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Whether it’s the fur-trimmed ‘Glencoe’ boot or the sturdy ‘Denver’ Derby, the British shoemaker’s AW22 range is as rugged as it is refined…
The hardy, sturdy shoes of Crockett & Jones are made of seriously tough stuff. But it’s been that way for years. Since the enduring British shoemaker sewed its first sole in 1879, generations of highly-skilled workers have been vamping more vigorously, binding more brawnily and lacing more unyieldingly than almost any other brand.
And these heavy-duty, strongly-honed skills have seen Crockett & Jones noticed by all manner of explorers and expeditioneers. In the past, the shoemaker has developed Antarctic-ready boots for Ernest Shackleton, and its Northampton-based factory produced more than three million pairs of shoes to be worn by soldiers across World War I and II.
More recently, Daniel Craig’s James Bond even relied on the British brand’s well-heeled wares, pulling on styles including the brand’s ‘Islay’ boots to its ‘Molton’ chukkas; and lacing them up everywhere from the Scottish Highlands to the pine forests of rural Norway. So, for the launch of its latest collection, Crockett & Jones followed in 007’s footsteps — and strode back to Scandinavia.
The shoemaker stepped into the Icelandic wilderness to test out the resilience and reliability of its new designs — travelling from the spray of Skógafoss Waterfall to the rusty wreck of the infamous Sólheimasandur plane crash. Below, we’ve taken a closer look at the five fine styles this team of testers put through their paces; each one made to be worn in the wild…
This supple suede style, as any Crockett & Jones connoisseur will tell you, is not a new design. In fact, it’s been travelling the world and treading new paths since 1953. But, to ready our feet for the upcoming months, the shoemaker has introduced two new tonal colours for the ‘Chiltern’ — ensuring it remains the brand’s best-selling chukka boot for many years (and adventures) to come.
Now available in both ‘Slate’ and ‘Navy’, the brand’s Scandi dispatch reports that the ‘Chiltern’ made a perfect driving shoe; with the intrepid Crockett & Jones team travelling for hours through the craggy scenery and along the coast roads of Iceland. But — thanks to that soft Repello suede and those tough Dainite rubber soles — the ‘Chiltern’s comfortable, car-friendly credentials still stand even when you’ve pulled over and parked.
One of several completely new launches from the shoemakers this season, the ‘Indiana’ is that rarest of beasts; a suede-made shoe that can contend with even the roughest rainstorms. Because, while we don’t tend to associate the gently-napped, luxurious style of leather with outdoor exploring, Crockett & Jones’ burly Derby boot has been crafted using ‘rough-out’ suede — an uncompromising waxed variety with water resistant properties.
In short, this is one heavy-duty boot. But that doesn’t mean style has been sacrificed in the pursuit of practicality. Instead, built around Last No. 378, a wide design that has a sculpted heel cup and secure fit, the ‘Indiana’ is as elegant as it is versatile. We’re particularly fond of those ergonomic eyelets — switching to speed hooks halfway up the quarter.
But that’s not the last you’ll hear of No. 378 this season — because another of Crockett & Jones’ new shoes has also been built using the same pattern. Yet the ‘Denver’ isn’t a boot, but rather a Derby shoe; one that shares some of the style and stitching of its bulkier, bigger brother. And, among these resemblances is a rugged, rough and ready sole; a heavy-duty Vibram unit called the ‘Carrarmato’.
It’s a solid, stocky sole cast using more than 90% natural ingredients including a a sustainable hemp material that helps offer incredible resistance. That deep tread is also perfect for tackling the floods and frozen patches the colder seasons bring — giving you peace of pace and mind when you’re rushing for that last train. Because, above all, the ‘Denver’ is a shoe that smacks of versatility, and a design that will step you from the office to the great outdoors in grip-guaranteed style.
It’s back to Bond for our next spy-approved shoe. This style of boot was worn by 007 during scenes set along Norway’s Atlantic Ocean Road in last year’s No Time To Die. And, whilst its name may conjure up suitably Scandinavia visions of volcanic ash and fiery magma, the ‘Molton’ boot is actually named for a less-than-volcanic village in the English county of Devon.
New in black rough-out suede for AW22, the ‘Molton’ is currently one of Crockett & Jones’ best-selling boots — and we can see why. With its simple-yet-sturdy construction, squared-off toe and ‘Dainite’ rubber soles made in England by the Harboro Rubber Co, this is another new season design that can walk its way from a weekend hike and back into the boardroom without anyone spying it’s the same shoe.
The final of the five; Crockett & Jones’ ‘Glencoe’ design is an idiosyncratic, fur-trimmed take on the classic Derby boot. And it has several surprising links to the shoemakers’ previous customers. Not only is the boot’s namesake the setting of James Bond’s ancestral address, Skyfall, but it also pays homage to the home of Ernest Shackleton, and the region in which the explorer planned his 1914 expedition to Antarctica.
The design itself is as hardy and bold as both men. Featuring a lambswool-lined leg and tongue, an upper fashioned from dark brown scotch grain leather and Vibram cleated rubber soles, the shearling-decked design is one of the shoemaker’s most striking styles in recent memory. And, like the ‘Indiana’ boots above, it’s got that perfect balance of eyelets and speed hooks — the final, tightly-tied knot on Crockett & Jones’ adventure-ready, well-laced latest collection.
Want more from the great British shoemaker? Crockett & Jones goes old school with new Ivy League-inspired shoes…
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