Press

Designer George Esquivel is giving back to children in need because he's been in their shoes. The cobbler to the stars joins Cheddar to discuss his Esquivel X line of totes, and how it's helping hungry children in Los Angeles.

Over the years, George Esquivel has made custom shoes for Hollywood heavyweights LeBron James, Bruno Mars, Janelle Monae, Brad Pitt and Gwen Stefani, among others. But his latest project is more under-the-radar: a summer-ready collab with fellow SoCal designer Gregory Parkinson. 

The colorful output mixes and matches Parkinson's canvas block prints used in his interiors works on classic Esquivel footwear silhouettes like a lace-up oxford ($600), mule ($600) and chukka boot ($650), plus folios ($250-$350) and a tote ($775).

The pair of creatives met as members of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund almost a decade ago, and have stayed true to their artisanal brand values.

Both guys respond powerfully to the ancient tradition of handwork, which is always slightly unique. Parkinson painstakingly designs and develops his prints with a workshop in Calcutta during long stints in India. (“It’s not a quick in and out. I wanted the life experience of being there and living there as a local,” he says.) Esquivel has developed a distinct style for distressing his shoe designs, hand-burnishing, hand-stitching and hand-sewing them to perfect imperfection. “Gregory and I are really about the craft,” says Esquivel. 

I was first made aware of Esquivel shoes at A’Marees, the beautiful boutique on the water in Newport Beach a few years ago. They have carried the handcrafted and locally made shoes for many years and I finally ordered my first custom pair. Since then, I’ve gotten to know both George and his amazing wife, Shelley. I love the fact that they have kept their business local in Orange County, California, since they founded the company in 2001 and that they have stayed true to their core belief of handmade shoes. They are an amazing duo and remain humble, even though Esquivel makes shoes for many celebrities, business titans and sports legends that shall remain anonymous.

Their working relationship is inspiring. As we all know, that can be a tough road for a married couple and I respect George so much for giving his wife Shelley lots of credit for their success. I admire George as well, as his childhood was not easy. He took his negative circumstances and turned them around and their charity work is a testament to his background and helping others in what used to be his unfortunate circumstances.

George Esquivel has quietly carved out a name for himself as the premier shoemaker in Los Angeles: His handcrafted shoes command prices starting at $495 for ready-made suede oxfords to upward of $19,000 for bespoke crocodile boots. Each year Esquivel’s small team of craftspeople produces 3,000 to 5,000 pairs of footwear for a client list that includes Emma Stone, LeBron James, Laura Dern, Brad Pitt and Bruno Mars and retailers such as Fred Segal and Barneys New York. The 47-year-old designer, who served a two-year stint as creative director for luxury luggage brand Tumi, also has a proclivity for collaboration: His label has teamed up with the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, haute hat maker Nick Fouquet, The Beverly Hills Hotel and The Spare Room, the buzzy gaming lounge inside The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, for which he creates high-style bowling shoes.

Esquivel operates out of a nondescript warehouse-style office complex in Buena Park. Yet behind the generic exterior is an atelier that sustains the old-world tradition of artisanal shoemaking, now a rare trade in the United States. Premium leather and exotic skins are sourced from Italy, France and Spain, and each shoe panel is individually hand-cut, skived (a thin shaving of the leather to facilitate smooth folds) and stitched on site; then lining, buckles, zippers or elastic are sewn in. Completed upper panels are scrupulously massaged onto a last (“Too tight and it won’t stretch, too loose and it will look sloppy,” notes Esquivel) before a welt, soles and heels are built in from the bottom of the shoe. Specialty finishes—hand-burnishing, hand-tooling or personalized patterns, names and dates that can be burned into the leather with a hot pen—add another layer of character. Even the brand’s signature shoelaces are stitched by hand. Recycled corrugated cardboard shoe boxes have handles crafted from upcycled leather remnants, while shoe bags are sewn from unique deadstock fabrics.

It is said that if you would like to know if a gentlemen is well dressed, then look down at his shoes. There is also a theory that any man who respects quality footwear is more than likely to achieve success because essentially, he understands the value of working his way up from the bottom. In a word, footwear articulates a man's style not to mention his social position.

The history of footwear is a long one. The first shoes were basically soles constructed from wood or leather. It pains me to think how uncomfortable not to mention unsanitary these first shoes must have been. At first they were secured by leather straps or the like that kept them from falling off. Luckily, we have surely come a long way since then. The reason leather had become popular is because it breathes. Henceforth, when footwear started to enclose around the foot, leather permitted the air to circulate. The need from the start had been durability and believe it or not, that is still a key feature for today's consumer. In a man's life time, it is estimated that we walk 120,000 miles give or take a mile. It is no wonder that Leonardo da Vinci called the foot a masterpiece of engineering as well as a work of art. In modern times, I have witnessed footwear being delivered in all shapes and sizes. But one thing is for sure; the rule still applies that footwear should have a direct relationship to the cut of the trousers. While black dress shoes have always been considered obligatory for suiting’s, these days interesting color waves and laces offer equal refinement if not superior style. 

Welcome George Esquival. This is a brand that combines a modern aesthetic with a timeless sensibility, all with a Southern California, casual sophistication. Producing a limited quantity of hand-made shoes for select retailers and personal clients throughout the world, Esquivel is able to tell a story with each pair through signature hand finishes and a refined finesse developed over two decades of practice. Leathers are sourced from the finest tanneries in the world, and every line cut and stitch sewn by hand to create an unmistakable footprint. He has made shoes for everyone from Lebron James to Brad Pitt among many others.