In The Making
A short video of the Pattern Room shows Mark using the traditional method of masking a last (Last 363), giving him the inside and outside profiles. The masking tape is then removed, flattened and overlaid to produce the ‘Mean Form’ – an average of that last. Still seen today, this method has been used by Crockett & Jones’s pattern cutters for more than a century.
AND SO IT BEGINS…
Once the patterns have been taken from the last, a prototype sample is made and test fitted. After any necessary adjustments to the patterns, a final sample pair is produced. It is crucial to ensure that the patterns fit correctly and that the upper sits nicely on the ‘wood’ (last) before starting on bulk production.

FUNDAMENTALS OF A LAST
A Pattern Cutter’s work can be appreciated throughout the early stages of production, from the upper and lining patterns that a Clicker will use to the press knives needed in the Preparation department. A pattern cutter’s role is to reproduce the fundamentals of our lasts, enabling our craftsmen and women to make the shoes as they were intended to be.
THE MODERN ERA
Pattern cutting has evolved since the early days, and although age old techniques will always be utilised, other areas have been modernised. With the introduction of CAD and CAM, the pattern cutting department was able to bring more of the process in-house, giving them maximum control over the patterns they distribute throughout the factory.
