Already a star in the world of hats, of-the-moment milliner Nick Fouquet is adding his natty touch to a new footwear collaboration with fellow California craftsman George Esquivel.
Fouquet caught up with Footwear News at his Venice, Calif., workshop.
![Nick Fouquet](https://footwearnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/nick-fouquet.jpg)
How did you and George come to work together?
Nick Fouquet: “We met through an initiative at the LACMA. He suggested we do a shoe together as a fun creative project. What he does with the shoes and what I do with the hats, there are a lot of parallels.”
What are the similarities?
“The craftsmanship of it all, from the timing to the production. I went to his workshop here to see how it’s made.”
How did you bring your style to shoes?
“I had sketches and ideas — some old shoes from England that I had forever to show the type of toe cap and last I liked. We hand-burnished them to the point where they look really distressed. I thought there was still something missing, so I ripped out the laces, went to my sewing machine and started patching all these old fabrics together.”
Watch on FN
![Nick Fouquet x George Esquivel](https://footwearnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/nick-fouquet-george-esquivel.jpg)
Want more?
The Story Behind George Esquivel & Nick Fouquet’s Fall Shoe Collab