2015年经济学人 制鞋业 亚洲花皮鞋

Shoemaking

Asian brogue

Exports help to revive the high end of Britain's decimated shoe industry

FROM the attic¹ of his cramped² old factory in the middle of Northampton, Stephen Etheridge, the head of Church's, a shoemaker,

gazes down on the deserted³ bus station next door. He explains how his company will soon be expanding to fill the four-acre (1.5-hectare) site,

creating 100 or so jobs in the process. The move has caused a stir in Northampton, about 70 miles north of London,

as it is the first time in living memory that a shoe company is growing rather than closing.

The recent success of a venerable old firm like Church's, founded in 1873, reflects a wider revival⁴ of Northampton's luxury shoemakers,

buoyed⁵ by the insatiable Asian appetite for a bit of old English craft and class.

There was a time when the city of Northampton and its surrounding towns did little else but produce shoes.

The industry there employed tens of thousands of people in hundreds of factories, small and large;

fortunes were made making millions of boots for the army during the first world war.

But that era of mass manufacturing came to a calamitous⁶ end in the 1980s as production moved overseas to take advantage of cheaper labour.

Now Britain imports almost all its shoes. There were fears that the whole industry might become extinct.

But posh bootmakers like Church's, Joseph Cheaney and Loake clung on. They employ hundreds of people each, rather than the thousands of old Northampton,

but they have now found a very profitable niche⁷ in the global market and are prospering⁸ as never before.

Loake is still a family-run firm, making shoes in the same factory in nearby Kettering that the founding brothers built in 1894.

Like all the area's luxury cobblers Loake only makes “goodyear welted” shoes, a 300-year-old process whereby the shoe is stitched together.

This time-consuming and expensive technique gives the footwear strength and durability⁹.

As Andrew Loake, the current head of the company, explains, all shoes used to be made like this until the advent¹⁰ of cheaper injection-moulding.

“So,” he explains, “our shoes have moved from being mass-commodity items to being specialist and different.”

In that sort of market, argues Mr Loake, the only way to go is to make shoes better rather than cheaper.

His company now uses higher-quality leather than it did in the 1980s. Each shoe takes eight weeks to make, involving about 200 processes.

Some of these haven't changed for a long time. But that is exactly what new consumers, particularly in Asia, want to pay for.

Exports now account for over one-third of its sales, and have been increasing steadily¹¹ over the past decade. Loake's biggest export market is Sweden.

Its second-biggest is South Korea, reflecting, says Mr Loake, “a hunger for high-quality goods” in Asia.

Church's is also doing well in the East. Although it is now owned by Prada, an Italian luxury-goods company,

it sells itself as the quintessential English manufacturer. To control the Church's brand, it sells almost half of its products through its own bespoke¹² shops—

four in Hong Kong, two in Shanghai, and one in Singapore. It is trying to open one in Beijing, too. Prices are steep, rising to ￡1,000 ($1,500) a pair.

But, even producing 5,000 pairs a week, the company cannot meet demand—hence the expansion of their factory in Northampton.

If the 21st century does belong to Asia, at least its masters will be well-shod.

1 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

2 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

3 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

4 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

5 buoyed   

v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神

参考例句：

• Buoyed by their win yesterday the team feel confident of further success. 在昨天胜利的鼓舞下，该队有信心再次获胜。
• His encouragement buoyed her up during that difficult period. 他的鼓励使她在那段困难时期恢复了乐观的情绪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 calamitous   

adj.灾难的，悲惨的；多灾多难；惨重

参考例句：

• We are exposed to the most calamitous accidents. 我们遭受着极大的灾难。 来自辞典例句
• Light reveals the subtle alteration of things, the sly or calamitous impermanence or mortal life. 事物的细微变动，人生的狡猾，倏忽无常，一一都在光中显露出来。 来自辞典例句

7 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

8 prospering   

成功，兴旺( prosper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Our country is thriving and prospering day by day. 祖国日益繁荣昌盛。
• His business is prospering. 他生意兴隆。

9 durability   

n.经久性，耐用性

参考例句：

• Nylons have the virtue of durability.尼龙丝袜有耐穿的优点。

10 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

11 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

12 bespoke   

adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求

参考例句：

• His style of dressing bespoke great self-confidence. 他的衣着风格显得十分自信。
• The haberdasher presented a cap, saying,"Here is the cap your worship bespoke." 帽匠拿出一顶帽子来说：“这就是老爷您定做的那顶。” 来自辞典例句