4. How Footwear Archives Shape Brand Identity, Culture, and Design with Tim Crumplin

What is the value of the footwear archive and museum? Why are so many brands now establishing their own archives, and how and why do footwear professionals engage with archival materials? In the first of three episodes on footwear histories, Dr Alexandra Sherlock chats with Tim Crumplin, business archivist at the Shoemakers Museum and Alfred Gillet Trust (Clarks Archive), to discuss the significance of public and private archives and the vital role of their custodianship for culture and industry.Credits:Interviewee: Tim CrumplinInterviewer: Dr. Alexandra SherlockPresenters: Dr. Alexandra Sherlock and Dr. Emily BrayshawEditor: Dr. Alexandra SherlockPhotographs: Credits in photograph captionsChapters:00:00 - Show Intro00:58 - Episode Overview - Emily and Alex07:26 - Tim’s background and route into Clarks and the Alfred Gillet Trust11:09 - How the archive has changed14:15 - Recognising the value of the archive as a creative resource18:28 - Street, Somerset and the Quaker influence on Clarks24:40 - Vertical integration and traceability27:50 - How to build an archive37:23 - The vulnerability of shoe museums and archives39:03 - The case for the charitable trust model45:20 - Collection policy: what gets kept and why49:40 - How designers use the archive in practice55:30 - Archives, corporate culture and healthy approaches to risk-taking01:06:47 - External access and community engagement01:09:03 - Digitisation01:16:52 - How to become a business archivist01:19:04 - Finding and visiting the Shoemakers Museum www.footwearresearchnetwork.org