Camden
Wholecut Oxford Black

Black patina Oxford with Vibram rubber sole

Black is the most versatile and classic colour and looks great for work and special occasions.

These are Italian made wholecuts, using full grain calf leather Being a wholecut, each shoe is made from a single piece of high quality calf leather, so there has to be no defects. There is just a single joining piece at the back. It’s a very elegant, dressy formal shoe, ideal for work and special occasions. Black is a very versatile and classic colour. The shoes would work well both at the office and special occasions such as weddings and black tie events.

The shoe has closed lacing that makes it the oxford a formal shoe. There is a re-inforcing stay stitch for strength.

Craftsmanship/attention to detail

Looking inside, we see the Thomas Bird branding, embossed into a piece of calf leather, foam backed for added comfort. The top line is neat, with no raw edges, as we taper or ‘skyve’ the edge, then fold and stitch it. We use a genuine full leather insole. Inside the heel, the reverse counter, we use suede to stop your heel slipping. We use round, waxed laces with are anti slip to keep your bows tied up.

What you can’t see are the two stiffeners, between the calf upper and lining. There is one in the toe and another at the back around the heel. These are important to keep the shoe looking good as it ages, and we use longer, high quality stiffeners to achieve this.

Stitched Vibram rubber sole

The long lasting Vibram rubber sole is stitched onto the leather upper with a traditional Italian method called Blake Stitching. This an in-channel, lock stitching technique, so even if one stitch is worn or breaks, the other stitches will be still securely locked in place. And being stitched, the sole can be easily replaced when it eventually wears. We prefer blake stitching to Goodyear Welting as we think it produces a lighter, more elegant and flexible shoe, with a neater, less visible edge.