Being direct from the factory has shaped a great deal of what we have been able to do this year. It has allowed us to bring the connection that once existed between customer and maker a little closer again.
For those who were able to visit us, thank you for making the journey. It has been genuinely encouraging to meet people who share the same interest in how things are made and why that still matters. For those who cannot visit in person, our intention is the same. To show that the connection does not have to disappear online if time, care and honesty are given to it. We plan to build on this next year.
The product itself remains central to everything we do. Our work is built around made to order footwear, designed and crafted here in Northampton, and we believe it is important to be open about every part of that process. From the leathers we choose to the constructions we use and the components you do not see once the shoes are finished, we are happy to explain why each decision is made. That openness is what allows us to stand behind every collection and say, honestly, that it represents the best footwear we can make at its level and price point.
The Year's Work
This year has brought a steady expansion of what we make. New leathers have been introduced, new styles developed and a new construction added to the range. None of these arrive in isolation. Each relies on the accumulated knowledge and skill within the factory, drawing on techniques that have been refined here over generations and applied to modern footwear.
Throughout the year these developments have taken shape across a wide range of projects. Each reflects a specific material, idea or collaboration, brought to life through the same approach that guides all of our work. What follows is a snapshot of the year just gone.
CF Stead Naked Kudu
A rustic, full-grain leather with natural variation, chosen for its texture, durability and character that comes from the hide itself.
Shell Cordovan Releases. D12, D13, D14
A series of rare Shell Cordovan releases, limited by the nature and availability of the leather itself.
Horween Western Floral
An unusual Horween leather, selected for its distinctive finish and used sparingly in line with our minimal approach.
CF Stead Kudu Desert Boots
A softer expression of kudu, paired with a relaxed silhouette designed for everyday wear.
The Ernest Wholecut
A meeting of hand welting and sneaker construction, developed to bring traditional shoemaking methods into a modern context.
Tusting and Burnett
An old English tannery whose leathers connect directly to the heritage of British shoemaking.
Norwegian Ox
A robust, hard-wearing leather chosen for its strength and comfort, well suited to long days and varied ground.
The Grand Union
A collaboration built around the world’s strongest denim, combining material innovation with hand stitch construction.
Travel, Conversations and Time
Every order helps keep the craft this town was built on active. It supports the people who work here, brings more visitors into Northampton and allows us to keep putting well made footwear on people’s feet. There is something genuinely rewarding in that exchange, knowing the work is valued and used.
If you would like to hear more about why we work the way we do, Chris recently spent time talking it through on the Well Dressed Dad podcast. It is a long conversation, but an open one, covering the thinking behind the brand, the factory and the choices we continue to make. If you have the time to listen, it offers a fuller picture of what sits behind the work.
This year also took us further afield. We spent time at Stitchdown Boot Camp in Chicago and visited a number of stores in Japan, meeting customers, demonstrating hand welting and taking measurements in person. These trips give us a chance to listen as much as to show, to understand what resonates and what we should do more or less of in the year ahead. At these events, one thing consistently draws interest. The rare opportunity to buy a fitting pair or a sample to take away there and then.
The conversations we have at events, fittings and factory visits often come back to the same themes. Time, materials and what it means to wait for something to be made properly. Made to order means patience, but it also means that time has already been invested long before a pair reaches the bench. Trees need to grow before sap becomes soles. Oak bark must be harvested and leathers tanned for a year or more. By the time a pair is finished, decades of work often sit behind it.
After more than ten years of making sneakers this way, we realised we had a small number of pairs in the stockroom that had already been through that process. Samples, fitting pairs, cancelled orders and shoes with minor visual imperfections, all made to the same standard but never intended to remain unworn. If something has taken that long to come into being, it feels right that it should be out in the world, doing what it was designed to do.
From the Stockroom
So this feels like the right moment to introduce our From the Stockroom event. It brings together a small group of what we tend to call misfits. Pairs of sneakers and shoes that have already been made and are ready to wear now. Some were produced for photography or as samples. Some were cancelled made to order requests. Others carry small visual imperfections that meant they never quite found their place. None of these affect the structure, comfort or longevity of the shoes.
Each pair has been individually checked, photographed, and clearly described, so what you see is the exact pair you will receive. Pricing is adjusted to reflect condition. The materials, construction and standards are the same as the work we do every day. These shoes were never meant to sit on a shelf. They are far better out in the world, doing what they were made to do.
There are many hands involved in bringing each pair to life, from cutting through to finishing. All pairs in this event are fully resolable and can be repaired and cared for in the same way as our made to order shoes. The From the Stockroom event runs from 26 December to 4 January, giving these pairs a brief chance to be worn rather than stored.
Thank you for supporting the way we work. If you would like something crafted specifically for you, our made to order collections remain at the heart of what we do. And if you are looking for a particular fit, feel or approach to a sneaker, we are always happy to guide that conversation directly, in the same spirit the business was founded on here in Northampton in 1908.
Happy New Year.
