Crown Northampton

The Handstitch collection: The Everdon

On January 21, 1956, rockabilly singer Carl Perkins made history in 2 minutes and 14 seconds. He had just released the worldwide hit "Blue Suede Shoes", which became a Rock'n'Roll anthem. Elvis, The Beatles and Johnny Cash successively offered their own versions. Blue velvet shoes are not common. That's why Crown Northampton, Northampton's most Rock’n’Roll shoe manufacturer, offers them.

Let’s take a closer look.

The Hand-Stitch collection from Crown Northampton

This high-end collection is inspired by bespoke, hand-crafted shoes. The challenge is to offer a high level of finishing in a dress sneaker.

Indeed, it may seem contradictory. However, it's enough to take note of the details of this special pair. Starting with the presence of cork, hand-filled. It's the first time we've seen a pair of sneakers made in this way. Yes, the last time we saw cork-filled shoes was at J.M. Weston during a visit last May. Cork forms a solid filling along the entire spine of the sneaker and provides comfort, stability, as well as good moisture-wicking throughout the sneaker. Also worth noting is the use of leather for the counter (rather than plastic or other bonded materials). In addition to that, there's vegetable tanning, hand-sewn stitches - especially those at the back of the counter - and a rubber sole made from hevea milk or lactae heveae, which develops a patina over time with wear. One characteristic of this rubber sole is its flexibility; it's quite spongey and durable at the same time. We haven't tried it before, so we don't know how it will hold up over time, but Crown Northampton assures us of its robustness.

Furthermore, the British brand offers a plethora of leathers and soles for this unique model. You can choose a Horween cordovan color #8, like a very famous American brand...

The model I'm wearing is in deer leather, an extremely supple and unusual leather for sneakers.

A (very) high-end sneaker

Above, we'll let you discover the video by Rose Anvil where he disassembles another pair of shoes from the Northampton brand.

On our part, this further confirmed our opinion on this pair. While it's easy to see that the pair is both glued and stitched without taking it apart, you can also observe the entirety of the work done. For instance, the presence of cork between the rubber sole and the leather. A multitude of details that largely account for the substantial price of this pair.

How does this model size?

Like the Artizan model, this model fits true to size. I'm wearing 6.5 UK here.

How does one wear the Everdon?

A dress sneaker is a stylistic peril. While the sneaker-suit combo should be avoided at all costs, Gianni Agnelli - as is often the case - proposed several outfits with this type of sneaker and sartorial trousers, he was always on point.

Nevertheless, I opted for a pair of white five-pocket pants, a grey t-shirt and a black Bleu de Chine jacket.

I can finally say I've got my Blue Suede Shoes.