Are you fancying an expensive, high quality leather shoe?…

Crockett & Jones has been handcrafting their high quality shoes in their own facility in Northampton, England since 1879. They use a historic shoe-making technique that preserves local artisanal skills and heritage. They also source their soles from another factory in the UK.

This brand uses only high quality calfskin leather, which is a natural, durable, and biodegradable material. However, depending on the tanning and finishing chemicals used, they may not easily biodegrade, but can be kept in use and out of landfills for a long time. The chemicals used aren’t specified, and could be toxic to the environment and the tannery workers. The brand also uses rubber, which is a naturally sourced, biodegradable material. We would love to see more detailed information regarding the materiality and the chemicals, as well as the packaging materials used by the brand.

The brand itself has a very circular business model, conducting repair services themselves. However, leather shoe recycling isn’t as accessible and easily available as garment recycling is.

The brand is located in England, using European calf leather, however they work with leather tanneries around the world. They do not mention the locations, hence making the length of the supply chain unverifiable. They also do not provide information regarding their transportation methods, which makes a huge difference on their footprint regardless of the length of the supply chain.

Crockett & Jones uses European Calf leather, but specifies that all the leather is a by-product of the meat industry.

These shoes are the definition of slow-fashion, using a very labour-intensive technique over an 8‑week period to create each shoe. The brand also provides repair services at a cost, and make it clear that if taken care of properly, their shoes can be repaired at least 3 – 4 times before they reach their end of use. For smaller or more urgent repairs, Crockett and Jones’ retail shops also arrange repair services on your behalf with a recommended repairer.

They are dedicated to good quality of materials, using only calf-skin for their leather. They mention that quality of leather materials has been going down recently due to the reduction in consumption of veal. Which has led to farmers rushing the growth of the animals in order to make some profit.

They are also conscious of the amount of leather being thrown away due to the factory’s misjudgement of the end-consumer’s needs. This can be avoided because the end consumer tends to not care too much about leather grain as much as the soles and stitching. We hope to see them working towards solving this issue.

The brand is very transparent about the quality of leather, making sure the consumer knows exactly what they are buying and the process and work that goes into making their shoes. However, we could use more clarity regarding all the materiality, the tannery locations and working conditions, transportation methods and packaging materials.