Crockett & Jones
Crockett & Jones (C&J) has been a family run business since 1879 and to this day the fifth generation of the original family is plying its trade within the gates of the Northampton factory. The UK’s largest family owned and run Goodyear welted shoe manufacturer, C&J has given FashionBeans an exclusive insight into how the heritage brand continues to create footwear of the highest quality in today’s turbulent market. With unrivalled attention to detail and product quality, managing director Jonathan Jones controls all product development – from the shape of the last through to pattern design. Despite advances in technology, C&J’s manufacturing process has been relatively untouched. Save for the introduction of the Goodyear Welting machine at the turn of the 20th century, which sparked a mini strike amongst the C&J faithful, the basic elements of each shoe are still crafted in similar fashion as they were over a century ago. With eleven stores spread across the UK, US, France and Belgium, along with a Northampton factory at maximum capacity, it is the committed, loyal and highly skilled people on the factory floor that make C&J shoes so special. With their ‘skins’ sourced from Europe the quality of the resulting footwear is unrivalled in today’s market.
Key Collections
Here we take a look at some of Crockett & Jones’ current collection:
The Hand Grade Collection
An asymmetric last shaped to the natural contours of the foot ensures an exceptional fit. Uppers cut from the finest calf skins with supple tannage, fine aniline dyes in the leathers and extensive hand polishing, the Goodyear welted hand grade collection’s glove-like comfort fit is rich in depth of colour, which is only enhanced over time.
The Men’s Main Collection
Consists of country shoes and boots, house slippers, driving shoes and elegant calf styles for city wear. Hand-crafted using traditional Goodyear welted construction, this assortment of leather or rubber soled footwear is produced from the finest leathers – including aniline calf, suede, country grains and specialised waxed leathers.
The Shell Cordovan Collection
The final collection, The Shell Cordovan, is both unique and exclusive. With its leathers made by a slow, traditional vegetable tanning process with hand dyeing and finishing, the Shell Cordovan has a strong, flexible fibre structure and a distinctive rich, shiny finish that sets it apart from other leathers.
Where To Buy
With what is arguably the best ready-to-wear range of English shoes in the world, many influential people have been spotted wearing a pair of Crockett & Jones – what’s more, due to the quality of the manufacturing process, they have probably been wearing the same shoe for years! You can shop the full collection over at crockettandjones.com
Crockett & Jones
