‘First and foremost we remain heavily focused on quality of materials and fitting, irrespective of design,’ says James Fox, brand director at Crockett & Jones, when asked about how the classic shoe company keeps pace with contemporary design. ‘There are mantras that have been passed down through the generations. We are continually developing new styles, using new materials and even using new lasts, but these always fall within the category of what we know to be appealing to our customers, which is – wearable footwear that fits and looks great.’

Crockett & Jones was founded in 1879 and has been in the same Northampton factory since 1911. As steel was to Sheffield and shipbuilding to Glasgow, so fine shoemaking is to Northampton. And though the local industry has wavered, Crockett & Jones remains an outlier synonymous with quality, heritage and style, both in the town and the wider industry.

With stores on London’s Jermyn Street and within Burlington Arcade, the brand is best known for its impeccable formal shoes, but over recent seasons, and in the new autumn/winter 23 collection, Crockett & Jones has introduced a number of new designs and materials that are specifically intended to withstand the rigours of the great outdoors.

The Islay, the brand’s flagship brogue boot, for example, has been cast in brown “rough out” suede, a heavily waxed suede that is both hard-wearing and water resistant. As has the new Kelso boot, which is made on the same last as the Islay, but cut with a lower ankle, a rounded toe and a Derby upper. Since its introduction a few years ago, rough out suede has been a huge success for Crockett & Jones. Now the brand is bolstering its hard-wearing range with the introduction of “hurricane hide”, a super-tough, highly water-resistant leather from Spanish or Portuguese bulls. A series of existing styles have been made in this leather, including the Coniston boot and Cornell Derby.

The autumn/winter 23 collection was photographed on location in Scotland’s Trossachs National Park, providing the perfect opportunity for Fox and his team to test the new shoes’ mettle.

‘I decided to wear the Harris, a new brogue Chelsea boot, for the entire shoot,’ remembers Fox. ‘Bearing in mind they were a brand-new pair of handmade, leather-lined, side-leather Chelsea boots, with a pretty heavy-duty Vibram sole, there was absolutely no break-in period whatsoever. Completely comfortable from the off.’

Though the new collection skews heavily toward the outdoors, Crockett & Jones is still very much a source of classic elegance. The Boston loafer, for example (available in various finishes, but triumphant in black cavalry calf leather), is a thing of beauty. And the brand’s gradual inclusion of chunkier, more contemporary silhouettes – such as the Lanark 3 Derby or Whitby monk strap – has proved a fashionable complement to its more traditional designs. As the new collection attests, Crockett & Jones is evolving still.

‘We are slowly but surely making a name for ourselves as “Makers of more than just fine shoes”,’ says Fox. ‘Today, Oxfords and loafers are not the only story to be told.’

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