Nick Fouquet Talks His New Footwear Collaboration With George Esquivel

Already a star in the world of hats, of-the-moment milliner Nick Fouquet is adding his natty touch to a new footwear collaboration with fellow California craftsman George Esquivel.

Fouquet caught up with Footwear News at his Venice, Calif., workshop.

How did you and George come to work together?
Nick Fouquet: “We met through an initiative at the LACMA. He suggested we do a shoe together as a fun creative project. What he does with the shoes and what I do with the hats, there are a lot of parallels.”

What are the similarities?
“The craftsmanship of it all, from the timing to the production. I went to his workshop here to see how it’s made.”

How did you bring your style to shoes?
“I had sketches and ideas — some old shoes from England that I had forever to show the type of toe cap and last I liked. We hand-burnished them to the point where they look really distressed. I thought there was still something missing, so I ripped out the laces, went to my sewing machine and started patching all these old fabrics together.”

Want more?

The Story Behind George Esquivel & Nick Fouquet’s Fall Shoe Collab