Note: At our request, Crown Northampton agreed to send us the Desert Boots that you will discover in this article.

Text : Marcos Eliades
Photos : Thomas M.

Some menswear pieces are timeless must-haves, indispensables. Desert boots are fully part of them. We will not settle the eternal Wallabees/Desert boots debate here - although we prefer the latter model - but we will try to stress out the importance of having this model one's wardrobe. 

The available models on the market are innumerable: smooth leather, suede leather, modified leather... The English brand - more than a century old - Crown Northampton revives this historical model and offers a selection of premium leathers as well as an interesting customization. 

Here is the story of the Woodford desert boots in Chromexcel color 8 from Horween, made in England. 

Let’s have a closer look. 

Northampton or the cradle of English shoes

The Woodford family began crafting shoes back in 1908 in London. A few years later the founder Earnest Woodford, relocated production to Northampton, a major manufacturing centre of English footwear. 

Each model produced by the brand bears the name of a street adjacent to the Northampton factory. The company is also the only one to have the privilege of using the town's crest on its products: « Castello Fortior Concordia » which translates to « Peace is stronger than a fortress ».

Leather sourcing is certainly Crown Northampton's forte. A selection ranging from suede, to calfskin as well as more exotic like ostrich ! When possible, Crown Northampton collaborates with local suppliers such as the Charles F. Stead & Co Ltd. tannery. If Saville Row is where one should commission a suit, Northamptonshire is where one’s shoes must be welted. 

Each pair exiting Crown Northampton's factory is the result of a number of stages performed by experienced craftsmen. All of these stages of production are carried out in England, either in-house or with special manufacturers.

Thus, like the biggest English brands, Crown Northampton carries out its last - or « formes » in French - with the regions’ last manufacturer: Springline. This marks the beginning of the shoe manufacturing process. Then comes the manual cutting of the leather which is known as "clicking". A characteristic clicking sound can be heard when cutting the leather by rubbing on the metal pattern, which justifies this name. 
This is followed by other operations such as the sewing process, or "closing", of the different sections of the leather. An operation of "hand lasting" allows the shoe to acquire the final shape desired, the sole is then sewn. The final polishing step ensures that each shoe is polished and quality controlled before it is shipped.

Brief history of the Desert Boot

Like any piece of men's fashion, the Desert Boot model has a story behind. In 1941, the young Englishman Nathan Clark was sent to Burma and then to Egypt as an officer in the Royal Army Service Corps.
Nathan Clark* was abruptly confronted with the reality of the Egyptian desert: the footwear was not adapted to the harsh terrain. In a souk in Cairo, he got his hands on a pair of derbies in suede calfskin with crepe soles. They were comfortable and light. 
9 years later, thanks to a fruitful collaboration with engineer Bill Tuxhill, the Desert Boot was born. 
A model that is now more than 70 years old!

*His grand-father is none other than the founder of Clark’s, founded in 1825 in Somerset. 

The 4x4 of leather: Chromexcel

Crown Northampton offers the possibility to order an MTO model, i.e. "Made-to-order". This means that it is possible to order a shoe while choosing the sole. This also ensures the model is strictly manufactured for you and avoids overproduction. 

This is how we chose the Woodford Desert Boot in brown Chromexcel leather #8 from the American company Horween.  The color is reminiscent of a purplish eggplant brownish tone. A real trademark. The sole is made of crepe, the shoe has two eyelets - as is customary on the emblematic model of the 1950s - and the model is very light! 

The particularity of this model is its leather. The historical American Horween tannery in Chicago provides the raw material. Chromexcel was invented in 1905 by the company, it is a "pull-up" leather, i.e. a greasy leather. This means it has been nourished considerably by various oils, grease and waxes during the manufacturing process. Chromexcel leather has the great advantage of being water resistant. 
More than 89 different operations over a 28-day span are necessary to manufacture it, so this leather is expensive. But its beauty is unbeatable: it ensures a beautiful patina over time.
Chromexcel is a hard and resistant leather, we choose to mistreat it voluntarily or rather, not to pamper it. We wish to let it live accordingly daily! 

The desert boot can be easily integrated into a casual outfit. A pair of jeans of course, a chunky sweater and a balmacaan coat with raglan sleeves to top it off. Needless to say, this type of shoe is exclusively reserved to casual outfits. 

Northampton's heritage and English quality

To our knowledge, Crown Northampton is one of the few footwear manufacturers on the European continent to offer this type of Chromexcel "color 8" leather. The pair is sold for £275. An investment, but it will be a long-lasting one. One can even send their pair for a repair service. Yes, one can change the crepe soles.

After all, a pair made expressly for you and in the best conditions possible, worth it, is it not ?