The Woodford family has been manufacturing fine English footwear since 1908. Throughout these 110 years of experience in the industry, there have been many different fashion styles and trends that have come and gone during cultural shifts across the world. This valuable experience and knowledge has helped decide the best direction to take the business in order to remain sustainable and cultivate growth. With Crown Northampton now the flagship brand of the Woodford family business - new products added to the range are carefully thought through. The focus remains on timeless styles that are Made In England with traditional craftsmanship alongside a progressive, modern edge.
There is continual trialing, testing and development at the Crown workshop with many new designs being created as prototypes or special commissions for our longstanding wholesale partners. When it came to adding to our current Jazz and Sneaker collections we listened to feedback from our partners and customers then decided to introduce a leather soled slipper collection.
The Velvet Slipper style is regal, classically British and importantly timeless in design and construction so it was a logical choice. Traditionally worn as a relaxing house shoe or alternatively for gala events - more recently slippers have been paired down and styled casually for everyday appeal in combination with rolled up chinos or clean, sharp denim. They can be worn with a thin dress sock or during the summer months without any socks at all.
The new Earl Velvet Slipper from Crown has an elegant, smooth velvet upper that's made on a sleek last with tapered forepart. This ensures a classic slipper silhouette with modern detailing. At it's core a slipper should be a simple shoe with slip on construction where the subtle craftsmanship speaks for itself. However we have also mixed in some modern elements to help aid comfort and wearability. All edges are traditionally machine bound with an internal soft quilted lining. A luxurious memory foam footbed has been added inside that will come into direct contact with the wearers foot for an extra level of comfort. The Earl is finished with a full leather sole and slim heel as standard. Furthermore, there are modified anti slip rubber panels under foot that come into direct contact with the ground to help with stability. As many of you may know, a smooth, unscuffed leather sole can sometimes be treacherous on first wear but with our clever Crown sole this will no longer pose a problem.
The Earl Velvet Slipper is available in a range of colours and finishes where you can choose to have a plain toe piece or embroidered 'Crown & Crest' design. For information, the Crown Northampton crest design features the Northamptonshire County rose dating back to 1665. To use the County Rose, official confirmation was required from local authorities and granted. Furthermore, to include a Crown logo in our crest, a formal submission to the Royal Buckingham Palace Estate was first submitted and then subsequently cleared for use. These details are truly unique to Crown Northampton and we are proud to have been granted permission to use them on our and fully Made In Northampton, England slippers.
A custom make up option will soon be available to order through our website. This will enable you to choose your own upper and binding colour, lining material and also custom specific embroidery. This could include your own monogrammed initials or design and will add a further level of individual personalisation. Until then however, if you have something in mind, just drop us an email so we can discuss a special commission.
View the full Earl Slipper Collection here with a selection of images below.
