The British Footwear Guide

Our British Footwear Guide is a look at some of the top Men’s and Women’s British shoes and boots brands. More like a directory of the British shoe industry, celebrating the tradition and heritage of British shoemaking and craftsmanship. We do realise that not all of the footwear is made in Britain by the brands below, however, they are all British brands and designed in Britain, the home of top quality footwear and footwear designers. If you own a company that we have missed off, firstly, we do apologise, secondly please send us your details and we will add you to the list with a link.

Russell and Bromley

Russell and Bromley – A British footwear company founded in 1873 making luxury Shoes, Boots and Handbags.

Walsh

Walsh – Norman Walsh footwear founded in 1961, British made trainers.

Tricker’s

Trickers – Founded in 1829, making luxury country boots and shoes.

Loake

Loake – Started in 1880 by three brothers, Thomas, John and William in Kettering, Northamptonshire.

Grenson

Grenson – Founded in 1866 by William Green in Rushden, Northamptonshire, changing its name to Grenson in 1913.

R.E.W Reynolds

R.E.W Reynolds – Established in 1921 making the finest cycling shoes and leather goods.

Alfred Sargent

Alfred Sargent – Founded in 1899 in Rushden, Northamptonshire. Northampton being the world-renowned English shoemaking region.

Sanders

Sanders – First established in 1873 by brothers Thomas and William Sanders and called Sanders and Sanders.

Barkers

Barkers – The Barkers company, founded in 1880 by Arthur Barker, crafting of fine English shoes.

Sargasso and Grey

Sargasso and Grey – A luxurious brand with many famous wearers, including royalty.

Yull

Yull – A British company with shoes and leather accessories that are made in England.

Tim Little

Tim Little – All shoes are made and designed in England. The company, established in 1997 is based in London. Tim Little is also the owner and creative director of Grenson.

Deeasjer

Deeasjer – Luxurious, handmade women’s shoes. With beautiful and elegant designs.

John Lobb

John Lobb – Established in 1866  by John Lobb. This prestigious company makes men’s and women’s footwear as well as leather goods and accessories. With a royal warrant, this historic shoemakers has made shoes for royalty, celebrities and a wide selection of important people and figures.

Edward Green

Edward Green – Founded in 1890 in Northampton by Edward Green who was an apprentice shoemaker who went on to open his own workshop. Still in the same workshop today, the company continues to make handmade shoes.

George Cleverly

George Cleverly – Established in 1958 on Cork Street, London. Making the finest handmade shoes in England. Worn by royalty and many famous people.

Northampton Sneaker Company

Northampton Sneaker Company – A British footwear brand launched in 2015. The sneakers are handmade by the NPS factory in Northampton. A new Goodyear welted sneaker for a new generation of sneaker wearers.

Alt-Berg

Alt-Berg – Established in 1989 in Gallowfields. A British boot making company with a history of making some of the best boots available.

Van Dal

Van Dal – This brand has been made in England since 1936. Specialising in making wider fitting women’s shoes.

Solovair – Founded in the village of Wollaston, Northamptonshire in 1881. During the 1950’s and through the next 35 years, Solovair made the original Dr Martens with the air-cushioned sole, known as Dr.Marten’s by Solovair. Today, Solovair makes shoes and boots for many well-known brands on the high street.

London Brogues

London Brogues – British by design.

Crockett and Jones

Crockett and Jones – Founded in 1879 in Northampton, the heart of England’s famous shoemaking town, Crockett & Jones specialise in the manufacture of high-quality men’s and women’s Goodyear welted footwear.

John White Shoes

John White Shoes – Established in Northampton in 1919, making some of the finest men’s shoes available.

Carreducker Shoes

Carreducker Shoes – Carréducker, an award-winning bespoke shoemaker with premises in the historic districts of Clerkenwell and Hoxton in London. As well as creating beautiful bespoke shoes, Carréducker has also established itself at the forefront of handsewn shoemaking training.

Lisa Kay Shoes

Lisa Kay Shoes – Founded in 1982, based in Shoreditch, London designing and making elegant through to casual women’s shoes and boots.

Goral

Goral – A brand that has designed and made footwear in Sheffield since 1936 by master craftsmen. With men’s and also women’s collections of sneakers.

Dr Martens

Dr Martens – The iconic brand with the Air-Wair sole and yellow stitching.

NPS Shoes

NPS Shoes – The sister brand of Solovair. In 1881, in an attempt to impose some regularity to their income, five men from the village of Wollaston in Northampton, came together to form a co-operative (company owned and ran by the people working in it) called the Northamptonshire Productive Society (NPS). Still making some of the finest shoes and boots for men and women.

William Lennon/Rufflander

William Lennon – Established in 1899 and based in the Derbyshire Peak District. The majority of the William Lennon shoes and boots are produced using methods and machinery from a bygone era and are manufactured here in our Stoney Middleton factory. This brand also makes the Rufflander safety boots and shoes, with an extensive range of steel toe cap, safety boots, safety shoes, work boots and rigger boots, including specialist items such as large sizes, vegetarian and vegan styles and lightweight composite toe boots.

Mudlark and Co

Mudlark and Co – Established within the Borough of Tower Hamlets, one of the original Mudlarking districts of London. It was also home to the Tower Bridge Beach until 1971. Making Women’s and Men’s Sandals. Mudlark is the name given to a person that searches for objects along the foreshore of the River Thames. With British manufacture at the heart of the business and all of the components that go into making their sandals sourced in the UK. The brand continues the long-standing tradition of quality shoemaking in the East End of London. The sandals are unique in that the heels are made using only the finest grade English willow, a wonderful by-product of the cricket bat industry.

Joseph Azagury

Joseph Azagury – Established in 1990 with the sole purpose to make beautiful women’s shoes, allowing customers to enjoy elegant, feminine and comfortable footwear.

Lunar Shoes

Lunar Shoes – A brand started in 1990, made by George Rye & Sons Ltd, originally established in 1880 in Northampton, before moving further north. With over 130 years of shoemaking experience, GRS Footwear owns and distributes other UK brands.

Eyato

Eyato – Eyato is the design inspiration of Atiti Izogie. The Eyato label makes beautiful handmade footwear and accessories created with sourced components that are handmade and produced in London and Great Britain.

Jeffery West

Jeffery West – Established in 1987 in Northampton. A traditional making process with flamboyant designs of men’s shoes.

Goodwin Smith

Goodwin Smith – 1928 when 2 shoemakers, Ernie Goodwin a former Manchester City right-winger, and Walter Smith a former hardy coal miner, came together to share a passion for footwear and established Goodwin Smith shoes.

The British Flat Shoe Company

The British Flat Shoe Company – Women’s flat shoes made in Northampton.

Fosters and Sons Shoes

Fosters and Sons Shoes – Established in 1840, one of the oldest custom shoe and bootmakers in the World, with a reputation for refined “West End” style shoemaking. The shoes are still made over the shop in the Jermyn street workshop.

Joseph Cheaney and Sons Shoes

Joseph Cheaney and Sons Shoes – Established by Joseph Cheaney in 1886. In 1896, with his brother Arthur Cheaney, they moved to a new factory site, the same one that makes the fine men’s shoes now.

Gaut Shoes

Gaut Shoes – Established in 1978, Guat Shoes began at 221 School Road, Sheffield, former cobblers after it’s construction in the 1890s. Guat Shoes, inspired by a pair of handcrafted sandals purchased during travels to Guatemala, the name being an abbreviation of the country of origin. With a tradition of making women’s and men’s footwear using ethically sourced materials.

Brodequin Shoemakers

Brodequin Shoemakers – An independent shoemakers started in the 1980s with over 30 years experience. All shoes are made using traditional cordwainer techniques. A shop based in Teignmouth, Devon making leather footwear and also accessories.

James Taylor and Sons Shoemakers

James Taylor and Son Shoemakers – Established in 1857 and now a leading British bespoke shoemaker, making footwear from fashionable shoes and boots as well as orthopaedic footwear for all types of foot problems in their Paddington Street, London shop.

Gaziano and Girling

Gaziano and Girling Shoes – Founded in 2006 by Tony Gaziano & Dean Girling, an innovative and versatile shoemaker from Kettering, England. This brand combines handcrafting and manufacturing skills to put itself at the top of both the bespoke and Benchmade industries. The first British footwear shoe factory to be set up in over 100 years.

Padders

Padders – Established in 1914, Padders pride themselves on a reputation that has gone from strength to strength over the past 100 years. With quality shoemaking, coupled with a forward-thinking strategy and considerable investment in technology and innovation. All Padders shoes are designed with features such as padded collars around the heel and in-shoe climate to provide the wearer comfort.

Wildsmith

Wildsmith – In 1847, Matthew and Rebecca Wildsmith started their shoemaking and repairing business in Piccadilly, London. Famous for the loafer shoe, when Raymond Wildsmith created a unique pattern for King George VI that we now know as the loafer. The Wildsmith name is now always linked to the establishment of the modern loafer. Their British hand-crafted footwear styles recreate the spirit and essence of the iconic Wildsmith name. With details like oak-bark soles, in-channel stitching and supple leathers used in different combinations across different shoes to create understated yet stunning shoes.

LSQ Shoes

LSQ Shoes – A true spirit of British footwear brand. Founded in 2010.

DB Shoes

DB Shoes – DB Wider Fit Shoes, based at the factory at Irchester Road, in Rushden, Northamptonshire. A long-established UK manufacturer, making footwear since 1920. A brand specialising in wider fitting shoes for men and women.

Gumleaf

Gumleaf – Established by a Norfolk farmer in 2002 with the idea to make a good looking boot that is comfortable as well as practical.

Conker

Conker – English made shoes since 1977, made using traditional techniques with high quality and also natural materials. Based in Totnes, Devon. This brand makes quality men’s and women’s shoes.

Hotter Shoes

Hotter Shoes – A British footwear brand that has been making shoes since 1959 in Lancashire. Starting off by making slippers, the Hotter brand now makes comfortable shoes as well as wider fit shoes. A brand that only uses quality materials as well as innovative manufacture processes to make comfortable shoes.

Chatham Marine

Chatham Marine – Launched in the 1990s, Chatham is a brand inspired by nautical as well as country themes, making women’s and men’s footwear for both these areas. Also with the made in Britain series of shoes, made at the headquarters in Exeter, Devon. An ever-changing and evolving brand with quality footwear collections and technical developments.

Church’s

Church’s – Established in 1873, Thomas, his wife Eliza and his two sons, Alfred and William decided to set up a small factory in Maple Street, Northampton, marking the official birth of Church’s Shoes. Later moving to Duke Street, Northampton in 1880. A traditional British footwear brand making quality handcrafted men’s and women’s shoes.

Take a look at our A to Z guide of footwear brands for more ideas.