Could Clergeries be the next Birkenstocks?
Sturdy, comfortable, un-trendy and 1990s-nostalgic, Robert Clergerie shoes are having a moment.
The French footwear brand with stores around the world, including Beverly Hills, has been embraced by a bevy of tomboy-styled celebs of late.
Rihanna wore Clergerie’s woven raffia Posta hi-top creeper with denim cutoffs while out and about celebrating the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro last month. And Scarlett Johansson wore the leather creeper-style Paulin oxfords on the streets of Paris, natch.
Meanwhile, in Hollywood, Shailene Woodley is leading the starlet pack’s move away from stilettos. For a press event for “The Fault in Our Stars,” she chose Clergerie’s Joelle white-and-silver wingtip oxfords to wear with her short Mary Katrantzou cocktail dress.
(Several other actresses and models, including Alice Eve, Dree Hemingway and Sienna Miller have also been wearing oxford shoes with dresses in a throwback to 1990s style that reminds me of Elaine and her black-and-white wingtips in “Seinfeld.”)
The Clergerie brand gained a lot of fame in the 1980s and 90s, when its minimalist, men’s wear-inspired styles synched with what was happening in fashion. But the company has been around since 1895, when founder Joseph Fenestrier took over a small men’s shoe manufacturing company in France.
The company chugged along throughout the 20th century, producing 1,200 shoes a day in 1926, and opening stores in France. Then, in 1978, Robert Clergerie purchased the company.
He continued to produce men’s styles until he hit on the idea in 1981 of making women’s shoes built on a men’s last. His first collection of oxfords was an instant hit. In 1987, his legacy was sealed when he was named designer of the year by American magazine Footwear News. He went on to win the award two more times.
The Beverly Hills store opened in 1994. Now, the brand has 24 boutiques worldwide. In 2011, French designer Roland Mouret, known for his form-fitting dresses, was appointed creative director, and he has introduced sexier stiletto styles.
Still, at Clergerie, simplicity will always be the guiding principle. These are shoes made for walking.
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