An Address with a Story
Founded in Japan in 1988 by Keizo Shimizu, Nepenthes began with the ambition to source clothing and products that were difficult to find in the Japanese market. Starting out in a small space in Tokyo, the business grew through a willingness to look beyond the obvious, championing lesser-known labels and eventually developing its own brands. That same ethos carries through to Woburn Walk, A label that draws on traditional menswear, workwear and subcultural influences.
The Woburn Walk collaboration brings together G.H.BASS’s American heritage and the independent style perspective of Nepenthes London, whose Woburn Walk label takes its name from the Bloomsbury street where the London store first established itself.
Loafers Beyond Tradition
The Woburn Walk collaboration draws on the loafer’s history of moving between different worlds of dress. Once associated with more traditional forms of footwear, loafers have since been adopted by British subcultures such as mods and punks, as well as appearing in style movements ranging from American collegiate dress to contemporary streetwear. Loafers have long been part of how people express their own individual style.
The Cobra Venetian: The Safety Pin Has a Past
Unlike a penny loafer, with its signature strap across the vamp, the Venetian has a clean, uninterrupted upper with a raised tongue. The G.H.BASS x Woburn Walk Cobra Venetian is adorned with a brass Nepenthes safety pin threaded through the upper, bringing an element of London's punk-influenced style into the design.
Safety pins have a long association with British punk fashion. During the 1970s, punks used pins to fasten deliberately ripped clothing, making a practical object part of the movement's DIY approach to dressing; it was about personalising clothing rather than following trends. Woburn Walk draws on this history, bringing a detail rooted in London's subcultural style to the Cobra's minimalist upper.
Wedge Underfoot
Woburn Walk replaces the Cobra’s traditional sole with a VIBRAM Morflex wedge lug sole, giving the shoe a broader base. The VIBRAM Morflex construction keeps the sole lightweight, with flexibility and cushioning for everyday wear. The chunkier profile brings a more bringing a more utilitarian edge to Cobra loafer while keeping the original hand-sewn construction intact.
150 Years of G.H.BASS
The Woburn Walk project forms part of G.H.BASS's 150th-anniversary celebrations, a year that recognises a history spanning a century and a half of shoemaking. The anniversary also brings a series of collaborations that explore the brand's designs through the eyes of other creative names, including KARL LAGERFELD, Dover Street Market's Kei Ninomiya and Hast Paris.
Discover the other collaborations celebrating our 150th anniversary, including Karl Lagerfeld, DSM Kei Ninomiya and HAST Paris, each bringing its own perspective to G.H.BASS heritage.
Discover our latest arrivals here and see what’s new.
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