Luxury French shoemaker Robert Clergerie finally puts his feet up

Robert Clergerie, the maker of the luxury French shoes worn by Rihanna, Bella Hadid and Madonna, was never one to sit around kicking his heels.

When the brand that bears his name almost went bust four years after he had sold up and retired, he dumped his golf clubs and repurchased the company, pumping in €2 million (US$2.3 million) of his own money to put it back on its feet.

“I was 70, but I was bored stiff,” Clergerie recalled.

He had toured the Greek islands, taken up gardening and golf, but he said he was “bored to death, particularly by the golf”.

He added: “It killed me to see the company go like that. I knew almost all the workers.

“The day I returned to the factory the women were in tears,” he said, the emotion welling up in his voice.

“I found a second youth.” And so did his brand, its trademark flat and wedged shoes and boots again becoming a must-have for fashionistas.

While other brands have been forced to go abroad for cheaper labour, Clergerie has bucked the trend.