Design Loake

Kettering, England has been home to the Loake brothers’ shoemaking business since 1880, and its footwear is still produced in the same workshop that John, Thomas and William built in 1894. Since 2007, Loake have held the prestigious title of Purveyors to the Royal Court of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

Loake are rightly proud of their long tradition of handmaking shoes using a Goodyear welted construction, a method involving the use of a welted seam. As an homage to this legacy, the premium Loake 1880 collection continues the marque’s tradition of handmade shoes with uncompromising attention to detail.

All designs in the 1880 collection feature a welted construction, a time-consuming method that has been in use for over 300 years. Despite each pair taking eight weeks to complete, Loake estimates that they have so far sold over 50 million pairs of welted shoes.