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Peter Qu Shoes: Interview With a Cordovan Specialist

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A pair of dark burgundy leather loafers with fringed detailing and a smooth tan interior, labeled "PETER QU."A pair of dark burgundy leather loafers with fringed detailing and a smooth tan interior, labeled "PETER QU."

There is a new brand on the block, Peter Qu, who has also become a recent supporter of The Shoe Snob Blog. With an interesting concept and plans for expansion in the US, I figured getting to know Peter and his ideas was a good step to introducing him to all of you. I have a pair that just arrived that I will soon unbox, as well. For now, let’s learn a bit more about Peter Qu shoes, and the man befind the brand.

Enjoy and stay tuned for more posts about Peter Qu and what makes them different.

A person with long hair sits at a table, holding a brown shoe in one hand and a black shoe in the other, wearing a light green shirt.A person with long hair sits at a table, holding a brown shoe in one hand and a black shoe in the other, wearing a light green shirt.

Peter Qu, please tell us more about you as a person. Where are you from? How old are you? What is your background? Where did you go to school? Give us a little mini biography of you as a person.

Peter: I was born in a small town in Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, China. I am 40 years old this year. I graduated from the best high school of our hometown city in 2005, but I did not go to the college. And my first job was working in a small shoes factory in the year 2006 in Dongguan City, Guangzhou province, where is only 45 minutes away to Hong Kong by bullet train. And my workshop is in Dongguan. So I have been living in Dongguan and working in shoes industry for 20 years, and I think I will spend my whole life in shoes business.

A pair of shiny black cordovan ankle boots with a pointed toe and pull-tabs.A pair of shiny black cordovan ankle boots with a pointed toe and pull-tabs.
A pair of dark brown leather boots with brass eyelets and laces.A pair of dark brown leather boots with brass eyelets and laces.
A pair of polished cordovan leather boots in rich brown with gold eyelets and brown laces.A pair of polished cordovan leather boots in rich brown with gold eyelets and brown laces.
A pair of dark brown cordovan leather ankle boots with a sleek design and wooden soles.A pair of dark brown cordovan leather ankle boots with a sleek design and wooden soles.

What first got you into shoemaking and made you want to have a shoe brand? What was that deciding factor that made you say, “Yes, I want to do shoes”?

Peter: In 2006, I entered the shoes industry merely for a job; In 2013, when I first learned about Goodyear Welted shoe-making techniques, I had the idea of starting my own brand. Because in my previous job, I had seen too many extremely ordinary and cheap shoes. At that time, I felt that China needed better-quality handmade shoes, Then I realized that I could find passion and feel excitement in designing new styles, because I felt that I was creating something.

When you chose to make shoes, what was the drive behind choosing to produce only cordovan leather shoes? Tell us more about that, as it is very rare and unique for a brand to focus solely on one type of leather.

Peter: To be honest, in 2022 we decided to focus our brand solely on making shell cordovan leather shoes and boots because the competition in the handmade shoe market in China was simply too intense. Our team’s energy and resources were insufficient to enable our brand to produce all kinds of shoes of different styles and materials as it did before. We had also produced many very attractive women’s shoes before, but we also decided to abandon the women’s shoe project at that time. Looking back now, this was a very effective strategy. And we focused more on shell cordovan leather shoes and boots, which enabled our team to accumulate more experience and skills to make the shell cordovan leather shoes and boots extremely excellent. Moreover, we are still constantly improving.

A black leather shoe with a brown leather strap detail, positioned at an angle against a brick wall.A black leather shoe with a brown leather strap detail, positioned at an angle against a brick wall.
A black leather shoe with a red leather strap across the top.A black leather shoe with a red leather strap across the top.
A dark brown leather shoe with a red leather strap across the top, featuring detailed stitching.A dark brown leather shoe with a red leather strap across the top, featuring detailed stitching.
A pair of black cordovan shoes with a brown leather strap and a smooth sole.A pair of black cordovan shoes with a brown leather strap and a smooth sole.
If you know me, you know that this is the pair that really caught my eye 😉

How would you describe your brand? Are you more boot-focused, shoe-focused, sneaker-focused, or a mixture? How do you see Peter Qu as a brand in terms of what you bring to the shoe industry?

Peter: We are a handmade footwear brand that focus on solely on shell cordovan leather and offer MTO and MTM service for our clients. The direct answer are both shoes and boots. However, I prefer to define our brand based on the dressing styling of our products rather than the type of shoes.

Our core users have the following characteristics: 1. Gentlemen who prefer retro or workwear styles, 2. Business professionals in the workplace, 3. People who appreciate high-quality handmade shoes and boots, 4. Those who enjoy the texture and aging effect of horsehide, 5. Those who have specific requirements for size and style design customization.
I hope that our PETER QU brand can embody a certain spirit – a spirit of being willing to strive for one’s passion throughout one’s life, and a spirit of constantly striving to improve the quality of products and services.

A hand holds a polished, brown cordovan leather boot with decorative stitching and metal eyelets.A hand holds a polished, brown cordovan leather boot with decorative stitching and metal eyelets.
A hand holds a stylish shoe featuring a burgundy textured upper and a black smooth leather toe.A hand holds a stylish shoe featuring a burgundy textured upper and a black smooth leather toe.
A black leather shoe with a textured grey fabric panel and tassel detail is being held by a hand.A black leather shoe with a textured grey fabric panel and tassel detail is being held by a hand.

Which model of yours is your favorite? I’m a sucker for butterfly loafers, so naturally I was drawn to your butterfly loafer, but I’m curious to know which model of yours is the one you personally wear the most.

Peter: I personally love our Penny loafers, in spring and summer I wear loafers the most, in autumn and winter time I wear Chelsea boots the most.

Please tell us more about your brand in terms of how someone reading this in America can get your shoes. Is it easy to buy them online? How do you help customers ascertain the right size, particularly those who are new to your brand and want to make sure they don’t have to ship a pair all the way back to China?

Peter: In America, the only way to order our shoes is from our website www.peterqu.com , it is quite easy to order on website, supporting all kind of payment methods, and the size guide on website is clear, and each single order we will offer the MTM service, so once we receive the new orders, we will email client for the foot measurement and his personal foot characters before we actually make the shoes. Normally only take 2-3 weeks for us to finish the shoes, and it takes around 7 days delivering to USA client’s hand from shipping date. Of course we also offer return and exchange policy, and there are all information on our website.

A brown cordovan Chelsea boot with a shiny finish and elastic side panels.A brown cordovan Chelsea boot with a shiny finish and elastic side panels.
A pair of dark burgundy cordovan shoes with a fringed design on the front, labeled "PETER QU."A pair of dark burgundy cordovan shoes with a fringed design on the front, labeled "PETER QU."
A pair of light tan cordovan shoes with tassels.A pair of light tan cordovan shoes with tassels.
A pair of polished dark green cordovan shoes with brown laces, positioned on a brick surface.A pair of polished dark green cordovan shoes with brown laces, positioned on a brick surface.
Absolutely love those natural cordovan tassel loafers! The fringe penny’s are also super cool!

What are the price ranges of your shoes? How do you manage to offer such a great price on cordovan? While your shoes are certainly not cheap, they appear to offer very good value compared to what cordovan shoes normally cost.
Peter: Our shoes price ranges are from $577 to $777, and boots price ranges are mainly from $777 to $877 including the shipping cost.

Because our team possesses extremely professional skills in patina hand coloring and a wealth of experience, so we are able to hand-dye the colors on shell cordovan crust with good results.

And our own shell cordovan are tanned in two-generations tannery that has been researching and making shell cordovan for decades in China, and all our original horse hides and main tanning chemical material are from Italy.

And our team has a very high efficiency and extensive experience in customizing handmade shoes.
I believe all these factors give us a certain advantage in the pricing of high-quality shell cordovan leather shoes and boots.

Are your shoes Goodyear welted, hand welted, or do you also use Blake construction? Is it a mixture? Tell us a little bit more about the construction methods you use for your shoes.

Peter: We currently do not using Goodyear welted, All our website products are made in hand welted, hand stitch down, and Norwegian construction. We have not considered using Blake construction yet.

A pair of burgundy leather loafers with a decorative fringe detail.A pair of burgundy leather loafers with a decorative fringe detail.
A pair of polished tan cordovan loafers resting on a brick surface.A pair of polished tan cordovan loafers resting on a brick surface.
A pair of polished black leather shoes with a pointed toe and six eyelets.A pair of polished black leather shoes with a pointed toe and six eyelets.
A pair of polished black cordovan shoes with a pointed toe and six eyelets for laces.A pair of polished black cordovan shoes with a pointed toe and six eyelets for laces.

Where do you see the future of your brand? Might Americans eventually be able to find you on this side of the world? Do you currently do trunk shows, or are there plans to do them? Tell us a bit more about how you plan to expand and reach American customers.

Peter: I hope our brand can become a global brand of handmade footwear. It doesn’t have to be overly large, but it should always focus on doing what we love.

Currently, 90% of our customers are from China. We only started to attempt to expand our overseas market this year, and we have already received good orders from overseas, including those from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Australia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, etc.

We are about to attend the Stitchdown Expo Chicago 2026 Featuring Super Trunk Show in Chicago in November. And I think we will keep attending the Trunk Show next year.

We do have plans to find more partners in the United States to sell our products, especially those friends who already have their own vintage clothing and handmade shoe stores in the country, we believe this move will help us expand and reach more American customers.

A pair of polished brown cordovan leather boots with gold buckles and a stacked heel.A pair of polished brown cordovan leather boots with gold buckles and a stacked heel.
A pair of polished tan leather boots with a buckle detail and a stacked heel.A pair of polished tan leather boots with a buckle detail and a stacked heel.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the interview and learning about a newer brand on the scene. If you are a Cordovan lover, this brand seems like a no-brainer for you! If you are or will be around the Chicago are in early November, make sure to come check out Peter and the rest of the brands at the Chicago Super Trunk Show 2026 at Stitchdown Expo. It’s going to be a great time! Learn more and tickets here.

Learn more about Peter Qu here: https://www.peterqu.com/

—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob

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A pair of brown cordovan loafers with tassels and a stitched design.A pair of brown cordovan loafers with tassels and a stitched design.
Brown cordovan loafers with tassels and a smooth finish.Brown cordovan loafers with tassels and a smooth finish.
A unique design on the apron stitch starting and ending points
A brown leather slip-on shoe with a smooth finish and a light-colored sole.A brown leather slip-on shoe with a smooth finish and a light-colored sole.
A pair of shiny, dark brown cordovan loafers with a sleek design.A pair of shiny, dark brown cordovan loafers with a sleek design.
A pair of polished dark brown cordovan shoes with a sleek, rounded design.A pair of polished dark brown cordovan shoes with a sleek, rounded design.
A pair of polished black cordovan shoes with a cap toe design and lace-up closure.A pair of polished black cordovan shoes with a cap toe design and lace-up closure.
A pair of polished black leather dress shoes with lace-up design and cap toe detail.A pair of polished black leather dress shoes with lace-up design and cap toe detail.
A pair of black cordovan loafers with tassels, displayed on a wooden surface.A pair of black cordovan loafers with tassels, displayed on a wooden surface.
Black cordovan loafers with tassels paired with gray houndstooth pants and patterned socks.Black cordovan loafers with tassels paired with gray houndstooth pants and patterned socks.
A stylish brown and tan leather Chelsea boot with a rounded toe and elastic side panels.A stylish brown and tan leather Chelsea boot with a rounded toe and elastic side panels.
A brown and tan leather Chelsea boot with a pointed toe rests on a brick surface.A brown and tan leather Chelsea boot with a pointed toe rests on a brick surface.
A pair of polished black leather Chelsea boots with a sleek design.A pair of polished black leather Chelsea boots with a sleek design.
A pair of sleek black cordovan Chelsea boots with elastic side panels.A pair of sleek black cordovan Chelsea boots with elastic side panels.
A close-up of a brown leather shoe with a smooth sole and visible stitching, worn with white pants.A close-up of a brown leather shoe with a smooth sole and visible stitching, worn with white pants.
A pair of dark burgundy cordovan shoes with a fringed detail on the front, worn with light-colored pants.A pair of dark burgundy cordovan shoes with a fringed detail on the front, worn with light-colored pants.
Brown cordovan loafers paired with mustard-colored socks and blue jeans.Brown cordovan loafers paired with mustard-colored socks and blue jeans.
A close-up of brown leather slip-on shoes worn with blue jeans and mustard-colored socks.A close-up of brown leather slip-on shoes worn with blue jeans and mustard-colored socks.



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