The loafer has been part of Northampton's shoemaking story for nearly eighty years. The pattern found its way into the town's factories in the 1950s as the more casual American loafer silhouette began to sit alongside the traditional welted shoes Northampton had always been known for. Our unlined version takes that evolution one step further, presenting a luxury leather loafer in the minimal, characterful Crown Northampton way of making.
The Ashby is our second slip on style and very much our territory. The first was the Brockton Belgian Slipper in our Jazz Collection. This one, by popular demand, is the newest addition to our Unlined Collection, which itself grew from the Hand Stitch Collection and the techniques we developed there.
The history of the loafer
Few shoe styles have endured quite like the loafer. Present in footwear since the early 19th century, its roots go back much further. The moccasin, an apron stitched leather shoe, has been worn by humans for at least 5,500 years. High end slippers for the wealthy in the late 1800s took that basic construction and made it sturdier, adding a tougher sole or a low heel.
Example of early Naskapi Moccasins from Native Northern American Innu depicting the 'apron' style.
A shoemaker crafts the 'Aurland' style of moccasins in 1950, invented by Nils Gregoriusson Tveranger in 1908 in Norway, which became the prototype for common-day loafers.
Norwegian shoemaker Nils Gregoriusson Tveranger introduced a newer version around 1908, inspired by Native American footwear and its characteristic apron stitch. By the 1950s the loafer had become more formal and robust, associated with the preppy look popular among American students of the time. Some styles added a strap across the front and became known as penny loafers. Others featured decorative tassels. The silhouette has changed in detail but never in spirit. At once casual and smart, modern and traditional.
The Ashby Loafer
The Ashby takes its name from Castle Ashby, a village in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside, home to a historic house and gardens still owned by the 7th Marquess of Northampton. A beautiful place to visit if you ever find yourself making the trip up to see us in Northampton, the shoe capital of the world. Heritage equal to our own, we thought it deserved a shoe named after it.
Castle Ashby House, owned by the 7th Marquess of Northampton. The village in which it is situated is the inspiration for the Ashby Loafer.
The Crown Northampton approach to the loafer
Chris Woodford, our owner and pattern cutter, on what makes these leather loafers made in England a little different:
"We started by wanting to add a slip on to our unlined collection using the amazingly soft Horween Dearborn. We adapted the traditional loafer patterns my grandfather used and moved towards wholecut patterns in the soft moccasin style my father made in the seventies, then introduced our unusual splitting technique to insert structure. A true mixture of family, town, and our modern way of crafting. A slip on with the softness of a moccasin and the structure of a loafer. Breathable, slipper soft, but best of all, handmade in Northampton."
Made to order makes sneakers like this possible
Fifty years ago, Andrew Woodford, Chris's father, ran a very different business in Northampton. Hundreds of staff, thousands of moccasins a week, all heading to department stores up and down the country. The internet did not exist to help explain why what you make has value. Price point came first because the stores needed it to.
That model became unviable. The stores found cheaper alternatives outside the UK, and the work moved with them. What it left behind was an opportunity, a chance for manufacturers to sell direct, put the product first, and explain honestly why what they make is worth the price.
Crown Northampton exists today because of customers who care about what they buy and why. The Ashby Loafer exists because of that model. A shoe this considered, this time consuming, this rooted in a family and a town, would never survive a wholesale price point. Made to order, direct to you, it can.
Design details
The benefits of an unlined loafer are felt immediately. Getting the Horween Dearborn to encase the foot as softly as possible was the starting point. Presenting its characterful grain in the best possible way is where Northampton's historical techniques got involved.
The top line and apron are framed with hand folded French binding, keeping the edges clean and considered. The saddle is hand stitched in place. The upper is split using a technique developed in tribute to Haynes & Cann, the Northampton makers of RAF boots, allowing hidden structure to be inserted inside the leather itself without interrupting the softness against the foot.
Beneath the foot, a vegetable tanned insole and cork midsole mould to your individual footprint over time. The Lactae Hevea sole is side wall stitched in place, chosen for its softness and renowned for its quality. Everything selected with one purpose, to make the softest loafer we can craft, and one that can be resoled when the time comes.
Styling an unlined loafer
Horween Dearborn is an aniline vegetable tanned leather, which means its top surface varies naturally across the hide. Growth marks, subtle shifts in grain and tone. No two pairs will ever look quite the same, and over time each one deepens and darkens in its own way. Yours, in every way.
As a slip on with no lacing to think about, the Ashby is an easy shoe to live with. It sits as comfortably with lightweight trousers and a linen shirt as it does with jeans and a t-shirt. The kind of shoe that works across most of what you already own without trying. Worn without socks, the Dearborn leather sits directly against the foot, which is when you really understand what the material is capable of. As a lightweight summer loafer it sits comfortably across most occasions without needing a second pair to back it up. So if you are only taking one pair on a trip, this is the one.
Sizing your Ashby Loafer
The Ashby is a soft leather loafer that moulds quickly to the foot. The fit will feel snug to begin with, which is intentional. Even with the hidden structure, the leather will ease and move to the shape of your foot over time. We recommend starting with the size suggested in our sizing guide.
If your feet are more unusual in shape or width, or if you have any questions at all, please get in touch. We have been fitting shoes for generations and genuinely enjoy the conversation.
How to look after your Ashby Loafer
A shoe tree is particularly worth using with this style, drawing any moisture from the leather and helping the loafer hold its shape between wears. For cleaning and conditioning, our vegetable tanned care kit is the right match for the Dearborn leather. A light, regular routine will keep them looking their best.
Basically, put them on, wear them well, and let the leather do the rest.
"I had no intention of buying shoes that day. Then Chris put the loafers on my feet and that was that. They went straight on the order."
Julie Harper, Crown Northampton Show Room visitor
