Tag Archives : shoes

21/11/2025

Garmology podcast: Reviving dead sneakers – With Vinnie Tao at Sneakerpharm (#159)

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What happens when a lifelong sneaker lover refuses to throw away his favourite shoes — and ends up building a full sneaker restoration business instead? In this episode, we meet SneakerPharm’s founder, the craftsman bringing dead, battered, sun-bleached trainers back to life using skill, chemistry, and a whole lot of patience. From reverse-engineering damaged materials to perfecting the art of whitening,…

24/10/2025

Garmology: The Shoe That Fits the Foot — Not the Market – With Andrew Turriff (#157)

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This week on Garmology, we’re rethinking everything we thought we knew about shoes. From Nike internships and bespoke sneakers in L.A. to orthopedic labs in Canada, shoemaker Andrew Turriff has walked a long, winding path to creating Turiff Functional Footwear — a brand built on one radical idea: that shoes should actually work for your feet. We talk about his journey from art school to Fluevog…

27/09/2025

Whole-Cut Wonders: The Future of Heritage Shoemaking – Chris Woodford of Crown Northampton (#155)

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We’ve arrived at the 9th season of Garmology and this week, we step inside the heart of British shoemaking. Our journey takes us to Northamptonshire, where craftsmanship and tradition run deep. Chris Woodford—6th-generation shoemaker and the man behind Crown Northampton and E. Woodford—opens the doors of his family’s factory to share stories of heritage, innovation, and the enduring art of making shoes.…

06/06/2025

Threadbare Theories & Well-Worn Wisdom with Jon and Shaun (#154)

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Back by popular demand, Jon and Shaun join me once again for a meandering (but mighty enjoyable) chat covering all sorts — from smelly clothes and style dilemmas to menswear books, garment care, and even buying secondhand from celebs. Listener questions lead the way, and while solid answers are… a maybe, the banter is guaranteed. Settle in — it’s a…

26/04/2024

Garmology podcast: Twisty Tales: From Fashion Studies to Shoemaking with Kenneth McClure (#147)

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Embark on a journey of unexpected turns and intriguing transformations as we sit down with today’s guest, Kenneth McClure, the sole operator of Noble & Whylie, a maker of handmade shoes based in Sheffield. Kenneth’s story is a testament to the twists and turns of fate, starting from a desire to create, studying fashion, and exploring various avenues before stumbling…

17/06/2021

Garmology podcast: It’s knot science – With Ian Fieggen, aka Professor Shoelace

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One of the most fundamental pieces of human knowledge is tying knots, and even more so when it comes to our footwear. Lacing and tying shoes is something we learn at an early age and most of us use this knowledge daily all our life. My guest today is Ian Fieggen, self-styled Professor Shoelace, inventor of better knot and keeper…

25/12/2020

Garmology festive season bonus! – S01 E35

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By popular demand, we have recorded a special festive bonus edition for your enjoyment. Featuring regular co-hosts Shaun, Dachi, Jon and Nick. We reached out to listeners to ask for their questions and suggestions for topics, so what is delivered here is clearly the pinnacle of what committed listeners of Garmology want to hear more about! We get into what…

15/06/2019

Cheap Shoes For Life

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It’s a universal truth, that shoes made in the UK are good, very good. They are well put together, sturdy, made with materials far superior to that of a mass produced shoe that you would find in a High Street “Fashion Emporium. They generally look better too, are more substantial, a better shape, and a better and more standardised fit.…

21/09/2018

5 classic comfy shoes

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Shoes can be all sorts of things. Yet when it comes down to it, the ones you love the most are the ones that manage to combine the magic properties of being both good looking (which isn’t that hard) and comfortable (which is harder). That elusive combination that makes for good looking comfy shoes is hard to find though, and…

08/09/2018

Fancy some almost unbreakable shoe and boot laces?

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I have to admit, shoelaces can be a major frustration to me. You’d think the ones included with a pair of shoes or boots would be the absolute pinnacle of shoelace technology, to match the outstanding footwear supplied by the dedicated craftsmen that have carefully and lovingly designed, decided and crafted the footwear you are holding, using all their years…