Since introducing the ‘Made in France’ footwear program at the start of 2015, le coq sportif began working with a small factory called Cléon, in a small village named La Romagne. Since then, the tri-color brand have re-established and celebrated its rich heritage and history in local manufacturing through a series of premium collaborations utilizing iconic models from the LCS archive. Next up: the LCS R800, originally released in 1991 and featuring le coq sportif’s infamous Dynactif energy return system. After previously working with Footpatrol on the re-release of the Eclat back in 2013, le coq sportif teamed up with London’s finest once more on another gem from our retro-running back catalogue. Having the opportunity to create a shoe 100% made in France, Footpatrol wanted to pay tribute to the skilled craftsmen/craftswomen who continue to keep a dwindling practice in Western Europe alive. The word ‘Artisan’ is used to describe a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand. This became the inspiration for our concept, and so the le coq sportif x Footpatrol R800 ‘Artisan’ was born… The R800 ‘Artisan’ is a meticulously designed piece of footwear that takes great pride in its’ details. The upper is assembled in smooth Dress Blue leather with an Eclipse coloured nubuck accents on the heel wrapping around the medial panel. Rustic Tan leather touches are added on the inner lining, tongue and toe-box panel. Branding features in different forms throughout, from the laser engraved Le Coq Sportif & Footpatrol branding on the tongue, to the embossed LCS logo on the lateral panel. Further branding continues on the footbed featuring dual-brand logos with the words ‘R800 Artisan’ above.The Red & Green stitch details running through the medial and lateral panels add a subtle touch of contrast to the silhouette. Complementing the shoe are three sets of laces – a Dress Blue flat lace, multi-coloured flat lace and a full grain Tan leather lace. The shoe sits atop a Papyrus coloured midsole, on a light gum outsole. The R800 ‘Artisan’ comes housed in a custom wooden shoe box complete with a perspex lid. Included in the box are a set of wooden shoe trees, leather shoe cream, buffing cloth and shoe brush. Available exclusively at Footpatrol.