Sebastian Tarek Studio Visit

Sebastian Tarek at work in his studio

Earlier today, we took a closer look at Sebastian Tarek's debut collection of beautiful, bespoke and handmade men�s shoes. We chatted to the craftsman about his work, the evolution of the label and heard about his experiences at Menswear Day. Here, we continue the discussion and learn more about his trade before offering a serving of studio porn...

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SS: I'm instantly struck by the sheer number of rasps, files and hammers. Is it difficult sourcing your tools?

Sebastien Tarek: Really hard. Most of the tools on the bench is long secondhand. The rasps are all new. However, there is a particular rasp which I use more than any other which I went to reorder recently only to find that the the company no longer makes it. This happens all the time. It is my excuse why I go to Spitalfields every Thursday, the hope that I might find old tools, more often than not I find an old jacket but I always keep my eye out for tools. Some of the tools, you'll have for life. When it comes to my pattern hammer I just hope that I never have to replace it. There's a story about my heel hammer actually. My Father came over from Oz and had a few appointments in Paris, one of which was with the Master Bootmaker at Hermes. My Father told him about me and my need for tools and as he was soon to retire he amazingly gave him his heel hammer which clearly he had used for well over fifty years. From one old craftsmen to a newer one. These tools are built to last.

SS: How has the industry changed over the years?

Sebastian Tarek: There has been a recent backlash against the over saturation of the high street and I hope that it can help to sustain these dying crafts. Bespoke shoemaking is a dying craft. The average age in this industry is stratospheric, around sixty sixty years old. In the 1970s, the West End Master Boot makers Association had something like twenty six menders, now there are only four. Hopefully there can be a turnaround. In this time frame, it has gone from being expensive to being truly luxurious in price which makes it difficult to contemporise the market. I lament the fact that very few of my friends own a pair of my shoes but I cannot make them any cheaper. In terms of materials, equipment and just the labour involved.

SS: I appreciate that it varies greatly depending upon the style and finish but how long does it take on average?

Sebastian Tarek: Generally speaking a full week of man hours and that is devoted man hours. There is of course fittings, drying times, if the pair has hand stitched uppers then that takes a full day in itself. I quote three to six months. It is a laborious process but it is such an experiential retail opportunity, the fact that you get a beautiful pair of shoes that you know you've had a direct involvement with and will fit you in a way that you've not experienced before. You have a relationship with this item before you even have them on your feet.

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It was an absolute pleasure spending an hour with Sebastian Tarek. In the true spirit of his trade, he worked away on his latest design, trimming leather and wielding his pattern hammer as we talked. As he did so, I duly snapped away and explored his studio...

Sebastian Tarek at work and the finished product.

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Sebastian Tarek Shoe Maker

This season saw the debut collection of Sebastian Tarek�s beautiful, bespoke and handmade men�s shoes. It was in the eclectic surroundings of the NEWGEN MEN and Fashion East Installations that I first caught glimpse of this carefully crafted designs. Alongside the latest designs from exciting, emerging design talent including Agi & Sam, Astrid Andersen, Baartmans & Siegel, Matthew Miller and William Richard Green to name but a few, Tarek's shoes placed on a simple workbench really captured my imagination> I was keen to learn more.

A closer look at Sebastian Tarek's display on Menswear Day.

Tarek is an Australian born shoemaker based in East London who has worked for London�s finest shoemakers since 2003 � where he has spent years refining his skills of fit, and creating work of the highest standards to satisfy the clientele of Savile Row and beyond. Cleverley�s (Royal Arcade, Piccadilly) and James Taylor & Son (Marylebone), for whom he still works, are two of the last remaining members of the West End Master Boot Makers society and have been making shoes for the Royal Court since the nineteenth Century. For his eponymous debut collection, Tarek took up the challenge of fusing his traditional skills as a maker of a timeless artisanal product with a more contemporary and relevant aesthetic. The result is a collection that is an exploration within the bespoke market. An idea conceived and developed with his private clients in mind, a marriage of personalised service, comfort and luxury with a more relaxed and informal feeling.

Now that the dust has begun to settle on Menswear Day, I could not resist visiting the shoemaker at his East London workshop. Over the course of my lunch hour, we discussed the release of Port magazine, the business of fashion and the beauty of bespoke shoes...

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SS: What attracted you to the wonderful world of shoe making?

Sebastien Tarek: The truth is, I was bombing out of high school and I was over here on a rugby tour and I watched the story of Hans Christian Anderson and fell in love with this way of life. To start with, I went to evening classes for two years during the twilight years High School. It was during the first year of these studies, that my Polish grandmother informed me, in her thickest accent that my great, great grandfather would be so proud of what I was doing. Why was that I asked? Was he fond of shoes. "No he was a shoemaker you idiot!' It turns out he was eighteenth generation. Shoemaking, apparently dates back in my family to making shoes by appointment only to the Tsar of Russia at some stage.  I had no idea when I was growing up! From my perspective there didn't seem to be such an inclination in my family, I come from a family of fashion editors, both my Parents were at some stage and neither were crafty in any way.

 

SS: From this revelation, did you know that you wanted to make bespoke men's shoes?
Sebastien Tarek: No it was a total evolution. I started out making women's footwear, fashion shoes and even worked on show shows for a while in Australia. It was only when I returned here, which at the time was only meant to be a short stay, that I began working for a woman called Georgina Goodman making couture shoes and this introduced me to the West End Masters Bootmakers Association. It then evolved from there. From a creative point of view, I've always been driven by process and I became absorbed in the men's bespoke process. Every shoemaker makes shoes in a different way, there is always so much to learn.

SS: What was the catalyst for the collection? Has this been on the cards for some time?

Sebastian Tarek: It has. There are aspects of it that I've been on working for time, for example one or two lasts, but there are also newer elements as well. The catalyst were actually the pair of shoes that are in that bag. I made something for myself, inverted burnished leather and I had a client come in, described the idea and then made them for him.The whole collection developed from there.

SS: What was your initial inspiration?
Sebastian Tarek: The thing that I kept on going back to when I was designing this collection was your favourite pair of jeans. You want them to fit fantastically but you also want them to show signs of the journey you've had together. You might want some that are box fresh and others that tell a story. I wanted to create a body of work that was based around fit and the notion that they could show the signs of love, wear and age. That they could look relaxed quickly. A lot of people consider bespoke shoes to be stuffy and I wanted to step away from this idea.

SS: Was it difficult balancing this collection with your other projects? Were you working around the clock?

Shoemakers don't really retire. If they do, they tend to do shortly afterwards. They usually die in the chair whilst they are working. In order to make a living from it, you really do have to work hard and I've grown accustomed to working hard all of the time. I had a day off last Sunday but before that, I cannot remember the last free day I had. Last week I went back to college as well, I teach at the Royal College of Art and I needed a day to prepare for that. I like being busy.

SS: How would you like to see Sebastian Tarek, the brand, evolve?
Sebastian Tarek: It was only when I became with Fashion East that I began to think about this very question. I want the brand to evolve but in an organic way. It might be a cliche statement but that is how I see it.

SS: For me, the Installations are always a highlight of Menswear Day. They really demonstrate the diversity of menswear design talent that exists in the capital...

Sebastian Tarek: Initially they didn't have space for me but I think that it was this desire for a representational presentation that saw me take part. It was a great experience.

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Clients are individually measured and fitted for their own personal set of wooden lasts. The range is based loosely on classic styles, with specific detailing updated and refined to fit his relaxed aesthetic. Silhouettes are pushed into stronger, more architectural forms and have a modern look. Anachronistic extras are lost and a purity of form, and the importance of provenance is rediscovered. Tarek uses two of the oldest pittards still working, and the soles and heels of the shoes are all hand made from leathers produced by the last remaining Oak bark tanner left in Britain. Hand stitching details, and laces are all exclusively made from Irish linen thread. The distinctive finish of the shoes is a result of a specific burnishing technique traditionally only used for cavalry boot legs. Elements such as the facings of styles such as Adelaide�s, Derby�s, and Saddle shoes are applied in new surprising contexts. Without further ado, let's take a closer look at the collection...

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Whilst being talked through his designs in his Sunbury Workshop, I could not help but take a few photos as the shoemaker wielded his pattern hammer. However, I feel that they deserve a post of their own so, come back after lunch and we can all watch a true craftsman at work...

Sebastian Tarek in his East London Studio.

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