Luxury footwear obsessives Oliver Sweeney and luxury launches site VeryFirstTo.com have teamed-up to create The Secret Shoe – a deluxe, hand-crafted deerskin Derby concealing a host of enticing and practical gadgets. A shoe designed for extraordinary missions and everyday emergencies, from losing your jacket on a night out to being mugged, carjacked or kidnapped.
‘For your feet only’: each unassumingly elegant bespoke shoe, could easily have been created by Q for 007; can contain up to 6 gizmos (3 in each shoe) from a list of 12 including: the world’s smallest phone; a tiny video/still camera; a mini Swiss Army knife; a tracking device; a minute aftershave atomiser with Oliver Sweeney fragrance; a choice of currency capsule (£50; €50; or $50); and the world’s most advanced contactless payment ring.
Long-CZ, the world’s smallest and thinnest phone is the size of a thumb, weighs less than 20 grams and includes a radio, voice changer, text voicemail and call options all using a micro sim. This would allow you to call your own phone to try and locate it or phone a taxi or even the police. Another remarkable option is Enklov the smallest pocket spy camera, which is enabled with night vision, motion detection and can take HD videos and photos. Kerv, the world’s first contactless payment payment ring, is an attractive slim ring that pays for everything anywhere that accepts Mastercard contactless payments.
The gadgets are hidden within the shoe and covered with the inner sole, which can be easily peeled back ensuring they remain a secret to everyone but the owner. Additionally, any purchaser who wishes to hide a spare key can request a specially cut space within one of the shoes to accommodate it. The shoes are made from sumptuous leather and are available in black, brown and tan.
Tim Cooper, Cobbler in Chief at Oliver Sweeney who has been in the business over 30 years, says, “I’m involved in and obsessed by every part of the shoemaking process, from sourcing the finest leathers to working closely with our Italian, family run factory in the Marche region. We go to extraordinary lengths to source the very best materials from across the globe. The leather for the Secret Shoe is wild red deer from Scottish estates, hand selected by myself and is tanned using vegetable tannage in very small batches. Our Master Clicker Gianni cuts the leather by hand. Each hide is exceptional: reflecting the wild existence of the particular deer including nicks, stretch marks and tick bites.”
Deerskin is a very high quality leather that has a number of benefits ranging from feeling soft and supple to touch, to durability and breathability. Being a lightweight and thin leather also ensures that Deerskin has stretch and, over time, moulds to your foot.
Furthermore, in keeping with Oliver Sweeney’s penchant for tattoo details upon their shoes, (including an exclusive collaboration with Henry Hate for VeryFirstTo) a fire writer will inscribe details on the soles from your name to your blood type, address GPS coordinates, or whatever you feel pertinent. The Secret Shoe is handmade in Ancona, Italy where artisans have been making shoes for generations.
Another desirable secret of the shoe is that it discreetly adds two inches to your height.
Marcel Knobil, founder of VeryFirstTo, Superbrands and Cool BrandLeaders says: “In addition to the items hidden within the shoe, the laces themselves are made of Kevlar, originally used for parachute cords. They can act as a friction saw cutting through wood or plastic…so should you ever find yourself zip-tied, you have a fighting chance!”
The Secret Shoe demands over 70 separate stages in construction through creating the last, cutting the leather, stitching and polishing to ensuring each gadget fits within the specific compartment inside of the sole.
The Secret Shoe can be purchased from VeryFirstTo.com and oliversweeney.com from the 31st of October 2017.
#SecretShoe