a super pair of very lightweight shoes at £37.50, usual price £45. Love them, very comfortable fit.
A word of warning, however – if I may…
A pair of Clarks needed re-soleing – Clarks do not offer a factory based repair service, instead I was advised to take them to Timpsons.
Not good! I was assured that they would be repaired to the same factory standard, exactly as before. I was relieved of £45, up front. On collecting the shoes, I found that, instead of the air-filled lightweight soles, they now sported extremely heavy soles that must have been reconstructed from tractor tyres! Shoes now relegated to gardening duty. Couldn’t walk any distance in them.
I should have gone to my local cobblers, who are wonderfully old-fashioned and do a marvellous job on shoes well past their normally useful life!
John Nottage
Don’t start me off on modern shoes! In the olden days you wore your shoes till they looked too tatty on top, replacing heels, and, occasionally, soles. Then they invented new material for the soles and heels. Now the soles and heels break up or crumble into bits and pieces long before the tops wear out. There’s nothing left for new heels or soles to be stuck to, and the shoes go into the bin looking perfectly good. Maddening!
Just before I left the BBC they gave me some steel-toecap trainers. I’ve been using them on my Common walks and beach cleans. Then a month or so ago I got them out to put on and found little bits of black stuff left behind on the floor. Closer inspection showed the underneath was mostly missing, just a few bits of rubbery stuff left. Into the bin they had to go, though they looked perfectly good from above. Not prepared to fork out for hand-made shoes though…
Dave Mundy
No problem! Just wander down the main street in Itaewon, in Seoul, and they will make you a pair for less than £30 – at least they did for Martin Mathewson in 1988, plus a new suit, several shirts and ties, all personally fitted in his hotel room for a few pounds, in less than a week!
Hugh Sheppard
A few years ago, BBCPA held a regional members meeting in Brighton. An elderly soul (aren’t we all?) came and was clearly done up to the nine’s for the occasion, having once been a wardrobe supervisor. I noticed her shiny black shoes and, as we left, saw a few black bits on the floor where she had been sitting. On returning to check with Friends House staff that all was done and dusted, I found them hoovering the corridor and the ladies room, recovering most of a pair of black shoes in pieces.
How did she get home?
Alasdair Lawrance
I was in Schipol Airport when I felt something funny on the sole of my shoe, and it was disintegrating – an ‘ecco’ pair at that. Our luggage had been checked through from Brum anyway, so we couldn’t access replacements.
So I had to buy a pair from the Timberland shop in the airport. With no need for the box, the assistant put the old, disintegrating ones in, and asked, "Would you like to say goodbye to them?"
It lightened the mood, anyway!
I’ve started buying from ‘Hotter’ shoes. They’re made mostly in Skelmersdale, and they do half sizes, which suits me very well.
Peter Cook
I too buy Hotter Shoes, but my everyday shoes have for 25 or 30 years been "Lomer" shoes from Hawkshead, made in Italy. I used to buy them at Hawkshead shops until the High Street outlets all but vanished. But the Rambler shoe is of consistent quality, ‘fit’ and comfort.
For ‘work’ I used to have both black and brown, but now buy just brown. I find that even when worn most days, they last about 3 years. (longer than Clarks in the past).
Lomers have like so many items increased in price; my last pair was about £60, probably cheaper than Hotter. The only thing is that the tread pattern collects dirt and I get told off for bringing mud in!!
Pete Hider
Apropos of soft shoe allowance shoes. I can remember a boom-op, whose name was Norman, proudly showing me the new Roman sandals he’d bought abroad on holiday. Boom-ops feet are invariably at the cameraman’s nose level and on a “Softly Softly” the studio was particularly hot. The smell from the shoes began to make my eyes water and he explained they were goats’ leather and without a doubt they honked of deceased goat. Half way through the recording he had to abandon them as even he was being overwhelmed. He didn’t wear them again at work.
Jim Atkinson (Sen Cam. extraordinaire) was always on the lookout for a bargain and having taken a bag of clothes to the charity shop spotted a pair of beautiful brown Barkers brogue shoes in the window. When asked the assistant if he could take them in exchange for what he’d bought in she said the classic line "What do you think we are, a charity?" He forked out the required £7, she put them in a bag. He got home to show his wife Sally only to discover a hole in both soles which cost him £30 to have them repaired. I still invariably wear Clarks shoes and they are comfortable.
I think it was Dick Lennox who bought a pair of Bally shoes which went through the sole in six weeks. He complained to the shop where he was asked where he’d walked. He said along streets to work. They were aghast. They’re not designed for pavements Sir only interiors. He got a refund . I hope I’ve got my facts right but if not why spoil a good story with facts.
