14th November, 2015
My sincerest condolences, thoughts and wishes go to all those whos lives have been impacted by the tragic events in Paris last night.
“Fluctuat Nec Mergitur”
25th September, 2015
Currently putting as much together as I possibly can, ready for the upcoming tour of the United States in October, and as much customer's work as managable - I think I'm just about winning? Anyway, I've clearly had to slow down with updates here but for those of you who've bookmarked this page in the hope regular commentary, first of all: bless you, and secondly; my apologies for leaving you in the lurch. It might be worth having a look at my Instagram page if you haven't already - it's just so much simpler to snap something with a phone and upload it there, than it is to bludgeon my way through HTML regularly so I'm pretty active over there. I'll still be updating this blog as often as possible, of course, as soon as something bubbles up from the depths that works better in this format. In the meantime, please do check I'm still alive on Instagram if you wish!
Nicholas
10th August, 2015
Busy busy busy, so busy I've not had time to update things here much. I did have the pleasure recently of being interviewed by the wonderfully patient people over at Claymoor's List, part one of which can be read in the in the link down below. I can't wait to see what's revealed in part 2!
It's extremely flattering to be asked a few questions about myself by all these connoisseurs of footwear and style in general, it never stops amazing me that anyone's interested enough to ask - especially those same websites that I myself have been keen a reader of throughout my career and beyond. I've gained so much and my own sense of taste has been informed with the help of their content, and I'm very grateful for the chance to be a small part of that for anyone else out there who's reading like I was. Long may these bloggers continue in their missions!
Claymoor's List - Nicholas Templeman part 1
Nicholas
13th July, 2015
It is with much sadness that I write these words, my small gesture to the memory of one of the West End's great craftsmen - my friend and colleague, Cooky, who sadly passed away last Friday. In an industry with it's fair share of characters, Cooky stood out - no small feat, I assure you. A wonderfully talented Maker, he could turn his hand to anything; capable turning any old bit of leather into something beautiful, and if there was anything he didn't know about the craft then it probably wasn't worth knowing.
in his career as an outworker for John Lobb and several other West End firms, his reputation for excellent craftsmanship meant he was trusted with high profile work, making for Royals, celebrities and any number of important people, although he was largely unsung outside of those of us within the industry. The reach of his legacy is actually far greater than anyone would imagine - along with his own work he also trained a number of the current generation of today, including a young Dean Girling.
Personally, I can say with pride that I didn't know Cooky only as a shoemaker; I was lucky to have known Cooky for most of my life. He was friends with my parents long before I was born, one of the few people left in my life who remember my own mother still, and was a regular feature during my formative years in Little Venice before he moved back to Suffolk. He was as equally rare a person as he was a talented craftsman, a kinder, gentler soul than you could ever hope to meet with a knack for getting along with just about anyone, provided you were a decent sort yourself. I feel that I've much to be thankful to him for, shoemaking isn't the most obvious line of work to pursue in this day and age and Cooky was my first real exposure to it even existing, so who knows where my life would have gone without that influence all those years ago.
I like to think that he lived the life he wanted, and he certainly made his own rules; something that requires the kind of conviction not many of us have, something he had in abundance. He left us a great many great stories but I don't think he will have left too many regrets behind: if only we could all be so fortunate.
So here's to you Cooky, I'll raise a brandy tea tonight in your honour and bid farewell to a colleague, a master craftsman. My friend.
3rd June, 2015
It was brought to my attention recently that, despite my best efforts, there's a still video floating around on YouTube of an interview of sorts that I did a long, long time ago. Watching myself in that sort of thing makes me cringe, so I thought it probably best to just get it out of the way and bury it before anyone upon across it and brings it up, ever again.
I was just a young lad in the trade back then, carefree and innocent, in urgent need of a haircut, 8 kilo's heavier and I wasn't aware I was even going to be filmed until about 30 seconds before they started rolling the camera.
Nicholas
26th May, 2015
That was tough old work juggling flights and hotels in the air, but now that it's all booked up I'm very pleased to announce my trip to the U.S. this October. I'm even more pleased to be adding San Francisco to the planned tour and after much to-ing and fro-ing over where to stay, I've settled on the Westin at Union Square which I hope is convenient. I have a soft spot for Westins - we held our wedding reception in their stunning location off the Place Vendome a few years years ago, in Lucie's native Paris. If you're ever in the area and feel the sudden urge to walk through an Imperial Salon while pretending to be Napoleon for a moment, you could do a lot worse than asking at reception to spend a few minutes of reflection in there.
A big part of the reason for adding of San Francisco to the trip is owed to a recent article published over at San Francisco's premier website dedicated to the finer requirements of the well heeled gentleman, Die, Workwear! Many thanks go out to the kind folk behind it for helping to spread the word. The article, if you haven't seen it yet, can be found at:
Die, Workwear! - Nicholas Templeman
Nicholas
19th May, 2015
I've been very kindly written about by the inimitable Justin Fitzpatrick, over at the world reknowned Shoe Snob Blog that he maintains. There's a wealth of information over there, and it's always an interesting read so do be sure to check it out.
New Bespoke On The Block - Nicholas Templeman
Nicholas
17th May, 2015
I've recently been getting my kicks by throwing myself into a pile of closing work, and that's one of the beauties of shoemaking; all the various stages require such a distinct set of skills and processes that when the rot starts to set in, you can hop from one to the other, from the lastmaking bench vise to a sewing machine and maintain a fresh pair of eyes to see what you're looking at (well, I can at least. They're only a metre from each in my workshop). The sewing machines we use for this kind of work are a bit different from the one your grandmother mended your school trousers with and if you're into your toys like I am, this Pfaff is right up there for sheer inspiration of awe - an unapologetically industrial looking German post-bed machine, cast out of iron, with polished steel rods driving all manner of gears, all attached to the tiniest of needles and working at dizzying speeds if you're not careful. And it's big. It dominates pretty much anywhere you put it, I had it in my lounge for a while until I plucked up the courage to move it down some stairs to the workshop, I may as well have parked a car next to my coffee table. There's probably something vaguely poetic too, about taming a 60kg beast of engineering into turning out out the rows of fine stitching required for high end work like this, but it's getting late and I think I'll stop writing now before it gets a bit weird.
Nicholas
14th May, 2015
Here's what I make my shoebags out of, in a small a nod to my Scottish ancestry. Maybe that explains my Francophile tendencies, the memory of the Auld Alliance has been coded into my genes somehow. Anyway, I love this colour, and the eagle eyed may notice it's a fair match for the hue that most of the pictures on this website are cast with due to the Ringwold Ground sploshed up on the walls of my workshop.
13th May, 2015
I was almost certain that I posted something up about an interview I did recently, for the charming Mr Raivio over at keikari.com - a Finnish blog dedicated to the finer things in life. I fear I may be starting to suffer those "senior moments" my grandmother was so prone to. Nevertheless, here it is, at long last.
http://www.keikari.com/english/interview-with-nicholas-templeman/
12th May, 2015
Goodness, it's been 3 months since my last post.. where did the time go? Anyway, I've a few notes jotted down for things I'd like to write about so I'll endeavour to do so more regularly - though I'm not the most comfortable author yet, I must admit, but I'll try.
As anyone keeping up with Instagram has probably guessed, I've been on a trip away with the family and like any family man with a bit of thinking time on his hands, I start to think about the really important things; things like kitchen knives, because I quite fancy some new ones and I can't be the only one who's found themselves sat by the waterside of a French harbour while reading knife forums on a phone as they watch the sailboats, can I?
As I sat there reading all the enthusiasts posting their opinions on various independent Japanese knife makers toiling away in the hidden forges of the Japanese countryside, the merits of Damascus finishes and the many and varied blade profiles available, it struck a powerful chord for how fortunate I am to be working in this modern era. Even as recently as 20 years ago, if I wanted a Japanese knife I'd have no choice but to go to kitchen shop in Japan and hope for the best, and it was much the same for shoemaking and any other craft - go to a well known firm with a prominent storefront in a prime location, hope that they invest in the best staff and practices, then hope that whoever does the actual work meets your expectations.
The Internet, and the many online communities that have emerged to fill it, have changed the way we can access craft in such a positive way for both customer and craftsman, allowing a more intimate dialogue than ever before. Decisions can be much more informed, and you can be more confident that the work of an independent will be closely related to the examples you base your decisions on as they'll be representative of the work that person actually does.
What I find most exciting is the sheer number of options available as a result of all of this. I had no idea I even wanted a Shigefusa knife a week ago, now I've got a picture of a 240mm Wa Gyuto pinned to my notice board.
Nicholas
3rd February, 2015
I had hoped to keep this blog updated a litle more regularly than this, but it's been a busy few weeks here with lots to do so I've had to put this on the backburner temporarily. Things are gradually settling into their natural routine now so I'll hopefully be a bit more consistent with news, though I'm aware these will probably be famous last words..
On the other side of the coin though, being too busy for blog posting is definitely a good sign, and I've been very fortunate to have found new customers willing to keep me too busy for much else outside of their orders, which I'd like to thank them for in here. I hope that they enjoy their shoes as much as I've enjoyed working on them.
Pencilled in on my roadmap I had also planned on having a few showcase shoes to display at this stage - I'm sure you'll understand that I've felt it right to prioritise my existing customers before courting any new ones - but I do have a few sample projects underway which I should be ready to exhibit very soon if all continues to go to plan, so do check in here or Facebook for updates. I hope that you like what you like what you see when I do.
I'll keep things brief for now, there's a checklist full of duties that's somehow gotten longer since I started typing so I'd better get on with tackling it.