Everything you need to know about J.M. Weston’s exemplary footwear.

They were favoured by English golfers in the 1920s and Parisian Mods in the 1960s. They have been reinterpreted by designers including Charlie Casely-Hayford and Maison Kitsuné. They’ve been worn formally with socks and rebelliously without, and have been around for more than a century. Meet J.M. Weston, the Anglo-American-sounding shoe brand that’s about as French as it gets.

J.M. Weston’s factory was founded in Limoges in 1891 by Mr Édouard Blanchard, but the brand only got its name when his son, Mr Eugène Blanchard, headed to America in 1904 to learn modern Goodyear welting manufacturing methods in Weston, near Boston, Massachusetts. Ever since, J.M. Weston has combined tradition and innovation, injecting classics with a contemporary freshness that exudes a kind of nonchalant sophistication that’s unmistakably Parisian. By combining richly refined and raw materials, the brand manages to create shoes that are as sturdy as they are elegant.

For MR PORTER’s Vive La France project, in collaboration with 14 French brands on site, J.M. Weston has created a pair of exclusive leather-trimmed suede kiltie Derby shoes. Made in Limoges over two months and involving 150 steps, the shoes are made using the very best materials and traditional shoemaking techniques. If you’re going to get one shoe that’s emblematic of French artisanal skill – and style – this should be it.

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