Every Clog Has Its Day

Featured Designer: JackieLoveClogs

or those of us who are enamored of handmade crafts and artistically wrought jewelry, Etsy is a godsend. It's an outpost of individuality and creativity in a world that as you know tends toward mass production and the lowest common denominator.

I've fallen in love with clothing there.

 

Recycled sweater clothing from Katwise

 

Handknit sweaters and accessories from MyAqua

 

I've been delighted by the one-of-a-kind jewelry that's for sale.

 

Handcrafted metalwork jewelry from MemoryMuse

 

Jewelry from Akelar

 

And I've even been able to make a vintage purchase or two.

 

1970s era Famolare clog boots from RoslynVTGTradingCo

 

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to discover the handmade clogs being fashioned in England by Jackie Leggett and sold on Etsy under the name JackieLoveClogs. I mean, just look at these adorable shoes!

I first called Ms. Leggett's handiwork to your attention here on ECHID this past June. But ever the curious clog lover, I had to get in touch with her to find out more about her fabulous footwear and how it came into being.

ECHID:  You chose a career in fashion with a degree in footwear design. What inspired you to take that path back in your college days?

JACKIE:  This I decided on way back when I was 12/13 years old. My Dad was in the shoe industry and opened his own shoe factory when I was young, so I pretty much grew up around shoes……in the blood you might say!! I spent a lot of my free time and holidays hanging out and working there. I came to the conclusion that I didn’t want an ordinary job and being interested in art, fashion and design thought I know I’ll be a shoe designer! That led me eventually to doing a degree in footwear design.

ECHID:  Your great-grandfather was a clog maker. How did you happen to choose clogs as the style of footwear to focus on?

JACKIE:  I started looking at clogs for my final degree show collection back in 1992. I liked the traditional basic construction, the industrial nature of old British working clogs. I also loved the noise they made when you walked in them…..simple pleasure!! I was inspired to pursue clogs after hearing stories from my Mam about great grandad’s clog shop and memories of her running around and playing in clogs he had made for her. She then bought me a pair of traditional clogs made in Caldbeck Cumbria by Joseph Strong & Son the last clog maker in Cumbria.  They have closed now, but that really cemented my fascination.

[You can read a little more about Joseph Strong & Son in this article Ms. Leggett provided from the DailyMail.co.uk website.]

ECHID:  Do you have any of your great-grandfather's shoes today?

JACKIE:  Sadly no I think he died when my Mam was a young girl. The only thing I’ve got is the photo of the shop.

 

ECHID:  You graduated in 1992, but you only started selling JackieLovesClogs designs on Etsy at the end of last year. Were you making clogs all that time and selling them in the U. K.? Or is JackieLovesClogs a return to clog making after pursuing other ventures?

JACKIE:  After graduating my clog collection was noticed by fashion designer Helen Storey at the New designers exhibition London: she wanted to show and sell them with her next collection. This gave me the impetus to get them in production - developing the last and clog sole I use today. I then went on to sell them to shops and personal customers here in the uk. I did have a break from them while I did other styles of shoes and then ran a small shoe factory making for various customers. I then shrank back from that working from a workshop at home I’ve been making leather bags for a designer friend and a few shoes for personal customers. In my time away I had continued to wear my clogs and loved them, even got married in them ! It was always in the back of my mind that I needed to start producing the clogs again, so after some encouragement from my family I got the website together and the Etsy shop.

ECHID:  Your clogs are very solidly designed and sturdily constructed. At the same time, they're colorful and delightful. How did you evolve your decidedly playful take on this traditional footwear?

JACKIE:  The clogs are really solid - I’m still wearing a pair I made in the early 1990’s. I’ve always liked colourful design in any form and particularly kids stuff. I would often see things I like and then get disappointed that they are for kids and not in adult sizes, I don’t see why adults can’t have fun playful fashion and footwear. I've always liked looking at traditional detail on shoes and twisting it playing with it and coming up with something new and original. I suppose a lot of the details just come out of my doodles, like the hearts for instance.

ECHID:  Where have your shoes been all this time??? I've been scouring the web for interesting clogs since 2009, and I've never run across any wood soled shoes that are as fun as yours. How come we're just discovering them now?

JACKIE:  It’s so nice of you to say. It’s really like I said they were hiding away in my garden workshop waiting for me to get my act together and get them on a website. I also only want to sell direct to the public with small scale production all by one woman’s hands!! So won’t be selling through shops and other outlets. It makes me and my clogs a bit harder to find, but more exclusive!!

 

ECHID:  Do you ever work with larger soles? (I ask because I take a UK 9 myself, and I have other readers who are at the tall end of the spectrum, too. Can you do special orders?

JACKIE:  You’re not the first person to ask me that lately. My clogs are clog sized uk 3 – 8 but they are big, I myself wear a size 4 clog and 5-6 trainers and boots and it’s been the same for other people I’ve made for, all gone down a size. I did go into detail about the dimensions of each size on the website but I do wonder sometimes if I should re size them to shoe sizes instead of clog sizes which have always been traditionally bigger in British clogs. I get my soles turned at a last makers from a size 4 model, I can go up and down 5 sizes so I would be able to get a size 9 sole made. I plan to investigate this next time I order some.

ECHID:  You mentioned that you do other leather work. Can you point me to other things you create that I can share with my readers.

JACKIE:  I also make a small selection of cute leather heart necklaces which I’m planning to put on the website and Etsy soon. I’m also going to be selling them at a Christmas selling event “Theverything” in Leicester in November, it will be their showcase!!

 

ECHID:  What are you most proud of in your craft? You’ve been working with leather and making things to wear for around 25 years now. What gives you a great deal of satisfaction or feeling of accomplishment as you look back?

JACKIE:  I just love the process of making something that’s beautifully finished that has colour and detail that makes me smile when it’s complete. Something that is stylish and will stand the test of time and keep popping out of peoples wardrobes for years and hopefully bring a smile to their face too. I suppose also that you never stop learning new techniques and ways of making.

 

 

 

Featured Designer: Sandgrens Clogs...and more

ow's your 2016 going? Feeling revitalized? Reinvigorated? Ready to meet the challenges of a new year? I hit the ground running with a major project at my corporate day job that needed to be created, promoted, assembled, and completed within a week and a half. And then before we could be lulled into thinking the excitement was over, the general manager of my company was eased out and new blood was brought in to lead us to new heights. (Though I will say I am loving this new guy. During his town meeting introduction to the gathered staff he said that his "brand" included the Five Fs: fairness, focus, fun, family, and forgiveness. Actually, I'm a little hazy now on the first three, but I do clearly recall him naming the last two. Primarily because they were such a departure from what one would expect in the culture of a corporation. It was a simple thing to say. But for a lot of us, it was a like a window had been opened and fresh air had blown into the room.) But before my co-workers and I in our corner of the cluster could catch our breaths, our immediate supervisor was given a realignment of his duties. This is someone who'd helped build our department to considerable heights over the past 30 years, but who had also seen it languish as new technologies and new ways of doing things began to develop. It was a classic case of needing to get in step with the times or step aside. And I don't need to tell you that in such situations, digging in one's heels never accomplishes anything. So now those of us who had been doing our duties under one particularly constricted mode of operating are suddenly feeling the freedom to stretch our wings and fly with this new opportunity.

Does that give you an idea what my year has been like?  And it's only the third week of January!

As the apocryphal Chinese curse goes, "May you live in interesting times." And so I do.

 

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Featured Designer: Sandgrens Clogs 

First, a little background.

Sandgrens Clogs traces its origins to the 19th century when a Swedish tanner first opened his doors. As the company logo states proudly, "Made in Sweden since 1846."

 

Sandgrens may have been around a long time, but by the time the clog craze swept the world in the 1970s, they were by no means the only maker. Brands such as Olaf Daughters, Sanita, Båstad, Eskil's, and more come to mind. In a 2011 Featured Designer post on ECHID, I interviewed Dave Giese, the then new owner of Ugglebo Clogs, and he provided some clog making history.

"Keep in mind that there were over 200 clog makers in Sweden during the 1970's so I am guessing you might have missed a few of the smaller brands. 

Believe it or not, over 1,000,000 pairs of Sandgrens were sold per year at the peak, and yes, our Sandgrens brand was definitely here in the United States! Actually, Ugglebo's founder worked for Sandgrens for 15 years before getting started on his own and founding Ugglebo.  

Ugglebo started selling Ugglebo Clogs to Eskil Gidholm (founder of Eskil's Clog Shop) in the late 1960's. Eskil was a great salesman, and I am guessing his authentic Swedish accent helped as well. He started with his own retail shop and also imported Ugglebo Clogs for wholesaling. In the later part of the 1970’s Eskil founded Eskil’s Clog Shop."

That was in August of 2011. By November of 2012 I caught wind of some new developments in the world of wood-soled shoes, and I naturally passed it along on ECHID:

"Ugglebo is changing its name to Sandgrens. From what I've read, it's a brand name that has as much heritage as Ugglebo. And there's some reasoning behind the transition that's been offered:

Why Sandgrens?

Both our founder and his son Christer (our current Clog Master) learned the art of clog making at the Sandgrens factory in Sweden during the 1950’s. It was there that clog making became more than just a job; it became an art and a passion for our entire family, now in its 3rd generation."

Next thing I knew, one of people at Sandgrens came knocking on my e-door to see if I'd be interested in bringing my readers up to date with what's been happening with this legendary brand lately. And you know, of course, that I said, "Yes, please!"

 

I poked around the Sandgrens Clogs website, ogled the fresh looking styles, noted the familiar faces, and proceeded to fire off a handful of questions to the now still owner Dave Giese. It's one thing to be making clogs when the style is all the rage. But I wanted to find out what Sandgrens is up to today. We started our conversation talking about one of the founders of clog making in North America, Sven Carlsson, a craftsman who learned his trade at the Sandgrens factory in Sweden 65 years ago.

 

Sven and Christer Carlsson

 

ECHID:  Sven Carlsson appears to be one of the handful of people responsible for bringing clog making to this country. What inspired him to travel to the United States from Sweden?  

DAVE:  Christer’s dad (Sven Carlsson) had huge demand here in the United States in the 1970’s. It was an opportunity to be closer to his customers, save shipping time and costs and meet overall demand. His initial visits to the USA were sales related and, of course, that grew into bringing manufacturing here.

ECHID:  And once he got to the U. S., what inspired him to make clogs in this country?  Was there even a clog market here at the time?

DAVE:  Yes, he actually moved here in the 1970’s at the peak of the clog craze so there was more than adequate demand, particularly teenage fashion.  

It seems that after visiting countless times he simply saw the opportunity here and seized it!

 

Making another clog fan happy in the Sandgrens workshop

 

ECHID:  How did his son Christer come to be a clog maker, too?  What inspired him to take that career path?  And why?  I mean, was it the appeal of creating attractive footwear?  Or the sense of supplying a needed demand?  Or the desire provide footwear that were beneficial to wearers?  

DAVE:  Christer grew up making clogs. He started hammering nails with his dad when he was 5 or 6 so it is really something that was simply part of the family. But the demand was so great for the products by the time he was in his late-teens that there really wasn’t much of a decision for Christer. They needed him, and he answered the calling. Clog design and manufacturing is something that Christer grew to love, and it has been his career for a half century.

 

ECHID:  What happened to the (original) Sandgrens in Sweden? Did they go out of business and the Carlssons got the name?  

DAVE:  When clogs went out of fashion in the 1980’s there were some struggles for all Swedish clog makers. Christer saw an opportunity and bought Sandgrens. Christer continued to sell Sandgrens after his purchase, but with our new designs we certainly have seen an increase in demand.

Sandgrens Clogs new spring collection

 
ECHID:  You and Christer were featured prominently in my post about Ugglebo Clogs five years ago. And then the company became Sandgrens.  Can you tell me in a nutshell how that came about? 

DAVE:  Basically there was a year long decision to re-brand our name and focus on our long history, quality, and Swedish heritage. When a re-branding like this takes place it appears as though one day it just changes, which to some degree from a customer’s perspective, it does. However, there were thousands and thousands of man hours put into the transition, and we have been very happy with the results. Christer’s dad started his clog making career at Sandgrens and continues his clog making today nearly three quarters of a century later. Having Sandgrens and sharing our products is very special to us.

Sandgrens Clogs new spring collection 

 

ECHID:  What makes the Sandgrens line distinctive? There are a variety of clog makers active in America and elsewhere in the world. What sets the Sandgrens line apart from them?  

DAVE:  Quality and craftsmanship no doubt! If I look at a pair of clogs, even a new design that doesn’t have a name on it, I can tell with 90% probability who manufactured the clogs or clog boots.  

Christer and his dad are gifted clog makers and they have passed down their skills to all of the members of the Sandgrens team.  

The attention to detail in every aspect of production and the demand for a perfect fit of the leather to the wooden base is not something other clog makers take the time to do. We take the time to do things right that others don’t. We also focus on high quality raw materials that other clog makers don’t such as vegetable tanned leathers. Vegetable tanned leathers are very difficult to work with. No other clog makers can match the talent we have, and I can’t actually think of any in the USA or Sweden that even try to work with vegetable tanned leather.

Sandgrens Clogs new arrival clog boots

 

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Let me just put my two cents in here. The above image is from the Sandgrens page for New Arrival Clog Boots. And what immediately struck me was the number of color options available. That's just crazy fun! And while I was mousing around on that page, my cursor apparently strayed over different boots in each assortment. So the next time I looked closely, the products displayed looked quite different.

Clogs and clog boots make me delighted to begin with. But clogs and clog boots that come in all sorts of fun colors just make me downright giddy!

But let's get back to the interview.

ECHID:  You’ve made a decision to pursue fashion forward clog designs such as clog boots and clog sandals with heels. What inspired you to put that sort of variety in your catalog?

DAVE:  We always strive to stay ahead of trend on design without sacrificing comfort. Certainly the clog designs of today are different than they were years ago but what remains is handcrafted footwear that is versatile, comfortable and more fashion forward. We have had a ton of great feedback on our styling and we use this to make sure we have offerings that clog lovers and our customers are looking for. You can expect to see a lot more design innovation from us in the coming year!

 Sandgrens Clogs men's clogs

ECHID:  Tell me about your customers.  Are you finding a pattern emerging of what they like about the Sandgrens brand?

DAVE:  What we hear nearly every day is that they love our quality and customer service. We have an amazing following of repeat customers and new customers every day.  

Our customers' complete satisfaction is our objective and we fulfill this objective by offering quality and focused customer service.

 

 Once again, the Every Clog Has Its Day motto comes to mind:  so many shoes, so little time.

 

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And More

Well, I promised you more in this post. But I'm afraid I'll have to postpone the other nine things I wanted to blog about until later. I will share one little bit of shoe related whimsy before I go. Not much I can add to this NPR headline. It pretty much says it all.

Taiwan Now Has A Giant, Shiny, Shoe-Shaped Church

 

Make the jump to NPR.org to read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Featured Designer: Scandic Footwear and more

ow've you been?", one of my listeners asked another in my internet station's chat box Saturday night.  

"I'm moving," her friend replied. "But life moves faster!"

Let me tell you, this week I know just what she means.

At least the weekend has arrived and I can finally downshift for a few moments to enter this blog space we revel in together. Have I told you lately how much I appreciate your being there? It's good to hang out with people who get the things I get, and I find it a pleasure to have a community here with you all. What a delight to find ourselves in the digital age. It is truly one of the wonders of the internet that technology has allowed us kindred spirits to connect. Twenty years ago we would have been crushing on clogs in solitude, maybe even with a preference for privacy. But now, we can marvel at the retail garden of earthly delights we inhabit and thrill to the excitement of the shopping hunt and the footwear feast that follows. Woo-hoo! Life may move faster than we like, but at least our feet will look marvelous as it hurries us along.

And for those moments when we need an extra coping mechanism to get us through a day, there's always chocolate. So before we embark this weekend's journey through the world of wooden goodness, let's pause a moment to fortify our bodies and souls for the experiences that are in the offing. I can't remember where I was on the internet or why, but when I saw the amazing chocolate creations of Mexico's Unelefanten, I knew I had to bring some into my home. You see, my partner in life and shoe lust, Melissa, is as rabid a fan of dark chocolate as I am. She is also both an artist and an individual who thrives on visual stimulation. She once described herself as "intoxicated by color." So when I saw Unelefanten's remarkably unique chocolate bars, Tabletas Pollock, I had to surprise her with some. Click the link to gaze in wonder upon their professional quality product photos, much more vivid than anything I could hope to provide with my iPhone and a ceiling light below. I just thought I'd try to treat you to the suspense of "unboxing" their fabulous creations. I've nibbled through a third of a bar just before starting this post, but seeing these images, I've got an inclination to treat myself to even more!

 

 

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Danskos, big and small

One of the great frustrations of being a footwear lover is the fact that while our feet are typically one size from day to day, the shoes that catch our eye can't be depended on to be the same size from brand to brand. Especially when you live at the tall size end of the spectrum as I do. One maker's roomy size 11 fits more comfortably than another maker's wincingly excruciating size 12. And if the uncertainties of ordering "your size" from different designers weren't agonizing enough, how do you best cope with having the fit vary from style to style within a single brand?

Oh, inconsistency of it all!

I've collected quite a few clog flavored shoes from Dansko over the past year or so. A remarkable thing to contemplate when you consider that I'm a confirmed lover of wood soled footwear and so many of their designs are manufactured on manmade bases. Even more remarkable if you recall that my enabler of choice, Melissa, liberated many of her own collection of Danskos many months ago. 

 

 

But even though I have come to smile with favor on this employee owned company located in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, their shoes have not smiled on me. Or at least not welcomed my feet with open arms and equally roomy vamps. Here are the seven Dansko styles I've purchased over the last year or so, all of them size 42. Sad to say some of them fit like a charm, and some of them have grown accustomed to gathering dust on the display shelf.

 

Dansko Rae clog—It basically fits my foot though my small toes feel pinched if I'm on my feet a lot.

 

Dansko Riki clog pump—This one is just too tight. I should have returned it, but I was in the mood to see if my shoe stretchers would make a difference.

 

 

Dansko Nevin Mary Jane clog—This one also proved to be too tight. But it would look adorable with jeans if I could make it work. If there's anything that you should know about me it's that I constantly live in hope.

Dansko Rhianna clog bootie—File this one under Go Figure. It's the same sole as the Riki clog pump above, but it's a comfortable fit. An all day shoe to be sure.

 

Dansko Nat lace up clog bootie—This pair looks great with skinny jeans. It's built on the same base as the Nevin above, but it's roomier enough that I can wear 'em to work and not regret it. Still, they are just that side of comfortably snug even with my shoe lift trick in place. If they were truly comfortable, I bet I'd be wearing this pair all the time.

 

Dansko Rylan clog boot—Another style built on the same sole as the Riki above, but like the Rhianna, it's quite comfortable to wear for the long haul. Oddly, I don't wear them that often, I think because if I'm in the mood to wear a tall boot, I end up choosing something that'll reach up to my knee. 

 

 Dansko Pixie plastic clog—Yes, plastic. Sometimes it can be fun to go against tradition.

 

 

Obviously, your mileage with this brand may vary. I present this information in the hopes that it might guide you in your own purchases down the road.

 

 

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One happy Flogg customer

Veteran shoe designer Carol de Leon launched her unique take on clogs in the spring of 2013. Her remarkable vision was to combine the sturdiness and sizzle of a wooden sole with the cushy comfort of a EVA foam rubber insole. The designs were picked up right off the bat by retailers such as Nordstrom and Shopbop, and the brand was deemed successfully launched. Here in the Every Clog Has Its Day universe, I know that Floggs have been welcomed into at least three households. Melissa snapped up a high-heeled bootie pair early on. A regular reader from North Dakota also picked up the Melanie sandal, "a flat type wooden sole sandal similar to the classic Dr. Scholls." The verdict? "The foam feels great and I'd say it increases stability and the ability to "grab" the shoe. Meanwhile, one of this blog's most avid footwear fanatics braved the Australian fall weather to pose and send this photo.

 

 

Oh, if only this inventive designer would expand her range of sizes.  

 

  

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Featured designer: Scandic Footwear

 

 

It's one thing to discover a new shoe style that you love. It's a whole 'nother level of excitement to learn that a new shoe maker has opened his doors to do business. Morten Andreasen contacted me in the middle of May to introduce himself and his handcrafted line of traditional (and not so traditional) Scandinavian clogs, Scandic Footwear. I followed the links he sent and browsed through the company's website, and I'm delighted to report that this manufacturer is offering an assortment of wood-soled shoes that are worthy of our consideration and, more importantly, of our purchase. So naturally I had to type up a few interview questions and point them toward Morten's Inbox. He was kind enough to answer my inquiries at length and even sent along some photos of his very appealing handiwork. Long time followers of this blog will know that I'm a pushover for clog boots. But seeing the richly textured leather featured on the Scandic Footwear styles, I was more than smitten. I was reaching for my mouse to investigate how to place an order!

 

 

ECHID:  How did Scandic Footwear come to be? 

MORTEN:  I was born and raised in Denmark into a family of Engineers and Craftsmen. Since a young age, I have had a flair for engineering and in 1984, I started working for a Danish Electronic company. In 1987 I got an opportunity to move to the US to manage their support operations for North America. A few weeks later, I found myself in New York City with my suitcase in my hand and $100 in my pocket. Later on I moved on and became the Global Product Manager for a large American Electronic company. Everything worked out great, except starting in the mid to late nineties, I noticed how each year, more and more Manufacturing and Engineering jobs were being outsourced to low wage countries, with little or no regard for the effect on American workers and their families. Lo and behold, at the height of the last financial crisis, I found myself without a job and a family to support. I knew this time around was different and I needed to reevaluate my life and figure out what to do with the rest of my life. After much pondering, I decided to start my own business. I knew electronics was out of the question, because of the extremely high cost of entry. For me it was always about the creative process, and at this stage in my life, my work needed to first and foremost speak to my heart. I wanted to create a business where I could share my thrill of the creative process and at the same time provide meaningful living wage jobs for young and old alike in our local community. 

Since my childhood days in Denmark, I have always loved clogs and one day it dawned on me; I am going to start a business making Authentic Handcrafted Scandinavian Wood Bottom Clogs right here in my home state of New Hampshire. My great grandparents owned and operated a Danish furniture factory making exceptional handcrafted furniture, so the desire and ability to work with natural materials and create something from scratch has always come natural to me.

 

 

ECHID:  How did you come to learn the craft of clogmaking?

MORTEN:  LOL….I taught myself how to make clogs….. My dad was the same way, he was an Electronic Engineer by trade, but had an inherent ability to do anything that involved working with his hands.

ECHID:  You taught yourself to make clogs! I'm impressed! What was the most difficult part to master?

MORTEN:  One of the more difficult aspects of clog making is how to achieve a perfect toe shape using different types of leather. This part requires a deep understanding of the nature of leather and a keen eye for details 

ECHID:  And then what was the event that made it clear to you that you could do this and put out a worthwhile product? 

MORTEN:  Other than completing my first pair of clogs; here were no eureka moments; just a long list of issues and processes to sort out.

 

 

ECHID:  You have ancestors who were furniture makers! So do I! Swedes who settled in northern Illinois. Did you actually work with wood growing up? Or were you just naturally good at building things and put that skill to use in engineering initially? 

MORTEN:  More the latter, I have always had a natural ability to work with my hands. Creating things with my hands have always been easy for me; I don’t know how I know how to do these things; perhaps it is in my genes. For some people certain things are easy, while for others those same things are difficult.

 

 

ECHID:  What sets Scandic Footwear clogs apart from other brands?  

MORTEN:  Each pair of clogs we craft are created with Love and Passion. Doing our very best each and every time, is what Scandic Footwear is all about.

ECHID:  What do you look for in your materials?  

MORTEN:  We go to great lengths to seek out the best materials available. Our products have to be special; what is the point in doing something halfway…No… we give it everything we have each and every time; both in terms of materials and workmanship. Remember, we have a long and proud tradition in New England of creating exceptional quality footwear and we must do our part to keep that heritage alive and bring manufacturing jobs back to America.

 

 

ECHID:  Scandic Footwear is available via your website. Are you distributed around the country in other ways, too? 

MORTEN:  Up until now, we have been primarily focusing on specialty boutiques here in the North East. Our typical wholesale accounts are someone who value and appreciate top quality American made products. Scandic products are also available through major national retailers such as Free People and Urban Outfitters. 

We are currently looking to expand our distribution nationwide and overseas; so if someone out there would like to promote the Scandic brand, please give us a call.

 

 

ECHID:  What are you most proud of about the Scandic Footwear line? 

MORTEN:  The fact through our products are handcrafted by dedicated craftsmen using all natural materials. No man made materials can come close to competing with the comfort and durability at natural leather and wood.

 

  

 

 

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On the Scandic Footwear website, they mention their shoes are crafted on soles of alder wood, a type of wood chosen for its medicinal and magical properties. When I asked Morten to tell me more, he sent along an exceptionally detailed explanation. Look for that in next weekend's post. 

'Til then, walk noisily and wear shoes made of a big stick.

 

 

Featured Designer: Trefor Owen

he colorful universe of clog lovers is populated by strange bedfellows. I count myself among those footwear fanatics who respond to the fashion potential of wood-soled shoes. Yet I recognize there are those clog wearers (e. g., chefs, doctors, nurses) who are motivated solely by the comfort and utility of this distinctive style. And any clog afficianado worth her or his wooden base knows that these shoes have a rich heritage as a work shoe in both rural and industrial settings. But there's another category of clog fans that are driven by a both practical considerations as well as decoration and design. I'm referring to those citizens of the planet who delight in the traditional folk practice of clogging. Obviously, the sound of a pair of feet adorned with wooden soles is much more remarkable than a regularly shod pair. Marry that "tock-tock-tock" sound to a musical beat and execute it with precision, and you have the unique appeal of clog dancing. It's an art form with origins traced to Wales and England (not to mention the wooden shoe dancing enjoyed in the Netherlands) with offshoots that have taken root in the Appalachian regions of North America. Suffice it to say, if you want to do clogging the way it was intended, you need to have a properly constructed pair of clogging shoes on your feet. And for just such footwear there are a number of traditional clog makers ready and able to supply your needs. I've showcased these craftsmen on ECHID in the past, and even more recently, I've had the opportunity to post videos featuring two of these footwear artists (Jeremy Atkinson and Trefor Owen). The latter of these gentlemen was kind enough to volunteer to pull back the curtain on clog making and give us all a clearer look at the intersection between our favorite footwear construction and traditional fok dancing. But while Mr. Owen and his wife Rhiannon are known for traditional clogs, their shoes are not limited to use in dancing. As he explains on his website treforowenclogmaker.co.uk, 

We use traditional hand methods and techniques for all our production from Dance Clogs to Leisure and Work clogs.

The business was first established in Yorkshire in 1978. We now live and work in Cricieth, Gwynedd - just south of the Snowdon Massif in the Snowdonia National Park and on the edge of Cardigan Bay.

Why here? We can watch the dolphins play in the sea in front of our house whilst we laze in bed with a breakfast cup of tea!!! Can you?

 

 

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Dancer's clogs

 

 

ECHID:  How did you become a clog maker? Your clientele seems to be primarily from the Morris dancing community. Were you a dancer first or a woodworker?  

TREFOR OWEN:  Early in the 1970's I started dancing with a team called Horwich Prize Medal Morris in Lancashire. They got their clogs from 1 of 2 makers either Walter Hurst of Hindley near Wigan or Mr. Tickle also of Wigan. I thought I could make better as both of them bought in ready made bits and just assembled. So I did!

75% of my trade is dance work. Last year 25% of my production went into export, mostly to the US. Other important markets are local farmers—a boot clog with chunky grippy soles—local people for normal use.

I got into dance at an early age as my sister was a ballet dancer when I was about. I got involved in UK traditional dance at college and have published a volume of my research into traditional dance. After college I did a few jobs before training in furniture making and upholstery.

 

T-bar clogs

 

 

ECHID:  For the uninitiated among us, what makes a dancing clog a dancing clog?

TREFOR OWEN:  Dance clogs have little difference to normal clogs though some styles are better (gibson or other lace up). Possibly a little more up curve (called the cast of the sole) at the toe. This allows the wearer to rock forward onto the ball of the foot into the start position. Decoration is usually called crimping though also known as scrolling. Simply put it is a series of incised grooves built up into a pattern. Each maker had their own "trademark" pattern and copying is (or rather when there were a lot of makers, was) frowned on.

 

Drover's buckle clogs

 

 

ECHID:  One of my readers has a co-worker who does Morris dancing, yet doesn't seem to wear wood soled shoes at other times. Do you find that's common among clog dancers?

TREFOR OWEN:  Not all styles of Morris dance uses clogs, but all forms of clog dance do. Appalachian Clogging started off in clogs, but as there was no tradition of British style clog making there also were no repair skills. Once [the wooden clogs were] worn out, the dance had to be done in shoes and developed different but in parallel to the UK dance style.

 

 

Derby boots

 

 

Work clogs

 

ECHID:  You mention that in their heyday, clogs were the preferred footwear for industrial workers. Why were they so popular? And what led to their falling into disfavor?

TREFOR OWEN:  The full answer to this is very long and complex. Simple answer: clogs were cheap (both in materials and labour) to make. A pair cost the equivalent of 1 day's wages, shoes were 1 week's wages. Also, they were harder wearing and easier to repair than shoes. 

Shoes were still handmade as the equipment to mass produce did not come into being till the late 1800s/early 1900s thus expensive. Clogs  became associated with the lower classes and poverty.

After World War I, shoes were produced more and more by machine. They became cheaper at the same time. Add in changes in social aspiration and clogs became shunned.

There is a much longer dissertation (which I'm part way through) about all this!!!

 

Clogs designed by Fflur, manufactured by Trefor Owen

 

 

ECHID:  You've created footwear for several fashion students over the years. How did those collaborations come about?

TREFOR OWEN:  In the last five years we have had a lot of television and press coverage. A local girl doing her final year wanted to produce clothes in leather. She came to chat, saw the clogs, and her imagination took over. So clogs on the catwalk came to the eyes of other students and from there........

Mostly they leave it to the very last minute but we normally cope!

 

Lace-up oxford in various colors

 

 

ECHID:  What are you most proud of as a clog maker? 

TREFOR OWEN:  No one thing has made me particularly proud, but lots of small things have made me feel good...

Watching 175 dancers performing on the main stage in the Pavilion during this years National Eisteddfod of Wales...all dancing in clogs I made.  It's on YouTube.

Helping the clog flash mob event in Newcastle upon Tyne to happen.

Teaching other people to make clogs and seeing them realise just what goes into a handmade pair.

Seeing a child manage to do a particular set of difficult steps in my clogs that they couldn/t do in another maker's.

Loads more like that really....

 

 

 

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[On my feet as I blog: well, you've certainly caught me in a far cry from clog orthodoxy today. What can I say? These colorful Litas from Jeffrey Campbell were marked down considerably on Solestruck, and I couldn't let the opportunity slip away.]