His custom shoes have been worn by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Killers, Yao Ming and Justin Timberlake; Nicholas Cage owns forty pairs; they're even worn by the CEO of Zappos.com. But George Esquivel is not your ordinary high-end cordwainer.

It's been a long and winding road for the Orange County kid who grew up in hotels and motels, the eldest of five kids, the son of a notorious and violent drug dealer. "He's a bad man," he says of his father. "There's nothing good about him." But with what he credits as his "faith and trust in God," Esquivel has pulled himself up by the bootstraps - pun most certainly intended - and marched his way into an artistry and approachability that has rarely been seen in men's fashion since Ferragamo's early Hollywood days.

Now Esquivel has opened his own appointment-only bespoke showroom in Los Angeles, quite naturally called B.Spoke, on West Third Street, right behind Douglas Fir (who coincidentally stock him). It's a comfortable and well-lit space of Viesso couches and shelf after shelf of classic-with-a-modern-twist Esquivel shoe-styles.

More than a decade ago, Esquivel used to drive a linen-truck with dreams of shoes tickling his brain. Along his routes he'd stop at various shoe-makers and lay out his designs, gently requesting the old pros to stitch them together. One cobbler after another he tried - and just like Prince Charming's hunt for a beautiful foot to fit the glass slipper, it seemed that before Esquivel could find that lovely shoe he could find nothing but shoddy brogans. Within an inch of giving up, fate threw Esquivel a glimmer of hope when a retired cobbler, Emigdio Canales, chased him down and insisted he could make these shoes to Esquivel's satisfaction.

Canales had the machinery in his garage and for $60 he did indeed impress Esquivel. A partnership was born. Esquivel would wear the shoes amongst the mid-90s Los Angeles punk rockabilly scene, finding admiration from friends and strangers alike, each requesting their own pair. Esquivel designed the shoes, Canales and Esquivel together made the shoes and Esquivel sold them. The shoe buyer at American Rag spotted them and began stocking them. After making 1000 pairs, Canales had acquired enough money to buy a house and retire (again).

I met with Esquivel at his Third Street showroom to get the full B.Spoke experience. I was told it would take an hour and half: fifteen minutes to measure, seventy-five to decide on a shoe. With each style being more beautiful than the next, the decision can feel daunting, but Esquivel patiently coached me through, reminding me that his shoes "are meant to be worn," not to be kept in the closet. I finally settled on a leather-and-suede number called the Jazz, a shoe with subtle curves more titillating than some women; it's a gorgeous design, classic yet contemporary, that can be worn with jeans or a suit and will always, always impress.

After Canales retired, Esquivel floated from apprenticeship to apprenticeship, with "each shoe-maker better than the last," he says. His final mentor was Oscar Navarro, who designed and built the character shoes for Disney. It was a strange collaboration but settled a certain whimsy in some of Esquivel's designs. After two-and-a-half years with Navarro, Esquivel was finally ready to be on his own: he bought the machines and opened his first shop.

A decade later he's sitting in his new show-room, measuring my foot. I always thought I wore a 9½ shoe, but it turns out I had a 9-length and a 10-width and a narrow heel. My Jazz, which will be done in about eight weeks, will be the perfect Cinderella fit. Comfortable from day one, I'll be free of blisters, something I've never known in a new leather shoe.

After the fitting alone, I now find myself curiously addicted to custom-made Esquivels. There's an old-world luxury to them that can be hard to find in Los Angeles (or Europe for that matter). But it goes beyond pure luxury to the beauty and comfort of something made specifically for you. If you happen to be a gentleman of Los Angeles, if you happen to have a taste for finer things - then Esquivel will subdue all desires and I can guarantee that you'll soon find yourself curiously addicted too.

THE DETAILS: Esquivel Shoes
Custom-made at B.Spoke
For information or an appointment, email info@esquivelshoes.com
http://esquivelshoes.com

Photography by Karen Curley.
Story by Jeremy Tarr.

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