Company type | Privately held company |
---|---|
Industry | Retail |
Founded | 1880 |
Founder | John, Thomas and William Loake |
Headquarters | Kettering, Northamptonshire, England |
Products | Shoes |
Website | www |
Loake Brothers Ltd is a British shoemaker, founded in 1880, family-owned and still located in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
The company was founded by the brothers John, Thomas and William Loake in 1880, in an outbuilding at Thomas Loake's house at 62 King Street, Kettering. [1] Northamptonshire is the centre of the English shoemaking industry. In 1894, the Loake brothers built a new factory and moved to Wood Street, where it can still be found today. The factory was initially named the Unique Boot Factory. It has a floor area of approximately 20,000 sq ft, accommodates over 300 workers. It was considered one of the finest and most advanced shoe factories in the country, at the time. The factory is split into three parts - bottom stock (soles), the making room, where the shoes are finished, and a warehouse.
Loake specialises in men's traditionally crafted handmade Goodyear-welted shoes. Construction of some styles involves using 130 skilled workers, up to 75 shoe parts and over 200 different operations and can take 8 weeks to make from start to finish.[ citation needed ]
During the First World War, Loake contributed to the war effort with the manufacture of Terrain boots, Convalescent boots and Despatch Riders boots for the British Army. Cossack boots were also made for the Russian army. [1]
Loake participated in the British Empire Exhibition, which was held at Wembley Park, Wembley, England from 23 April 1924 to 31 October 1925. [2] It was hoped that the Exhibition would strengthen the bonds within the British Empire, stimulate trade and demonstrate British greatness both abroad and at home.
During the Second World War, factories in Great Britain were required to allocate production space to the war effort. Loake produced footwear for both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. At its peak, production was 2,500 pairs of boots per week. [1]
In 1997, due to the decline of British manufacturing, market conditions and in-line with other British shoemakers, Loake made the decision to move about two-thirds of its closing operation - the stitching of its uppers - to India. Loake is involved in a joint venture with a privately owned Indian company, whose factory is located near Chennai. [3]
Loake have held a Royal Warrant since 2007, for providing men's footwear to Her Majesty the Queen. [1] [4]
In 2011, Loake opened their first standalone retail store in Jermyn Street, London.
In 2015, The Independent wrote of "the brand’s durable, comfortable but stylish footwear". [5]
Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature.
The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, and Rutland. The region has an area of 15,811 km2 (6,105 sq mi), with a population almost 4.9 million in 2021. With a sufficiency-level world city ranking, Nottingham is the only settlement in the region to be classified by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
A Wellington boot, often shortened to welly, and also known as a gumboot, rubber boot, or rain boot, is a type of waterproof boot made of rubber.
Dr. Martens also known as Doc Martens, Docs, or DMs, is a footwear and clothing brand, headquartered in Wollaston, Northamptonshire. Although famous for its footwear, the company also makes a range of accessories including clothing and bags. The footwear is distinguished by its air-cushioned sole, upper shape, welted construction, and yellow stitching. The Dr. Martens' design studio is in Camden Town, London, England. The company manufactures in the UK, China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
The Bata Corporation is a multinational footwear, apparel and fashion accessories manufacturer and retailer of Moravian (Czech) origin, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England, 67 miles (108 km) north of London and 15 miles (24 km) north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place of Ketter's people ".
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear.
Wollaston is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) south of the market town of Wellingborough. The 2011 census recorded the population of the parish, including Strixton, as 3,491.
Clarks, the trade name of C. & J. Clark International Limited, is a British international shoe manufacturer and retailer majority owned by Viva Goods, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1825 by Cyrus Clark in the village of Street, Somerset, England, where the company's headquarters remain. The company has 1,400 branded stores and franchises around the world and also sells through third-party distribution. Clarks also operated concessions in Mothercare stores. Clarks had been owned by the Clark family and employees, but taken over via a £100 million investment by the Hong Kong-based private equity firm LionRock Capital, after which the Clarks family lost overall control of the company. In January 2021, Viva China Holdings agreed to acquire 51% of LionRock Capital, so has a substantial stake in the Clarks brand. Viva China was later renamed to be Viva Goods Co. Ltd.
Shoe polish, also known as boot polish and shoeshine, is a waxy paste, cream, or liquid that is used to polish, shine, and waterproof leather shoes or boots to extend the footwear's life and restore its appearance. Shoe polishes are distinguished by their textures, which range from liquids to hard waxes. Solvent, waxes, and colorants comprise most shoe polishes. Shoe polish has been around since medieval times, originally made with dubbin. Originally, it was not used to shine shoes; the popularity of shoeshining that rose during the early 1900s led to many shoe polish formulas being incorporated with a shining agent.
The Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company ("E-J") was a prosperous manufacturer of shoes based in New York's Southern Tier, with factories mostly located in the area's Triple Cities of Binghamton, Johnson City, and Endicott. An estimated 20,000 people worked in the company's factories by the 1920s, and an even greater number worked there during the boom years of the mid-1940s when, helped by footwear it produced for the military during the war years, it was producing 52 million pairs of shoes a year. During the early 1950s, the work force was still approximately 17,000 to 18,000. Today, EJ Footwear, LLC operates as a unit of Nelsonville, Ohio-based Rocky Shoes & Boots, Inc.
John Lobb Bootmaker is a business that manufactures and retails a luxury brand of shoes and boots, mainly for men but also for women. Leather goods such as wallets and belts are also available. Founded in 1849 by John Lobb (1829–95), the business has been in operation since 1866 in London and circa 1900 in Paris. John Lobb's son William took over the business, and after he died in 1916, the firm was led by Betsy Lobb.
John Lobb was an English shoemaker and the founder of the company John Lobb Bootmaker. He founded his first successful company making boots for gold diggers in Australia.
Solovair is a brand of British-made boots and footwear, produced by NPS Shoes Ltd., which was established in 1881. The NPS factory is based in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, an area known for its shoe industry. NPS shoes are known for their Goodyear welt technology which is used in all their shoe production. This particular technique is needed to fix the Solovair sole onto "Soft Sole Suspension" boots and shoes.
Tredair is a brand of British-made footwear first produced by White & Co., a shoe factory and then a shoe design and procurement business in Northamptonshire.
Anello & Davide is a footwear company based in Covent Garden, London. It specialises in ballet shoes and theatrical footwear as well as making high quality fashion footwear for men and women. They are perhaps best known as the shoemakers responsible for the Beatle boot. The shop is seen briefly in the opening shot of the 1953 film Street of Shadows.
WREN'S is the brand name of a British shoe polish, first launched, produced and sold in England in 1889. It is the only remaining recognized shoe polish brands to exist through three centuries. The founder of the brand was William Edward Wren.
R.E. Tricker Ltd, which trades as Tricker's, is a British footwear company established in 1829 by Joseph Tricker in Northampton.
Peal & Co manufactured English shoes from 1565 until 1965. The once successful British firm catered to a variety of notable individuals and moved locations several times over the years before it was purchased by Foster & Sons. Brooks Brothers uses the marque today for boots and shoes manufactured in England, typically Northampton, and sold in their stores.
Sanders & Sanders Ltd. is a luxury English shoe brand first established as Sander Bros in 1873 by William and Thomas Sanders in Rushden, Northamptonshire.