It's like you have to be millionaire to afford everything that you guys recommend.

Raphael was making me so nervous the way he was using that knife and then when the crowbar slipped I audibly gasped lol

22:30, they used to put horse or pig hair in the glue to strengthen it. Today they put fiberglass and call it Tiger Hair, used mostly in marine (boats, watercraft) application

Though I don't see myself ever having a pair of shoes worth 5 figures I always look forward to the videos from each member of the broadcast team. Not a classic, formal, or vintage guy, you've all taught me how a little attention here and there can help me compliment my wife, who always looks better anyway, when we go out, and make it seem as though I actually know what I'm doing. It really is amazing how differently people react to a guy who has paid a little attention to his details.

The material between the cork and outsole is most likely a crepe material. It’s purpose is to eliminate the squeaking that sometimes occurs.

There’s something inherently funny about watching Raphael use a crowbar to take apart a shoe.

At first I though "ooh this looks like a fun gentlemens gazette video." But when Raphael actually started pulling these beautiful shoes apart.. well I need therapy now.

Have to put Raphael through the work safety training again :p

I know people are name-dropping Rose Anvil in the comments, but I feel like doing a collaboration with Trenton And Heath would be more appropriate for this channel.

The way that shank curved perfectly over Raphael's shoulder and around his head is about enough to make me believe in guardian angels. Too bad they weren't on duty for his hand!

Sadly kind of what I expected, excellent video, I enjoyed it and no need to count nails

It appears that the RTW was John Lobb Paris (Hermès) while the bespoke was John Lobb London (Family owned). They don’t really have much to do with each other.

It's almost like Raphael saw a Rose Anvil video and said, "hold my cognac!" I dig this.

Raphael bled for you. Leave him a like.

I love videos like this that takes a peek behind the wizards curtains so to speak to see what actually is the difference between factory and bespoke products. I give you nod of respect too for sacrificing a little blood for the channel. :)

This has been a welt of information.

Have to reset the "Days Without An Accident" sign at the Gentleman's Gazette studio back to zero.

I definitely recommend watching a few videos by Tring's Shoe Repair to learn how to take apart a shoe safely and efficiently ^ ^

That 'mystery' hairy stuff which did puzzle Raphael such a great deal is actually tarred felt (as used in roof insulation) and is the generally used material by West-End shoemakers. Equally West-End shoes do not have additional shanks. If the waist is properly constructed and rounded (or fiddle backed) and the heel height is within the standard range for men's shoes, the waist cannot bend lengthwise which a shank has to prevent.

Well done! And yes, very surprisingly outcome, with such a large difference we should expect a high quality product, but you showed us how we've been tricked by commerce. The good old fashion shoemaker is still the best: hand made shoes!

Today I thought I'd arrived at Rose Anvil channel by mistake :) I think some of the tape bits are intended to prevent leather slippage while machine-stitching. Interesting how the bespoke shoe appears to be made from the inner custom fit on out, while the off-the-shelf shoe is more all one unit.

Dude, You’re crazy! But thanks for dissecting the shoes. What I appreciate most is that you do it unrehearsed as if one of us laypeople. The education is priceless.

This channel is absolutely amazing. The videos are very fun to watch and I've learned a lot. There are many things I saw on this channel that I was already doing but now I understand why those things have to be done. Etiquette.

This is such an informative series with GG’s combining your creative direction with excellent opportunities for creating educational content. I certainly can’t afford $10K shoes but it doesn’t mean I’m not interested in learning what goes into the price at the fundamental level. Some might view this series as wasteful but pursuit of knowledge isn’t wasteful when done with good intentions and certainly with class and wit, as GG always exhibits. Thanks for another great video.

Those little metal pieces at the beginning are nails that were hammered in, but then the heads were cut off.

I'm probably more bothered than I should be about how out of place that huge blue ring is in a dismantelling video... *edit extra word out

I’ve always wanted to make or have a pair of boots made that are a cross between running shoes, hiking boots, and combat boots, made with high end shoe making techniques and materials. Cordovan, cork, etc. but also with a Kevlar or dyneema layers for increased protection as well as composite sections in the most vulnerable parts.

That was unique and amazing! Id love to see you take apart a canvassed suit vs a fused suit, I can imagine that would be much cheaper than this video! Wishing you a pleasant day, thank you for making mine! -Carl

really common material in the Westend school, it helps to keep wet from the ground out of the shoe

The nails holding the heel are flat because of the way they're hammered: the shoe is put onto a metal support and when the nails come in contact with the metal, the point crimps resulting in the odd shape

5:29 - Fate had it so that the metal shank had to go past Raphael's head and not his eye... phew.

I left a like for this video because your team’s dedication. But cutting out two pairs of John Lobb’s was too painful to watch to the end…

Well one thing that those nearly all good shoe brands forget is insole having good leather archsupport insole with gel and ortholite will turn every beautiful leather sole into best sportshoes they should consider it

...and now...we are looking forward to see you put them back together! This was interesting, and painful to watch!

Is nobody dying to make a joke about Sven's big blue ring? Yeah, me neither.

You cut my soul a bit.

as a boots/shoes aficionado, really appreciate the breakdown and explanation Raphael. You should collaborate with Rose Anvil. They love to tear down shoes/boots and analyse the construction too.

14:00 In school in a test on 'Industrial Arts', I was asked 'A wrench makes a very good hammer True or False?" I answered 'False' and got my mark.

We're all explorers here, unearthing together all the secrets from the Golden Age of gentlemen.

23:39 *whispers* John lobb bespoke shoe 😂

Raphael, while I really appreciate and enjoy these videos where we get to see inside things we usually don't, I am truly astonished you haven't yet lost a finger or two, what with your tool handling practices. On the edge of my seat with every thumb-out yank of a prybar, here.

The shank , is probably added to give the shoe rigidity and will propel you forward when walking . Very smart . Modern marathon running shoes have a similar shaped carbon plate , giving stiffness and the shoe recoils back after each stride . You can run long distances very fast without feeling fatigue … e.g Nike Vapor fly next % 2 , Nike Alpha Fly , Adidas adizero Adios pro 2 .

There is a big misinformation about John-Lobb. JL Paris never ever made ready to wear shoes, that are actually made in the UK's factory in Northampton. JL bespoke shoes are made both in Paris (which is one of the most important bespoke shoes workshop in the world), and in London St Jaime's street, which is the "historical" John-Lobb's family workshop.

If it interests you, there is a KZfaq that specializes in the dissection and examination of footwear in particular. Rose Anvil will bisect a shoe and examine the construction of a shoe from sole to tongue, and everything in between. Well worth checking out.

Great informative video. PS: I really love that plant in the background. Where did you bought it?

Please do an analysis of Don Johnson's wardrobe/style as Detective Sonny Crockett in 1980s series Miami Vice, as there's been a recent sequel. I know this very famous series was before your time. We would love to hear your chaps's take on that. Your channel is very enjoyable, watching here in the UK 🇬🇧

2:19 something I never thought I would hear on this channel. But it seems like gentlemen are also human.

good job! thank you for the extra steps you took to share the information! now let's watch you put them back together.

Have you considered the idea of making a video about brooches?

Schneider.. der haarschnitt steht dir sehr gut! Macht dich dynamischer!

So many near misses Raphael! 😶 Please remember eyes and fingers don’t grow back 😬. To be honest I could not finish watching the video 😵‍💫

How much do you think it actually cost John Lobb to make the ready to wear pair, and how much for the bespoke pair, including the salary of the person taking the measurements of the customer’s feet? Considering that John Lobb has standard procedures to follow to minimize time, costs, and maximize profit, I wouldn’t be surprised if the real cost is less than 25% of the price for the RTW shoe, The bulk of the profit going to the distributors. The real profit for JL is in the bespoke pair.

I have got to say that this was a beautiful looking video, maybe it's the colourgrading but the close up is very pleasing to watch and the editing is smooth. Great video production 👍

It's called a heel rand Raphael. Fun video!

Suffering for the art of shoe demolition. ^^

Tbh, even if I would have the money to buy bespoke shoes from John Lobb, I wouldn't. Of course there is indeed a lot of work and they are made with a lot of skill, but since I am not into names but into quality (and of course style) I am pretty sure I can find the same quality from a less known brand for a lower price from another craftsmen. Especially since I am living in germany italy isn't that far away, so I could get those shoes while saving enough money to be able to afford the vacation there with the saved money. Of course they are great and I understand where the price comes from, but are they really five times better than a bespoke shoe for 2000? I don't think so.

Bedo and the Potters make it look soooo easy. LOL

Raphael is just a soo sweet loove seeing him.

What a nice way to destroy good value shoes and do not explain anything interesting related to the different construction methods. What kind of ignorance showed in this video. It is better to invite an expert to deconstruct properly those shoes and give proper explanations about materials, parts and quality.

Great job! Thank you for your analyzing and looking forward in GG shoes next time.

At 2:25 Coconut Husk, maybe?

A good idea would be to hire a cobler to open the shoes and explain the différences...

Loved that Pinky Ring you had on. I am a Lapus stone fan. They have always been popular until the last 10 years or so. Can you share some information on that ring, where can I get one? Moonpie

the black sticky filler in the front part of the bespoke shoes is probably tar felt

Did no one show you how to use (or rather not use) an x-acto knife? You’re asking for that blade to fly into your eyeball!

Me thinks a gentleman should invest in a decent pair of safety glasses before adventuring on any future "engineering" endeavours. You only got one pair of eyeballs.

I'm unsure whether the dismantled bespoke shoe was the one for the shorter leg but, if so, perhaps the 'horse hair mixture' and foam inserts to the sole were, like the thicker heel, to compensate for the leg length discrepancy?

I’d like to see you guys cutting into a Meermin Linea Maestro shoes

Next video: vintage workwear.

If I had that much money I would have never watched this cobbling work😀😀

I believe that John Lobb Paris' shoes are made in Northampton, England. There are still plenty to choose from being as Loake, Barker, Church's, Trickers, Cheaney, Crockett & Jones etc. So although they are based in Paris their shoes are made in England. Obviously John Lobb bespoke shoes are made in England. And are a tad pricey.

Why did the bespoke shoe not have a shank? Is that normal?

Paging Nicole Rudolph [Shoe maker and designer for American Duchess historical shoes. She sometimes makes shoes on her channel ]

"gentleman-ly suffering for knowledge"

I’m glad you survived that lol holy moley man be careful!!

fascinating

You might want to wear some leather gloves or work gloves when doing this. Beautiful ring in the first half.

Omg that metal thing was so close to his face he could have lost an eye...

Raphael you are awesome! Please don't count the nails on video though ;) I own several pairs from Shoepassion and would really like it if you would dissect a pair of boots from them! (their boots are 360 GYW)

Dude. Seriously its disgusting to see you destroy such fine stuff.

Wow !

I enjoy cobblers cutting shoes apart, but regular people cutting shoes apart is just too dangerous and even disrespectful.

hey great vlog, whats the name of that shoe tool you were using. Juhaptergee

Yes, but can you put them back together now? ;)

How to break all health and safety rules when using a knife...🤣

Now put thee back together

Well, what you have illustrated is that John Lobb shoes are incredibly overrated.

Could you do a video on burning $10,000 in a fire to see what it's made out of?

5:29 - Living on The Edge.

You almost got "shanked"! Close escape

A little painful to watch, but very instructive. I watch a cobbler occasionally tear down expensive shoes, but it's always in the process of restoring them.

This video is good need to wear glove n safety equipment before tier thing apart..all the best boss

This video needs an ASMR tag too!

Would love to have seen Raphael wearing a morning suit when making this video.

Somehow I knew there was going to be an injury as soon as you started.

While a John Lobb bespoke shoe is an incredible shoe, $10,000 for the pair is, in my opinion, grossly overpriced.

"One, two, three ... quite a few nails."

Wao that was destructive

Great job. Interestiing to see this. My most expensive dress shoes I own are only 550 bucks. Also a beautiful ring. Where do you have it from?

This is supper kewl