Has Vass Lost Its Soul

Russell Street said:
So to get back to the original topic, if one presumes that Vass has their signature style that doesn't sell enough to pay the bills, what should they do?
Just produce other styles under a different name? Create disincentives to limit the quantity of orders for style they prefer not to make?
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Well, one cannot begrudge them running a successful business. I am just wondering what other high end shoe manufacturer has had to or chosen to make such a shift. Throw in a move from hand to GYW and that is another huge change in a relatively short period of time (1987/88?).

I am sure that some of the lesser English makers lowered quality - some disappeared all together)

The Canadian shoe industry imploded.

Maybe it is unique because the traditional AH form is different from the rest of the world makers. Lord knows AH is not DW's cup of tea.
 
Russell Street said:
So to get back to the original topic, if one presumes that Vass has their signature style that doesn't sell enough to pay the bills, what should they do?
Just produce other styles under a different name? Create disincentives to limit the quantity of orders for style they prefer not to make?
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it's a slippery slope to disgruntle your existing client base. that's what they do atm.
 
sold for a dollar to John Hlustik in 1982.

Interesting points from the Gentleman's Gazette:

http://www.gentlemansgazette.com/edward-green-shoes-a/

Hlustik is credited with restoring the firm’s emphasis on uncompromising quality, and also with introducing to Northampton his techniques of burnishing and antiquing leather.

So was the period when under American ownership a time of lower quality? The era of dabbling with leather finishing began, but - my assumption here - there was no fundamental shift in the EG shape except for new lasts being developed from old lasts.

Another interesting observation that you don't often see espoused on SF:

EG says:
"When it comes to calfskin and soles, we go the extra mile to find the very finest suppliers. Some is from France, but most is from Italy. The sole leather is from a wonderful firm in Germany.”

Now, all that sounds great; but in this day and age, a Goodyear welt can be found in many shoes in the $300 range, and quite a few companies are supplied by Rendenbach for their sole leather. Moreover, antiqued and burnished leathers are increasingly popular, and many shoes last seemingly for ever; nor is a channelled welt-stitch so hard to come by. So the question for the serious shoe-buyer is this: why spend £640 ($1100) on Edward Green shoes, when you may find fully bespoke shoes for less in other parts of the world – Vienna, for instance, or Budapest?

Finally, an assertion that the EG price point is more marketing driven than actually price for best quality

The pricing of Northampton shoes is an interesting topic. It has been a fairly widespread belief in some quarters that there is a clear correlation of price and quality – that there is a hierarchy of quality, with the price increasing accordingly in proportion. However, the relationship between cost and quality might appear to be less demonstrably objective at the upper end. Personally, I can accept, having now seen everything at the Edward Green factory, that the calf leather used is of superior quality, and also that their manufacturing processes are more laborious, all justifying a higher price for their shoes. Nevertheless, one has to question whether they might not be deliberately adopting a premium pricing strategy to position the brand in a particular way.
 
talking about shifting. Lucian Maftei is wearing a double monk...

dmm.jpg
 
Rambo said:
Please tell me that's not a brown shoe with a yellow strap
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well, its just a random pic on the internet(not mine), so if mustard(murican) is yellow in your book, then yes, it is brown suede with, I would say yellow pebble grain or some other textured leather.
 
walker said:
well, its just a random pic on the internet(not mine), so if mustard(murican) is yellow in your book, then yes, it is brown suede with, I would say yellow pebble grain or some other textured leather.
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God help us all ( murican )
 
Rambo said:
How is it that you, of all people, don't find that an abomination?
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well, I didn't say that. you know about my love for doublemonks. this seems to be a saddle/dm hybrid. so why should I care about the colors?
 
thruth said:
That yellow/mustard text is hard on the eyes first thing on a Sunday morning. The shoes only slightly less so.
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some say, its called frog mustard, still there is the association with murica, since the frogs wouldn't accept is as theirs.
 
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walker said:
some say its called frog mustard, still theres the association with murica since the frogs wouldn't accept is as theirs.
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You and I may differ with respect to double monks. I still waver back and forth. After seeing Lucien's I am wavering back to your point of view!

A strange creation indeed.
 
thruth said:
You and I may differ with respect to double monks. I still waver back and forth. After seeing Lucien's I am wavering back to your point of view!

A strange creation indeed.
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differences are the salt in the soup. tbh, I have no overview on Lucians' personal collection of footwear, but as far as I remember this is the most noticeable I've seen from him so far. understood, that we haven't discussed his choices in particular, but I dropped one word or another on the favorite styles of igents and the shifting in general.

guilty myself as I have a quite unusual model in my closet. hundred percent AH, though.

Kovacs2-1.jpg
 
As a casual observer, I thought the main appeal of Vass was that it was the cheapest hand-welted shoe around. That's a decent bragging right and I wouldn't want to lose it.
 
Russell Street said:
As a casual observer, I thought the main appeal of Vass was that it was the cheapest hand-welted shoe around. That's a decent bragging right and I wouldn't want to lose it.
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thats a fair point. no one can absolutely say where the price spiral is going. I suspect that the next step is to catch up with the viennese makers. understood, that several years ago Marcell Mrsan of Koronya shoes already had a higher asking price for bespoke than some of the most reputable firms in Vienna.

I assume that Vass fill follow the mechanics of the market and when the demand is going strong they will increase their prices. this is the downside of popularity on sf.

main appeal - cheapest hand welted shoe around doesn't bode well for me. this is more in relation to your location and the willingness to discover the whole palette. fortunately there are still enough makers around in the CEE region which have a lower price point and more pride in their works. can you order over the internet - not at all.
 
Vass thread is on full speed again. a treasure trove of inanity. Namor and chogall are leading the gang... nuff said.
 
thruth said:
Yes indeed. Size adjustments in increments of 1/4 size
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actually, I have established a fitting routine for me which works and it occured to me that others could benefit from my experiences. understood, that DWFrommer thinks that all my data is rubbish and I dunno what I am doing, anyway.

I can only scratch my head with their ignorance to just use common sense. its mind boggling.
 
just read: Vass is reducing their classic styles in favor to the new and modern lasts. good luck.
 
walker said:
neither
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Ok. So, I don't follow the Vass thread, nor do I really understand what this post is about, so could you try and fill me in? I mean, I know Namor is a douchebag and all, but I was looking for something more specific to add to his resume.
 
Rambo said:
Ok. So, I don't follow the Vass thread, nor do I really understand what this post is about, so could you try and fill me in? I mean, I know Namor is a douchebag and all, but I was looking for something more specific to add to his resume.
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well, you already know that Namor always needs his exposure, right? there's no need to follow the Vass thread on sf. you could ask in an appropriate manner instead of "shooting" it out, right? If l want to know something. I try to be polite. thats the way we handle it in europe.
 
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