What Defines Luxury Dress Shoe
What is a Luxury Dress Shoe?
Mens Luxury Dress Shoes.
We’re a menswear company by trade, a history of artisans dedicated to men’s dress shoes using lasts (molds traditionally made of wood used to shape a shoe) that we’re designated as men’s feet. While we invite any individual of bespoke style to wear our shoes, we frequently find ourselves wondering what defines luxury dress shoes. How do companies create thousand dollar price tags and what justifies them?
The history of Mexico and shoemaking is over 350+ years old, so we decided to present to you the criteria for luxury dress shoes. This article will break down the three criteria for luxury dress shoes:
Craftsmanship
Value
Occassion
Join us as we break it down below.
#1: Craftsmanship
The making of a shoe is an intricate process when working by hand, and while J.L. Rocha may not be the only brand that recognizes that handmade dress shoes are luxury items, this standard is rigid when it comes to the classification of this product. We do also have a historic understanding of what’s necessary to create beautiful works of art. The issue we face today is understanding where and how our shoes are made. In the fashion industry, country of origin can be distinguished based on three classifications:
Substantial transformation: when a product undergoes a change in usage thus resulting in a change in the country of origin. (i.e. when a fabric turns into a product)
Specific Change in Tariff Classification: this is when the transformation process of the object results in changing the tariff classification under a standardized system called “the Harmonized System”. (Such as adding furnishings or parts in order to transform the product, thus meeting certain requirements.)
Additional Value: This is when the value of domestic or imported materials as well as the cost of creating goods has reached certain minimums and maximums. Under certain requirements, you don’t have to change the country of origin. (If the value of Italian skins, outweighs the cost of outsourced labor, the product can be claimed to be made in Italy.)
Confusing? The most difficult part of knowing where and how your product is made, is that these rules are general and don’t apply to every country. J.L. Rocha uses our home country México as our source for all production, however sometimes we would fall under the category of substantial transformation.
In our effort to be an ethical company, we try to help our planet by sourcing byproduct skins from the meat industry for our sturdier leathers, these from Mexico or the U.S.A. However, the United States and Italy also provide a great market for our luxury leathers because they product many luxury seconds. Luxury seconds are unselected skins from the luxury industry that leave amazing life wasted. We pride ourselves in helping stop the waste and pollution that harms our planet by using these skins and transforming them in Mexico with our tanneries and artisans.
#2: Value
There’s an interesting thing called “the Paradox of Value” also known as “the Diamond Water Paradox”. The philosopher Adam Smith is often considered to be the classic presenter of this paradox, although it had already appeared as early as Plato's Euthydemus and others. Adam Smith argued in his book that there were two forms of value:
Value in Use: the importance of being able to use an object, such as water.
Value in Exchange: the amount that it costs to create/acquire that product - such as diamonds.
Smith also states that:
This leads us to submit that there is indeed a third value: the value of importance. How much does something matter to you? Our belief is that luxury products aren’t associated with name and clout, those are byproducts of substantially well living and success in a personal journey. The true value of importance is the genuine knowledge that what you have matters to someone. Masterpieces of great value are crafted personally and live on through history. This we believe is a good standard, therefore our products are handcrafted by artisans with history passed down through their hands and trade, and meant to last. We hope you pass them on over time so that they truly hold amazing stories.
#3: Occassion
Dress shoes are not to be worn for leisurely activities, intense running, or extreme sports (unless you’re James Bond and these activities involve saving the world). Dress shoes are for occasions of importance, work, meetings, firsts dates, weddings, family affairs and nights out. They’re for those moments you want to commemorate and do right. The basic styles are the classics known as Oxfords, Monks, Derby’s and Loafers. However in more recent years have been known to include now Chelsea Boots, Combat Boots, and Driving Shoes. We’re a company that believes in traditional shoemaking, we’ve incorporated some new technology into our soles and fabrication but stick to our history. We do not believe in luxury sneakers.
Closing Notes:
Those are the three criteria by which we define a luxury dress shoe. The brands you chose to by from and the styles you chose to wear say a lot about your individuality, the ability to shop luxury products is a privilege that only successful few have. We want to ensure that your individuality is honored, and that our ethics and standards are something to believe in. Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to like share and comment.
Thank you / Gracias.