A modern-day cobbler relies on faith, old world methods and lots of talent to design some of the coolest shoes around today. Couture caught up with George Esquivel to learn about his artistic motivation, why he does shoes in such a unique and painstaking way, and how he comes up with those fabulous shoe names.
Q Tell me, which designers do you admire?
A NDC shoes — the designer there is a friend of mine, just amazing stuff. In terms of a huge brand, it would probably be what Bottega Veneta does — I love their stuff. Love the classics, with K Swiss for sneakers. For denim, it would be Crate denim — that is what I wear. In terms of things like T-shirts, I like a brand called Apolis. They are really good.
Q Tell me five things you can not live without.
A My wife, my kids, my Bible, my phone, my faith.
Q If you were not designing shoes, what would you be doing?
A Designing bags. It would definitely be some form of designing.
Q You are a self-trained artist, yet you were fortunate enough to train under Emigdio Canales, the retired master cobbler. What was that like and how did that come about?
A It was all by chance. I was looking for somebody to make a pair of shoes for me and for some reason we ended up liking each other, and next thing you know, I was his apprentice. It all started from selfish beginnings, because I wanted someone to make shoes for me, and it turned out that everyone wanted the shoes that I was having made for myself. So I was having them made for rock stars and television celebrities. It just took off and that is how it all came about. It was God taking care of it. I really live a fantasy, a dream. I walk into my shop and there are guys making my shoes. Amazing, and I'm truly blessed by it.
Q What is one of the greatest shoe moments you have had in your life thus far?
A I think every time someone buys a pair of my shoes, it's a great shoe moment. It is not just one thing, because it could be an expensive shoe or one of the lower price point shoes, but someone invested money into my product and that makes me feel really good. That is a high point for me.
Q If someone were to examine your hands, what story would your hands tell?
A Hard work, it's as plain and simple as that. That is what it comes down to.
Q Is it true that every pair of your shoes are handmade? And how labor intensive is it from start to finish?
A Every shoe is handmade, and handmade is the term I use to mean it is hand-lasted, cut by hand. They are not stitched by hand, that is done by machine, but there is someone running it through the machine. The soles are hand-finished, then there is hand staining, hand varnishing. There are over 100 steps to create the shoes and also some of my shoes take up to four hours just to cut. Any of the shoes that have perforation on the toes are first hand-marked then stamped out by hand with hammer and a punch. For the shoe that has a special design branded on the leather, like the Muerte, that is done by hand by an artist and can take four hours to burn into one shoe.
Q Why do you make shoes that way?
A Why cut corners? I want to do things that are something special, unique. I'm not into this "become a millionaire overnight, sell 500,000 pairs of shoes." That is not what I am into, I want to sell shoes but not cut corners — not like that.
Q From the names of your shoes, The Don, Gunslinger, Parliament II, it would seem that movies, film and possibly music, influence your naming convention. How do you arrive at each name?
A You look at a shoe and think, "What does this remind you of?" It could look like something an old jazz musician would wear or something that a Mob boss would have. The Hobo shoe was named because it looked like one of the old hobo/Charlie Chaplin shoes.
Q What five pairs of shoes should the average man have in his closet?
A A lace-up in gray with a black burnish; a fun slip-on in a brown shade or olive green; a crisp, clean white sneaker — the K Swiss classic; a guy must do a boot like a lace-up or work boot; and a crazy, wild dress shoe like the Muerte! Guys also need to spend more than $200 for a pair of shoes, at least one pair, $400 or more. It is about quality. See, that is the laziness of it — you are going to go through a $99 shoe quickly, and buy it three or four times. There goes that $400 or $500 pair of shoes. It is also mental. If you pay $400 for a pair of shoes, you are not going to just go out and scuff those up. You are going to take care of them. They last longer. They age beautifully and the leather gains character as it ages.
Canadian Shoppers