SHOP HERE
Founded in 1829, Tricker’s is Britain’s oldest established shoemaker. Its footwear is made from start to finish in Northampton, at the St. Michael’s Road factory the company has occupied since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Nepenthes has worked with Tricker’s for many years. The Asymmetric Gibson and Multi Tone Brogue have been produced for well over a decade, appearing in different leathers, colors and sole constructions.
The current Engineered Garments x Tricker’s collection returns to both designs, finished with Vibram Morflex soles.
4444 LAST
Both the Bourton Brogue and Asymmetric Gibson are built on Tricker’s 4444 last.
A last is the three-dimensional form around which a shoe is shaped. It determines its proportions, fit and overall character.
Tricker’s commissioned the 4444 in 1937, alongside the 4497, to mark the coronation of King George VI. The 4444 became closely associated with the Bourton country shoe, while the 4497 became the foundation of the Stow boot. Both remain in use today.
The 4444 has a broad tread, a roomy toe box, and a generous fit. Tricker’s recommends taking half a size below a standard UK size.
The shoes retain Tricker’s traditional Goodyear-welted construction. A wooden shank is fitted beneath the foot, followed by a layer of cork that gradually moulds to the wearer. Above this sits a full-grain leather midsole, with the outsole stitched to the welt.
Because the sole is stitched rather than permanently bonded to the upper, the shoe can be resoled and repaired as wear occurs.
MORFLEX
The current collection uses Vibram Morflex soles.
Morflex is an expanded EVA-based rubber compound developed for lightweight applications. Vibram describes it as extremely light, shock absorbing and comfortable underfoot.
That makes it an unusual choice for a traditional welted brogue. Compared with the leather and heavier rubber soles normally associated with this type of footwear, Morflex feels noticeably lighter and more athletic.
That contrast suits Daiki Suzuki’s approach to footwear. He has often been drawn to functional, lightweight shoes, and the Morflex sole brings some of that character to the structure of a traditional Tricker’s shoe.
Earlier versions of the Asymmetric Gibson used heavier sole constructions. Morflex appeared on later editions and has since become a recurring feature of Engineered Garments x Tricker’s footwear.
Here, it is cut with a ridged tread and attached to the Goodyear-welted construction above. The shoe retains the form and construction of a traditional Tricker’s brogue, but feels unexpectedly light when worn.
MULTI TONE BROGUE
The Multi Tone Brogue begins with the Tricker’s Bourton.
The Bourton is a heavy country brogue, distinguished by its wingtip pattern, pinked edges and pronounced punching. Its upper is already divided into a series of individual leather panels.
The Multi Tone version uses those divisions to introduce changes in color and surface across the shoe.
Rather than altering the underlying pattern, different tones and leathers are placed within it. The current Brown and Black versions continue this approach on the 4444 last.
The different surfaces also change independently with wear. Smooth leather, grain leather and suede soften and develop in different ways, gradually altering the contrast between the individual panels.
ASYMMETRIC GIBSON
The Gibson is a Derby-style shoe, identified by its open lacing, with the eyelet tabs sewn on top of the vamp rather than underneath it as on an Oxford.
The Asymmetric Gibson uses a different toe pattern on each foot.
The left is a wingtip. The right is a straight cap toe. Otherwise, the pair remains consistent in material, last, and construction.
Asymmetry has appeared throughout Daiki Suzuki’s work for Engineered Garments. Speaking about his use of mismatched footwear, Suzuki described an interest in “exploring the imperfect,” and discovering unexpected combinations and juxtapositions.
The Gibson embodies that idea. Each toe treatment is familiar on its own, and the difference only becomes clear when the shoes are worn together.
