BRAND PACK 2020 “Grenson is an old company with a young heart. We believe that craftsmanship and design go hand in hand”

Tim Little, CEO & Creative Director

Grenson was born in 1866 in Rushden, Northamptonshire. William Green, the founder, started making high quality for London Gentlemen and was so successful that he soon had to build a factory and the company grew from there.

Throughout the twentieth Century the company expanded, making a huge contribution to both war efforts along the way. By the Millennium however, like many British companies, the business began to run out of steam.

Recently Grenson has undergone a new lease of life, helped by their focus on quality and modern design whilst never losing sight of their impressive heritage. HERITAGE + BACKGROUND 1866 1939 - 1945 William Green begins making shoes in a loft above Once again the company is called into action to the Corn Merchants in Rushden, Northamptonshire. make shoes and for the soldiers in WWII.

1874 1950 William Green discovers the Goodyear Welted Hayden Green discovers in America. He method of shoemaking. visits India where the best hand-stitching skills are found to make a collection that gives the company 1895 a new lease of life during the post war depression. The business made the move to a state of the art new factory at Queen Street, Rushden. 1960 - 2005 Grenson creates many innovative products such as 1913 exotic skin shoes in the 60’s and 70’s, but eventually The business decided to move with the times by begins to decline due to the growing number of developing a “modern brand name” GRENSON is born. imports from the far east.

1914 - 1918 2005 Grenson serves its country by producing thousands Tim Little joins the company as Creative Director of boots and shoes for the soldiers of The Great War. with a brief to revitalise the brand. 2008 2015 The first ever Grenson shop is opened The first ever overseas shop is secured in New York. in Liverpool Street in London. 2016 2010 The Grenson 150th anniversary was The first Grenson Women’s collection marked by the “Archive Collection”. is launched for over 30 years. 2017 2012 Grenson opens its 6th store on London’s Jermyn Street. An apprenticeship scheme is started to bring new blood into the factory. 2018 Grenson launch new accessories, including its first 2013 signature fragrance called Grenson 66, a Watch The factory moves for the first time since collection and Dog accessories handmade in the Grenson William Green moved into Queen Street in 1895. factory. Showcased the Martin Parr images in Tokyo.

2014 2019 The iconic “Triple Welt” is launched. Grenson introduced The London Collection and continued projects with Craig Green.

HOW WE MAKE OUR SHOES We have been making shoes continuously since 1866 All Grenson shoes are ‘Goodyear Welted’, a process and we are only in our third factory in all that time. invented in the 1800’s in England that is a time consuming way of making shoes, but means that Apart from our and our more recent the product lasts longer than any other type of shoe. collection, all of our shoes are “Goodyear Welted”. It also means that the shoe can be re-soled many This is a shoemaking technique that was invented in times over making them a wonderful investment. the mid 1800’s and involves many individual processes, but the key benefit is that the shoesare strong and last There are four main departments connected with a long time. within a company and the components follow a progressive route through each The main feature of Goodyear Welted shoes is that of these departments to produce the finished shoes. the upper is stitched to a leather band called a Welt and this is then stitched to the sole. The departments are Clicking, Closing, Lasting/ Making, Finishing/ Shoe Room. From start to finish It takes up to 8 weeks to make our shoes and will take around 3 weeks to make a top quality involves well over 200 individual operations. Goodyear welted shoe. CLICKING CLOSING

LASTING FINISHING CLICKING (OR CUTTING) DEPARTMENT LOSING (OR MACHINING) DEPARTMENT

This is where they start to make the top part of the In this department the component pieces are sewn shoe, which we call the upper. The clicking operative together by highly skilled machinists to produce the is issued with a number of skins of leather, mostly completed upper. In the early stages the pieces are sewn from cows (although leather can be made from almost together on what are called flat machines. In the latter all animal skins) and with the use of metal strip knives stages the upper becomes three-dimensional and the he/shes cut out various shaped pieces that will machine used is called a post machine. This is where the eventually make up the upper. This is a very skilled surface of the machine is elevated on a post to job because the leather is very expensive (the most enable the operative to sew the three dimensional upper. expensive available in the World) so waste must be They also complete various edge treatments to the kept to a minimum. Leather will have varying amounts leather to produce a more attractive look to the finished of aws on the surface such as barbed wire scratches upper. Also, at this stage the eyelets are inserted to and these need to be avoided so that they are not used accommodate the laces in the finished shoes. for the upper pieces.To interlock the irregular shaped pieces and avoid the surface aws, as well as keeping the waste to a minimum demands high skill levels. LASTING + MAKING DEPARTMENT FINISHING / SHOEROOM

The completed uppers now need to be moulded into The sole edge and heel are then trimmed and buffed a foot shape and for this purpose we use what is to give them a smooth finish. They are then stained, called a last. This is a shape that simulates the polished and waxed to give them an attractive finish foot shape which, when removed from the finished shoe and to ensure the edge is water resistant. The bottom can be used continually to produce more shoes. The of the sole is often lightly buffed, stained and polished first operation is to attach what is called an insole to and various types of patterns are marked on the surface the bottom of the last but this must be only a temporary to give it a finished look. We now have a “finished” attachment to allow the last to be removed at the end shoe and we now need to shoeroom the uppers. Firstly of the process. In a Goodyear welted shoe the insole will an internal is fitted into shoe which can be full, half have what is known as a rib attached to its under edge. or quarter and these will usually have the manufacturer’s The upper is stretched and moulded over the last and details or a brand name if applicable. Again, depending attached to the insole rib. When this is complete you on the material used for the uppers they will be cleaned, now have what is known a “lasted shoe.” polished and sprayed, plus laces and any tags that may be attached to the shoes (such as shoe care instructions). The shoe is then left to “sit” on the last for up to a The shoes will then go on to be boxed and packaged ready week so that the leather upper has time to mould to for dispatching to the customer. The Goodyear welted the shape of the last; this means that the shoe will keep process is mostly used for mens high-class footwear and its shape for many years. is almost exclusively produced in Northamptonshire as far as UK manufacture is concerned. A strip of leather called the welt is sewn onto the shoe through the rib and upper and all the surplus material is trimmed off the seam. The sole is then attached to the welt and the two are stitched together. After this the heel is attached which completes the making of the shoe.

COLLECTIONS G:ZERO

Made entirely in the Grenson factory from ‘skin to box’, this is the ultimate in shoemaking. Leather soles are ‘closed channel’, (hiding the stitches from view), and are made from chestnut bark tanned hides; uppers are the finest French and Italian calf; suedes are Steads’ English suede and the shoes are all lined with the same beautiful calf leather as the upper. Shoe details are handwritten on the lining and there are many tiny shoemaking details on the shoes that would not be cost effective on a lesser product.

G:ONE

Made entirely in the Grenson factory from ‘skin to box’, these shoes are made the old-fashioned way from cutting and closing the uppers, to lasting, making and finishing. They are made from extremely high quality burnishing leathers, fully lined with classic lining leathers, and soled with high quality sole leather from the best tanneries. This specification is a classic from one of the handful of quality British shoemakers still left.

G:TWO

In order to make our shoes accessible to people who want to wear them, but don’t feel the need for the incredibly high levels of specification in G:ZERO and G:ONE, we developed the G:TWO spec. Designed by us in our studio, lasts developed in Northamptonshire by us, patterns developed by our pattern makers, leathers sourced by our leather buyer, prototypes made in our factory to final sign off and then taken to our partner, a beautiful handmade factory in India, where they are made and shipped back to us for inspection and final polishing where required. These shoes represent the most incredible value for money, every bit a Grenson shoe, at a price that doesn’t require a mortgage.

TRIPLE WELT

The ‘Triple Welt’ series of shoes are true Grenson classics as they weren’t developed in the design department, but instead by our own craftsmen in the factory. The main feature is a special sole and welt construction that makes the shoe look like it has three welts of different widths. This is true artisanal shoemaking and is unique to Grenson.

THE LONDON COLLECTION

This is our classic City shoe collection of the must have styles that you need if you’re going to cut it in the Square Mile. The last shape is classic but not old fashioned and the designs are all exactly as they should be, no clever twists. What makes them special is the “closed channel” soles with hand painted waists and hand painted linings to match. This is the pinnacle of English shoemaking, made “skin to box” in the Grenson factory.

WIDE WELT

“Sometimes its nice to focus on what we do by exaggerating the elements that are distinctive to our shoes. In this case I wanted to make a shoe with a large bulbous toe and an extra wide welt. The result is almost a caricature of an English shoe, but has its own unique beauty.”

– Tim Little, Creative Director

ARCHIVE COLLECTION

To celebrate 150 years of continuous shoemaking at Grenson, we decided to look back through our archives and recreate a collection of our past shoes that span the decades of the 20th Century.

We have made them as true to the originals as possible whilst making sure they are still wearable today. Many of the earlier shoes, for example, were very narrow so we have had to widen them, without losing the essence of the shoe.

We started by developing new lasts for each style, some of which took four or five attempts as they were so different from modern shapes.

We then had to source matching leathers, and we decided that where an original shoe was heavily worn and polished we would try to remake it in the way it would have looked when it was new. We didn’t want to “distress” it as we felt this would seem unauthentic.

Finally we had to recreate many details that were on the originals, such as old logo stamps, hand stitched details and heel nailing, all of which took many hours of trial and error to get exactly right. After 150 years of shoemaking, we are delighted to announce the launch of our first ever collection of Grenson sneakers. After 150 years of shoemaking, we are delighted to announce the launch of our first ever collection of Grenson sneakers.

GRENSON:LAB

This is a service where we will make one of our styles to your own specification. You can choose the colours, sole, stitching, eyelets and laces. We also offer this service to our partners so that they can create exclusive styles for their own collections.

Introducing our sandal collection in a variety of slider and traditional sandal designs and colour options.

made in england sneakers

The Goodyear Welted method of shoemaking is generally considered to be the King of shoemaking as it is traditional, time consuming, and expensive, but it createsthe most hard wearing shoes.

The Grenson . After 153 years of keeping your feet warm and dry when you’re out and about we have finally come indoors and are delighted to announce the launch of the Grenson slipper. It’s made from beautiful soft shearling in the traditional style and is available for men and women.

WILLIAM GREEN'S SHOECARE

William Green’s Shoe Care is all made in England, using the actual products that we use in the Grenson factory every day. These will help you to keep Leathers supple, Suedes, Nubucks & Canvas weather- proofed and protected from daily life, making your shoes last longer.

ACCESSORIES

We have been making shoes for over 150 years, but we also see ourselves as an accessories company. Here are our latest bags that we have designed and made to compliment the Grenson collection.

GRENSON’S PROJECTS x x watches

We only want to introduce new products when we feel we can offer something that fits with the Grenson brand. So here are two automatic watches that we are proud to introduce to our collection. They are based on a classic 1940s pilots watch design, are extremely well made and all have a water resistant case to 100 metres.

GRENSON 66

Grenson 66 is a candle and fragrance that we developed to use in our stores. It is a combination of fresh citrus mixed with warming deep musk.

Top notes of: Bergmot, lemon, mandarin, green leaf and ozonic.

Middle notes of: Lily, patchouli, jasmine, cardamon and clove.

Base notes of: Musk, cedarwood, amber, sandalwood and leather.

It is a crisp and woody scent that is unisex, powerful, yet mild and elegant. people in grenson

SHOE CARE INFORMATION

THE BASICS

• Never wear your new shoes in the rain until they • Polish your shoes with plenty of cream or wax and allow have been worn about 3 or 4 times. them to sit with the polish on as long as possible, ideally overnight. Make sure you get plenty of polish into the • If your shoes do get wet, put shoe trees in them or welt and the crack between the upper and the sole. newspaper if you don’t have trees. Let them dry at room temperature for at least 48 hours before you wear them • Take off the excess polish with a brush or cloth and shine again. Wet sole leather will wear out twice as quickly as them up. If you have tan shoes you can darken them dry sole leather. using a darker polish. Some people will go as far using black polish on tan shoes, instantly making them look • Before polishing your shoes always wipe them over very old. with a dry cloth to get rid of surface dirt. • For suedes and nubucks, our ‘Suede Salvation’ is an • When choosing between a cream polish or a wax excellent water based tonic. It will form a water resistant polish, most people are more familiar with a wax. barrier to protect your nubuck or suede shoes from the A wax will give your shoes a boost in shine, and wet weather. It can also act as a good dirt resistor on adds another layer of protection to your shoes. leather products. For a cream, this is for when the leather of your shoes looks dry, as it will hydrate the leather. WHITE WEDGE HI SHINE LEATHERS

To clean your white wedge soles, we recommend you use Our High Shine leathers are different from normal our ‘Cleaning Tonic’ for the most stubborn of marks. Rub calf leathers as doesn’t soak into the a good quantity of product into the sole sides with a soft grain in the same way: cloth, wipe clean and leave to dry naturally. The more hard work you put into them, the cleaner they will become. • The first thing you can do is to wipe them down with a damp cloth and dry them with kitchen roll. A few other tips if you don’t have the tonic to hand that work in the short-term for a bit of a clean: • If they still need attention, you use either a neutral polish which is safer than a coloured polish as it • Simply washing them with warm soapy water, gets most won’t change the colour. of the dirt off them and brightens them up significantly. • If you get a cut in the leather you can dab a bit of • Some people use baby wipes as the solution in the matching coloured polish into and then wipe off. wipe is designed to remove most things.

• For really stubborn marks, we suggest using either a white pencil rubber or even a piece of sand directly on the mark itself. Sneakers HAND PAINTED

With our leather sneakers you can treat the uppers with Our Hand painted require a gentle touch due to hand the same care and products as our leather shoes. finished application of the colour. First get a clean soft cloth and wipe off any excess dirt, apply a small amount For the soles we have two excellent products which will of the William Green factory cream and lightly buff all get them looking super clean, we recommend you use the over, some of the colour may transfer onto the cloth but Cleaning Tonic for the most stubborn of marks. Rub a good do not panic this should not alter the colour if treated quantity of the product into the soles with a cloth, wipe clean gentle. Leave to air dry and buff off with a soft cloth. and leave to dry naturally. Our resurrection wipes are a quick and convent way to clean uppers and soles on the go.

When you send your shoes back to our factory for repair, PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING it isn’t really a repair at all; it’s more of a total rebuild. We strip the shoes down and put them back onto their original • We only repair Grenson shoes. Regrettably we last, thereby reshaping the upper back to how it was on the cannot repair moccassins or sneakers due to their day they were first made. manufacturing processes.

The beauty of the Goodyear Welted shoe is that as you wear • Your shoes can only be refurbished a maximum them, the leather insole shapes to your foot and when we of 3 times. repair them, we can leave the insole and just change the sole. This means that the shoe remains as comfortable as when • We are unable to repair any shoes that have been you brought them back to us, even though the sole is as good repaired by a third party. as new. On other types of shoes the sole and the insole is the same thing, so when you replace the sole, you also lose that • We cannot repair any uppers, stitchings or linings. lovely leather insole that has shaped to your foot.

• Triple Welt styles can only be repaired with the same Once the new sole has been stitched on and trimmed Triple Welt sole, and no other shoe can be re-made around by hand, the shoes are then re-polished and re-laced into a Triple Welt. before it is quality inspected and packaged back up to send to you. • Repairs can only be accepted by us with a completed repair form which can be downloaded from our website: grenson.com SHOE SIZE GUIDE Men's

UK 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12 US 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 11.5 12 12.5 13 EU 39 39.5 40 40.5 41 41.5 42 42.5 43 43.5 44 44.5 45 45.5 46

Women's

UK 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 US 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 EU 35 36.5 37 37.5 38 38.5 39 39.5 40 40.5 41

D-fitting F-fitting This is the slimmest fitting we do, This is standard fit and runs true to size, this fitting is for women’s shoes. we suggest ordering your normal UK shoe size.

E-fitting G-fitting This is slightly slimmer than an ‘F’. If you This is our widest fitting therefore people drop were to wear an extra pair of with either a half or full UK shoe size dependent on an ‘F’ fitting, it would be as snug as an ‘E’. how naturally wide their foot is. OUR STORES Grenson Bloomsbury 40 Lamb’s Conduit St, London, WC1N 3LB Grenson City 40 Liverpool St, London, EC2M 7QN Grenson East 18 Hanbury St, London, E1 6QR Grenson Soho 13 Meard St, London, W1F 0ES Grenson Jermyn Street 37 Jermyn Street, St James, London, SW1Y 6DT JARGON BUSTER BESPOKE Chukka This is where we measure the foot and make a pair of A low cut boot with normally two or three eyelets, lasts to fit perfectly. We then build a shoe around the last. named after a Polo Chukka where this style was once used. Example: Marcus. Blind or Proud eyelets Two types of eyelet, proud where the eylet stands proud Commando of the upper leather and is clearly visible, blind where the The Commando sole is a rugged, hard wearing rubber eyelet is not visible as it is under the leather. sole with a cleated pro le to provide grip that is often worn in the military. Brogueing This is where the upper is punched through with a Closed Channel pattern usually on the toe. It was originally a way of This is a technique on high end Goodyear Welted shoes either strengthening the leather or of hiding blemishes where the sole stitches are hidden by cutting a tiny slit at in cheaper leather depending on who you believe. the edge of the sole, rolling back the leather, stitching into the slit, and then rolling the leather back over it. Burnishing We buy the best calf leather available. We buy a special Cordovan type of leather that is very ‘raw’ or ‘naked’ which we then Is horse leather. Only the rear of the horse is used and is build up the colour on the nished shoe. Each burnishing cut from the animal in a shell shape hence its name ‘shell builds in another layer of colour, creating a deep, hand cordovan’. It has more natural oils in it than calf and is polished, antiqued look. In cheaper shoes a polish is therefore easier to shine. applied on top to create a similar effect but we actually work the colour into the leather creating more depth. Crepe A soft and rough form of rubber. Chelsea Boot A higher mid height boot with elastic gussets on either side, named after its popularity on the Kings Road in Chelsea in the 1960’s. Example: Declan. Dainite Micro sole An old English rubber sole that is stitched onto the welt in A sole made from rubber with air blown into it to the same way as a leather sole is. It is very traditional but make it very light. also used on shoes. It was rst developed a hundred years ago as a golf shoe sole. Northampton This is the home of British men’s shoemaking. All of the Derby / Gibson top British brands are from Northampton or the county The opposite of the Oxford, the back of the shoe is of Northamptonshire. stitched on top of the front thereby creating a big opening where the laces are. Oxford Where the front half of the shoe is stitched on top of the Grain or 'Scotch grain' back half, making a narrow ‘V’ opening where the laces are. This is leather with a pattern stamped into the surface making the impression of a rough animals skin surface. Semi Brogue Most leathers can be stamped with this type of pattern A shoe with a straight toe cap and a punched medallion on the toe. Example: Matthew. Goodyear Welted A shoemaking technique invented by Charles Goodyear in Wing Tip 1871 whereby a leather strip (welt) is stitched to the upper A shoe with a toe cap in the shape of a birds wing. and the sole is then stitched to the welt. Benefits include Also known as a full brogue. Example: Sid. strength and ease of repair. This is the key characteristic of English shoemaking. Whole Cut A shoe made from a single piece of leather, usually an Medallion / Centre / Flower oxford with a single seam at the back. Example: Trent. This is the classic brogue pattern on the toe of the shoe and is regarded as a very English detail. @grensonshoes @grensongirlsofficial @grensonshoes grensonshoes Grenson Shoes grenson.com