The long history of classic dress shoes has resulted in classic/core styles from many of the longer surviving brands, and anyone with some knowledge and love of dress shoes can rattle off many, many style names.
However, I think there is only one brand that has done the best job of emphasising its brand identity on upper design, and I would give it an analogy with the familial front (design) of the automotive industry.
That is Edward Green.
There are two features, one swan neck and the other Pie Crust apron stitch.
I am not sure whether the element of swan neck is invented by Edward Green, I can be 100% sure that so many brands using this element now are copying Edward Green. it makes no matter which brand, as long as this element is used, everyone feels that it is copying, which is the brand identifier of the upper design.
So how did Edward Green achieve this?
Certainly not just on Chelsea, the most widely recognised style, but wildly used when the opportunity arises!
And that’s just the styles I’ve collected, there must be quite a few more I haven’t. They all have the swan neck element.
The same applies to Pie Crust apron stitching element, it is widely copied because of Dover’s explosion in popularity, but Edward Green once again used it on various styles, reinforcing the fact that this element is a hallmark of Edward Green.
With such an observation, let’s talk about other brands. Many brands have very well-known styles, such as a lot of John Lobb, or some brands also have extremely outstanding designs, such as Bontoni Brillantina, but they are all piecemeal.
Branding is extremely important, both from a business perspective and from a sense of consumer experience. Every brand we know is working hard to build its brand image. At the very least, the brand we pursue has its own unique last shape. This is a very important step. Then, can you also develop your own brand of unique vamp features?