Well, that's kind of the point...whether or not you like the guy, or his blog, or his shoes...he's walked the walk like I said: worked in mainstream retail, apprenticed to a serious shoemaker, worked in service/retail in a rather more upmarket setting, and basically hung himself out there for abuse and debate for years, then finally gone through the whole process of manufacturing - which even though it's not his factory, still involves design, buying leather and understanding how the whole business works. So I'd assume he's learned something, and from what little I know, it seems so.
On the level, I've dropped in to see him a couple of times, and I guess by now I'd call him a friend. But there's no e-cock-sucking here, hell, I haven't even bought his shoes, I just respect a guy who's put in the hard yards to get to his ambition of producing a line of shoes. I've no idea what the Shipton Heneage thing was about; haven't seen that so I won't judge. But it wouldn't be the first time he's been rude about someone. And yes, he's big buddies with Tony Gaziano, but I don't think he makes any secret of it - after all, he openly credits him for help in developing some of the JF lasts.
Sartodi Napoli
do you like more Santoni than Carmina?