These shoes were made for drinking. And wearing. The limited edition Johnnie Walker Oxfords come from Oliver Sweeney, the first footwear manufacturer to design a stylish men’s shoe that incorporates a miniature bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label whiskey into the sole.
Johnnie Walker Oxfords
The brand’s iconic Oxford Style Brogue features a reworked crank to accommodate a Johnnie Walker Red Label miniature in the heel, custom-embroidery, a striding man tattoo, red suede lining in the heel compartment and a transparent top piece to reveal the whiskey from below.
How did this come about?
Oliver Sweeney’s Cobbler-in-Chief Tim Cooper was approached by JOHNNIE WALKER Red Label, one of the world’s most well-known whiskey brands, about working on a one of a kind collaboration. According to the Oliver Sweeney blog, Cooper looked to none other than James Bond for inspiration, who in Goldfinger is supplied with shoes that feature a hidden homing beacon in the heel.
Starting with the brand’s top of the line Oxford wingtip brogue, the JOHNNIE WALKER Oliver Sweeney brogue, was reworked so that the last and crank of the shoe (that’s the shape of the base of the last, for the uninitiated) could fit a whiskey miniature in the heel without compromising the shoe’s sleek lines. Working with their factory in the Italian Marche, the heel was designed and re-engineered customized to this model so that it could be attached from the sides, rather than through the middle.
The heel compartment itself is lined with JOHNNIE WALKER red suede to keep the tipple firmly in place, and finished with a transparent top-piece that allows it to be seen from below. The red detailing runs throughout the shoe, in the brogue’s detailing, leather outsole, tongue, laces and insole, as well as the Blake stitching on the sole and the custom-embroidered JW to the heel counter.
Each pair is finished with a Sweeney Tattoo of a ‘striding man’ (the Johnnie Walker emblem) on the heel, completed by Oliver Sweeney’s incredible Tattooist-in-Chief, to cement the collaboration with Johnnie Walker. Inside the box you’ll find also a pair of JOHNNIE WALKER Red Label miniatures, as well as a bottle of ginger ale and a recipe card so you can rustle up a ‘Johnnie & Ginger’ cocktail wherever you are.
Here’s a video from Oliver Sweeney that shoes how the shoes were made. It’s really a beautiful process that combines craft and tradition:
As Tim Cooper says: “The JOHNNIE WALKER Oliver Sweeney Brogue is a project which we’ve been absolutely passionate about perfecting. Always obsessing over detail and the best construction methods, we take our time to select the right materials and components to give you real quality and distinctive style. We hope you enjoy our amusing take on a style classic.”
Only 130 pairs of the JOHNNIE WALKER Oliver Sweeney brogue have been made.
Please note: You must be over 18 to purchase the Johnnie Walker Oliver Sweeney Brogue.
– Limited Edition Oxford brogue
– Made in Italy
– Blake stitched construction
– Calf leather upper
– Leather sole
– Suede-lined compartment with transparent top piece
– Concealed Johnnie Walker miniature in every shoe
– Leather lining
– Five eyelets
– ‘Striding man’ tattoo to rear quarters
– Contrast red leather brogueing, laces, piping, stitching & insole
– Hand-stitched detailing
£295 (or $461.23 USD) Prices subject to change.
Buy them here
all images and information courtesy of Oliver Sweeney