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2016.07.05 update

[Interview] GEORGE CLEVERLEY , George Glasgow Jr. | Another Cleverley

In 2013, George Cleverley, a prestigious bespoke tailor, launched Anthony Cleverley, a prestige ready-to-wear line. Anthony is the nephew of the founder, George, whom he treated like a thorn in his side, and he is a solitary genius.


The Cleverley family has two men who have left their mark on shoe history: one is George, and the other is Anthony.
Tuzek is a legendary bespoke shoe shop founded by Nicholas Tuzek, who was from Czechoslovakia. George worked there for about 40 years, starting in 1920 when he was 22 years old. After Nicholas retired, Tuzek was run by George and his relatives, one of whom was Anthony.

It's astonishing considering how he was regarded by later generations, but George was 60 years old when he put up his own banner. His success stemmed not only from the skill that had supported the prestigious school, but also from establishing a new style.
The chisel toe—a toe shape with a complex interplay of straight and curved lines resembling a chisel blade—was a culture shock for gentlemen in an era when only simple round toes were available. Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Fred Astaire… A glamorous list of clients was immediately compiled, and it continued to be updated year after year.


He closed his shop at the age of 77, but that didn't mean the end of his craftsmanship. At 95, he entrusted the Cleverley brand to two of his beloved apprentices, John Canella and George Glasgow. The following year, he launched his ready-to-wear line, establishing the current structure of the brand.
Anthony lived a separate life from this main branch of the family. Following in George's footsteps, Anthony also adopted the chiseltoe as his house style. The current head of the family, George Glasgow Jr., says:
"The two of them, having honed their skills in the same environment, likely shared similar aesthetic sensibilities. However, precisely because of this, they became at odds and went their separate ways. Their relationship was never repaired until the very end."
Anthony's chisel toe knives were more aggressively artistic than George's. Anthony had a disability in his lower limbs. His obsession with beauty had given rise to a state of perfection. The solitary genius, who had made his workshop in the attic, was visited by gentlemen just as famous as George.



The reunion of two people who had gone their separate ways.
George Glasgow Jr., son of George Glasgow, studied politics and economics and initially worked in finance in New York before taking over the family business in 2010. "It was a natural progression for me, having grown up surrounded by shoes."
"Right now, I'm doing trunk shows, so I'm away from London for almost half the year. The amount of time I spend above the clouds is no different to the Rolling Stones. The only difference is my income (laughs)."
While traveling the world, Junior has also worked to strengthen the production system. The workshops he started in Cleverley, Canella, and Glasgow have grown into a large organization of 60 people, including outworkers. In a declining industry, Junior has managed to cultivate such talent and successfully acquire new customers, making him a true go-getter.
The comeback of Anthony Cleverley had been planned behind the scenes.


"It was our long-cherished dream to revive Anthony's name, which had been buried in history, by fully reflecting our capabilities—namely, the craftsmanship of bespoke artisans—through ready-to-wear clothing."

Anthony Cleverley bases his designs on shoes ordered by his past clients, such as Churchill and Givenchy. Using the same top-quality materials as his bespoke line, including calfskin, and featuring a beveled waist, a small heel cup following a fiddleback, and a pitched heel, the shoes evoke a glamorous, feminine silhouette. This collection, the result of trial and error by Junior, the last maker, and the still-energetic Papa Glasgow, is truly worthy of the hype.


"The most challenging part was creating the wooden molds. I think it took me three to four years to complete just one."
Junior makes a sarcastic joke, saying that it's been 15 years since he started working for us, and that he's finally starting to get the hang of things. The true craftsman, however, stubbornly replies that he's only just beginning.
The shape of a shoe is like the engine of a car—the impression changes completely depending on the last. This is a comment that seems to be the cornerstone of George Cleverley, who taught this to gentlemen around the world. But what is most pleasing is that someone has retied the shoelaces of the uncle and nephew, whose talent had come undone and caused their careers to falter.

Text: Takegawa Keiji
Photo: Okada Natsuko

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