There is an immediate difference you notice when you pick up a pair of proper, Goodyear-welted shoes. It’s most often the leather that stands out. The finest makers, many of which still produce by hand in Northampton, only select the finest hides from the world’s best tanneries. It’s what they then do with them, through dying, waxing or, in Edward Green’s case, antiquing the leather, that sets them apart. It gives the shoes a distinct depth of colour that’s only achieved through time and hard graft.

The design of the shoe might first appeal, with the shape of each pair built and moulded around a wooden last. But it’s the leather that can completely transform a shoe’s look and feel.

With Edward Green’s antiquing process, the shoes take on a richer tone that’s designed to evolve with each wear. It still ensures the leather works perfectly for a formal context, but it gives them more character and personality. ‘Our antiquing process was introduced by [my uncle] John Hlustik, a legendary shoe designer who ran Edward Green in the ’80s and ’90s,’ says Euan Denholm, head of brand & business development at Edward Green. ‘Each shoe is still hand-finished in Edward Green’s Northampton workshop, where craftsmen apply the antique treatment individually. The process creates natural variations that mirror authentic ageing, giving every pair its own subtle personality from the first wear.’

For autumn, the Northampton brand has introduced a new colour in its Antique Calf collection, espresso. It’s a rich brown with almost black undertones and can polish up to a mirror finish or take on a more matt appearance through robust wear. It’s a shade that’s been applied to three of the key silhouettes: the Piccadilly penny loafer, the Belgravia tassel loafer and the Chelsea Oxford.

In some ways, it’s a nod back to the ’80s and Hlustik’s day. ‘He’d trained and worked in Italy, and Milanese men always tend to prefer dark brown shoes over the starker black of the City of London,’ says Denholm. ‘When he took on Edward Green, it was a way for him to set our shoes apart (…) and give them a distinctive character.’

This character is what helps make a pair of shoes unique to its wearer, and Edward Green’s antiquing process kickstarts it.

‘We’re incredibly selective about our skins, but we’re looking for different qualities than mass producers,’ says Denholm. We want leather that tells a story, that rewards the wearer’s investment with character that can’t be replicated in a factory. It’s the difference between owning something that simply maintains its appearance versus something that evolves into a piece truly personal and irreplaceable.’

The idea is that you buy something that changes with you, and that, eventually, can be handed down to the next generation. The tricky part is deciding which pair to go for.

edwardgreen.com