Jan's the man

Given my natural predilection for extraordinary shoes, I'm surprised that it's taken this long for the name Jan Jansen to register with me. This is even though I'd come across a few if his designs in one of my favourite shoe books Linda O'Keefe. I don't know how I've managed to last this long without once googling his name or encountering his work in some other way. All I know is, if ever there were a crazy shoe-maker that I would most like to meet it would be this guy.

His shoe designs are beautiful, surreal, ugly, mesmerising works of art. Seeing all his designs together finally helps me understand how Irregular Choice or Dries van Noten or Antonio Berardi shoes exist. Jansen, for me, is the missing creative link.

Jansen has been making his distinctive shoes under his own name since 1964. He is also based in Amsterdam - information that prompted much kicking of myself as I had just been there recently and would've had to seek out his workshop for the appropriate hero worship. I do however have the next best thing within my grasp because I have just found out that there is a shop in Muswell Hill that sells his shoes. Yippee! At a price point of between £120 - £400 depending on style, they aren't cheap but I would gladly pay the £210 asking price for these winged platform shoes or £315 for the hairy boots: Here are some others that I would mind laying my hands on either:
To find out more about Jan Jansen and feast your eyes on a selection of his shoes over the decades go to JanJansenShoes.com

To find out more about the shop in Muswell Hill go to JanJansenLondon.co.uk