A family - owned business since 1829, Tricker’s footwear is recognised around the world for its quality and quintessentially English style.
Northampton, situated in the heart of England, is a famous for its shoe industry, the history of which goes back hundreds of years with shoemakers attracted to the town due to its thriving tanning industry.
Established in 1829 by Joseph Tricker, the brand quickly gained a reputation for outstanding manufacturing quality and durability, becoming the maker of choice for heavy country boots and shoes to farm, estate owners and the landed gentry who all swore by the comfort, strength, durability, and practicality of Tricker’s waterproof country footwear.
Responsive to innovation, even in the early days, it was one of the first Northampton companies to bring the Goodyear welting machines over from America. The process of Goodyear welting was one that enabled the change from out workers to factory production.
Tricker’s country shoes and boots are today built to the same exacting standards that first established its reputation. One of the longest established shoemakers in England, five generations later, Tricker’s is still a family-owned business. All its footwear is made entirely from start to finish at its Northampton shoe factory and His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, awarded Tricker’s a Royal Warrant in 1989.
There are still 260 individual processes in the making of a pair of Tricker’s country boots and they take eight weeks to manufacture. In terms of design the shoes today are exactly the same as the 1930s styles. The brogues are a traditional archetype of stylish casual wear with the Bourton brogue and Stow boot being the cornerstone of the Tricker’s business, representing an uncompromising standard of craftsmanship and use of honest materials.
New leathers and designs give the loyal customers a sense of excitement about the brand’s future. For Tricker’s 190th year, a special edition Tramping boot was made from the finest English ‘cruiser upper’ leather sourced from Pittards; one of the last tanners in England and originally a part of the Northampton shoe trade. This leather was selected for its combination of comfort, durability, and finish – the exact ingredients required for the boot’s purpose.
The fact that Tricker’s in-house repair service often receives shoes that are 20 years old speaks to the loyalty and affection that they have for the brand. Most telling is the regular instruction not to make the shoes look ‘too new’ again! It seems that Tricker’s customers carry their memories with them in their shoes.
