The [definite article] Jaunty [expressing a lively, confident manner] Flâneur [a gentleman who saunters around observing society].
The Jaunty Flaneur is a shoe polishing and gentleman's accessories business with a difference. It's legally registered as a Community Interest Company so is a genuine social business. Although it uses luxury products and premium services to drive growth and revenue, its goal is not financial gain for shareholders; it's to make a real difference in the lives of homeless and long-term unemployed trying to get back into work.
I met the founder, Tom Beecroft, who told me:
'The Jaunty Flaneur makes sure the customer has the best possible outcome and do not compromise quality of delivery. We feel that premium products can be even more desirable with a social aspect - just like Fairtrade coffee or organic beef.
The shoe-shining service is our most directly social effort. Homeless people (usually sofa-surfing or 'informally housed', never rough sleepers) who are trying to get back into gainful employment and away from benefits apply through charities' Employment and Training teams for shiner roles. We train and equip these shiners, showing them a skill, exposing them to customer interaction, and enabling them to earn their income rather than rely on benefits. Shiners can then take on more locations (typically corporate offices) and/or increase their range of skills and deliver higher service levels.
Beyond the shining (done on-the-foot), we offer a polishing service in which we take shoes away for a few days and really work on them allowing plenty of time for creams to absorb into leather for the best effects. We also have a great relationship with an excellent cobbler and have now launched our shoe shining service at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.
Everything we stock, and the service we deliver, is of the highest quality - but everything is accessible. We don't have anything that is out of anyone's reach financially. We want everyone to be able to inject some luxury into their wardrobes and lives without breaking the bank. By dealing with niche, rather than 'designer', brands we can offer great value.
We're very much fans of buying quality that will last. Fantastic suppliers ensure this product-wise, and our shoe care is all about looking after the investment a man has made in his shoes so that he can enjoy them for years to come, and so that they will grow with him as his personal 'patina' develops over time.
The stock we have, and the products we're looking at stocking in the near future, is very carefully chosen. I only buy things for the shop that I will personally wear and enjoy myself. As the range of products grows, that will hold true; I'll only sell products that I like enough to spend my own money on and have experience of using'.
Jaunty Flaneur's products include, where possible, a social angle. Their wool/silk and cashmere/silk sock sales include a donation of fresh socks to rough sleepers, which makes a real difference to their health and hygiene. They take a reduced margin to be afford to afford these donations. The donation socks are distributed through their partners, Sock Mob, who use handing out socks as an icebreaker to talk with rough sleepers and try to make them feel less excluded. Jaunty Flaneur are very proud to have donated close to 50 pairs just before Christmas in this manner. They hope to find similar links with future products such as winter scarves that include donations of scarves to rough sleepers.
For more information, see The Jaunty Flaneur.
If you know any other menswear businesses with a similar approach to social responsibility, please get in touch, or comment below.
If you know any other menswear businesses with a similar approach to social responsibility, please get in touch, or comment below.
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