ELITE STREET (draft)

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I was walking down a little lane of high-end boutiques when I stumbled across Rudolf Scheer, a leather shoe shop established in 1816. Only a month before I’d read about the company in Monocle magazine.

There was no-one in the shop, or so it appeared. I opened the door and in I went to a timeless world – a space of craftsman pursuing the art of perfection. Imagine a window of sculpted wooden shoe moulds, parquetry floors and a seductive smell of leather. There was barely a shoe in sight.

As if out of a fairy tale, a young man walked down the staircase, all dressed in white. Initially addressing me in German, he corrected himself. Then, in perfect English asked “Can I help you?”

I explained that I had stumbled upon the shop and had been mesmerised by the company’s values after browsing their website.

He explained that they source the leather from secret sources, from all over the world, as it is available. “When it comes, we have to be the first.”

Conversation expanded, I asked how long it takes to make a pair of shoes? Six to eight months. My natural response was, I should think about starting the process while I’m here. He explained that he would need to see me three to four times during the process. In the beginning for measurements, then, in three to four months time for a trial fit, and then in another three to four months after completion, all going well. Right I thought, so then I daringly asked how much a pair of dress shoes would cost.

Knowing the background of the company, their process and uncompromising commitment to quality I knew it would be expensive, maybe $500, maybe even $1000.

Well, 3000 to 4000 Euro for the first pair because of all the time required in shaping the wooden foot mould to precisely match each of my feet. Thereafter, depending on materials and styles expect to pay 3000+ Euro per pair.

Gulp! I tried to conceal my bewilderment and stop myself from falling over. I wouldn’t be surprised if my eyes bulged but I responded calmly by saying I would think it over.
I asked if there were any shoes on display upstairs, there literally two or three pairs on display on the ground level. He said that the only ones are upstairs and they are the ones in the process of being made for others. But he let me come upstairs to see the fitting room and take a glimpse at the workshop.

Up I went, following the master. It was beautiful, simple and the smell of leather only became more seductive.

I asked him which generation in the family business’ lineage he was, seventh generation. Indigenous cultures say that when a family has been in a place for seven generations they become indigenous to that area, many would also traditionally base their community’s decisions on its impact on the next seven generations. How many 21st century many families, communities, businesses can claim this kind of heritage?

Not wanting to disturb this mythical operation I swiftly departed after thanking him very much for his time.

Still in shock I continued walking down the lane, Brauner Strasse. A few shops up there was a piano shop where the shop owner was serenading passersby. Then there was a hand-made leather bag store, tucked away down an arcade. Directly opposite was an antique store with pieces that scream history.

I’d stumbled into a world which has been trapped in time, a precious, precious microcosm. Scheer’s Shoes are the first really expensive item which I think I might not ever have, but that I value and want so much.

These companies along Brauner Strasse have pursued the perfection of craft to its end, and have miraculously found a way to sustain it in a world which the majority want more, quicker and cheaper. The result is that their products become luxuries for the elite, way out of the range of the everyday person.

If you were a craftsman, perhaps the original Scheer shoe maker, and you were able to look into the future ... would you still pursue the perfection of your craft if you knew it would become elitist? Or doesn’t the socio-economic class of your customer matter at all, its only the authenticity of the creative process that matters? Maybe thats more of a contribution to our society than to succumb to the production of crap.