Jeffery West
Born and bred in Northampton, the historical centre of the British shoemaking and leather industries, childhood friends Mark Jeffery and Guy West were surrounded by tradition and history from the word go, even more so for Jeffery as his father ran the family owned shoe factory in the town.
They began their first business at the age of 16 years old, designing and selling their own shoes at markets in Northamptonshire and also at Kensington Market in London. At first, as Guy West explains, “Mark and I would buy rejects and ends of lines from his dad’s factory and other factories, customize them and sell them on.”
They quickly moved on to having their own designs made up but, as West says, “because we were so young nobody would take us seriously”. In a shed at the hotel which West’s parents ran, the duo had employed one man to hand cut the patterns and do all the clicking on all the shoes.
Then the sudden death of Jeffery’s dad and subsequent loss of the factory, sadly ruling out Jeffery being able to take over the family firm, motivated the two friends to take their fledgling business to another level in 1987 which was founding Jeffery~West,
From the outset they intended that Jeffery~West shoes would be made with all the craftsmanship, quality, and pedigree available in having shoes manufactured by Northampton factories with hundreds of years of experience.
The idiosyncratic Jeffery~West design handwriting extends to the smallest detail; the punching is always diamond shaped, inspired both by Gothic and Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, which also directly informs the arrowhead wingtips.
Jeffery~West has continued to cut an elegantly shoe and booted swath through the footwear that is exclusively offered to men, and in so doing they, and the shoes and boots they create, should be cherished, just as they in turn cherish every customer, be the gentleman, or rogue, or both, that steps into a world only limited by the bounds of their imagination. Always garenteed to complete any outfit and to give anyone the swagger. A perfect example of this is the Jeffery West J136.
Click here to view Jeffery West J136
With names like "Fallen Angels" and "Hannibal," the Jeffery~West shoe collection does fall somewhere between a swanky gentlemen's club and Sweeney Todd's closet. Blood-red leather linings and handmade soles, inscribed with "Decadence, Sleaze and Excess, ooze with the kind of luxe horror feel.
Quality, style, classic design – Produced using the highest standards at their production studios in Northampton, Jeffery-West shoes draw their inspiration from the rich history of shoemaking in this region. All the skills and craftsmanship of the discipline has been the catalyst that has led to Mark Jeffery and Guy West continuing that craft today.
Click here to view Jeffery West footwear range
Quality talks. And the classic designs incorporated into the latest styles from Jeffery West men’s shoes.
Jeffery West | Jeffery West shoes | Jeffrey West Shoes | Jeffrey West | Mens Jeffery West Black Shoes Boots