Invest In Quality by Michael Williams

You almost never arrive at the best quality immediately. Even understanding quality and its relationship to value takes time and often missteps.

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June 2, 2026 10:01am EDT

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Invest in Quality
Words by Michael Williams

You almost never arrive at the best quality immediately. Even understanding quality and its relationship to value takes time and often missteps.

The world is slanted in one direction, and it’s not towards things that last. It takes effort and some risk to understand the concept of quality. When I was just starting out in my career in New York, I had a very cheaply made pair of brown brogues which I would wear most days. As a twentysomething who knew nothing, I was fond of the idea of these shoes. Eventually, they fell completely apart, and I mailed them back overseas with the idea that they could be fixed. I had very little money and I remember the crushing pain when they were lost in the mail and never to be seen again. (The brand later informed me these shoes couldn’t be resoled regardless of whether they had made their voyage home.)

This was all a valuable lesson to me. First, I started to understand that quality construction and materials go hand in hand. Real leather gets better over time— not worse. Quality materials mould to your foot, becoming more comfortable as they break in. When the original outsole gets worn out on a quality pair of shoes, it’s merely the opening game of a four-set match. We’re just getting warmed up here!

Pembroke
Dark Brown

Scotch Grain

Islay
Dark Brown

Scotch Grain

Harvard 2
Dark Brown

Suede

Chelsea 5
Dark Brown

Rough-Out Suede

A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to write a column for GQ Style called Buying for Value. In the series, we went against the grain of modern consumer culture to focus on things built on a different paradigm, one that rethinks the concept of “expensive”. Often, I return to the famous quote by Sir Henry Royce (the well-known Rolls-Royce co-founder). "The quality remains long after the price is forgotten." In our modern society, where buying in bulk in our race to the bottom, there remain beacons of light in the stormy seas of cheap consumer goods. Quality at Crockett & Jones has been the hallmark of the company since 1879. This ethos of craftsmanship has continued to permeate everything the company creates to this day.

If you go into my closet, you will see several green shoeboxes, each marked with Crockett & Jones in gold-leaf lettering. Inside are a collection of my most cherished shoes... Read More

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Michael Williams is a writer and consultant living in Los Angeles. He's the founder of the website A Continuous Lean and a champion of well-made and long-lasting things. He spends his free time chasing around after his children and sneaking in rounds of golf.

BY APPOINTMENT TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIER OF FOOTWEAR CROCKETT & JONES LIMITED, NORTHAMPTON

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Invest In Quality by Michael Williams

You almost never arrive at the best quality immediately. Even understanding quality and its relationship to value takes time and often missteps.

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