Written by Bec Loades in New Collections on the 18th October 2018

It’s not a collaboration that would immediately jump to mind, however after being invited to the launch of Jamie Oliver’s shoes with British brand Seven Feet Apart, there is a lot more to be said about this design relationship than just a famous chef adding his name to some trainers. MenswearStyle were kindly invited to the seriously impressive Jamie Oliver Headquarters, in London, where we had the opportunity to talk to the founders of sevenfeetapart.com and try on the new shoes ourselves. You might be wondering how an internationally-known chef joined up with a relatively new footwear brand. Well, it came about as Jamie decided he wanted to create a special 18th Wedding Anniversary gift for his wife, Jools. As they are both big admirers of 1970s sneakers, he approached his friends at Seven Feet Apart to create a bespoke pair of shoes.

The capsule collection consists of two models, the JO-18 hi-top and lo-top, available in two colour variations (mustard yellow accents or pure white) and the trainers have been designed for both men and women. The first prototype was for the hi-top and Jools is lucky enough to have her own one-off pair in a unique teal colour.

Each shoe is made from the finest Italian leather and produced in Seven Feet Apart’s Portuguese factory. With the Anniversary date fast approaching, the design process was limited to a speedy 12 weeks. Different sketches, graphics and materials were tested until it was whittled down to two concept shoes and after rather a lot of changes in the details, the final shoe went into production. Unlike some celebrity collaborations, Jamie paid a huge part in the creative process but didn’t want it to be all about him. So much so, it was his request for his signature on the sole to be one of the details removed.

One of the key aspects of Seven Feet Apart shoes, is the comfort. The buttery-soft perforated and plain Italian calf leather snuggly encases the foot and will certainly endure a bit of beating up here and there. The shoe has a deeply padded tongue and on the heel of the hi-top there is a clever piece of elastic which makes it easier to put the shoe on and take off. There is also padding in the heel which Jamie named the 'Fat Biscuit' as a nod to his manufacturing and upholstering experience in a car workshop. The capsule sole unit is known as ‘The Duffer’ and features a skater-inspired grip tread. With so much attention to detail in the design and the use of high quality leather, there is no doubt that if they were to be sold in-store, the price would probably double. Seven Feet Apart only sell their shoes online in order to maintain a lower price and avoid the wholesale markup.

Another design addition and for even more comfort, every shoe they make comes with a 'Comfort Forever Footbed' which Seven Feet Apart guarantee for life. The insole will not degrade over time and if there happens to be a problem, they will replace them. It is also worth mentioning that with their classic styles, if you aren’t happy with your purchase within 30 days, you can return them in order to prevent any wastage. To give back to the community, Seven Feet Apart will gift these returned shoes to someone who will happily wear them. As well as the JO-18 collection, I can also highly recommend their other style, the 172, which are possibly the most comfortable sneakers I have ever tried on. Trust me, once you try them you won’t want to take them off!

For Jools' 18th Wedding Anniversary Jamie Oliver teamed up with footwear company Seven Feet Apart to create the JO-18 Sneaker.