Shoes
Northampton shoemaking - post war years to present
Man's Boughton country brogue Derby, manufactured by Trickers, 2016
Post war years to the present
Post-war cheaper synthetic materials and quicker manufacturing processes threatened Northampton’s traditional industry with manufacturing going abroad.
Charles Clore
From the 1950s onwards Charles Clore – who set up the British Shoe Corporation in Leicester – bought out many of Northampton’s footwear brands, closed their factories and sourced cheaper supplies from developing countries. The town’s shoemaking industry shrank dramatically.
Shoemaking today
Today, however, Northampton and the county’s shoemaking industry thrives. The town is still recognised across the world for making high-quality men’s footwear which reinterprets classic styles for each new generation of discerning wearers.