Where shoes are concerned, the craft shoe models from the Manufaktur 1888 range are in a class of their own. What makes them so special is their blend of supreme craftsmanship, elegant materials and hand-treated finish, produced in Germany with expert professionalism and meticulous attention to detail. The collection can look back over a long history. Its foundations were laid in 1888; today the traditional factory creates lace-up and monk strap shoes, ankle boots and boots, loafers and even sneakers. Fortunately, time has never stood still at LLOYD, and then as now, the company permanently seeks out new trends for all shoe types and translates them into fine design.
The special feature of the 1888 Collection is the quality of the materials used. From elegant lace-ups to brogues with characteristic perforations, wingtips and embellished edges, from flamboyant double monks to boots and loafers, only the softest, most supple hides – from calfskin nubuck and smooth leather to suede – are good enough to become a LLOYD 1888. The leathers are treated with a special hand finish to allow them to develop their own typical character. A popular choice at present is leather with light marbled or clouded effects that create a stunning vintage effect.
To keep the lavishly crafted top-quality leather of LLOYD 1888 Collection shoes in superb condition for as long as possible, the shoes must be treated with care, cleaned regularly and, above all, stored with a shoe tree as soon as they are taken off. The best shoe trees are hinged models made of wood. Like a shoemaker’s last, a shoe tree imitates the outline of the human foot, shaping the shoe and taking the strain off the shoe frame.
