16 Brands Like Solovair for Classic British Footwear
You know the feeling. You finally invest in a pair of Goodyear-welted boots that actually fit your foot and your identity, and suddenly everything else in your wardrobe feels disposable. That is the Solovair effect. Made in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, by the NPS Shoes factory that originally produced Dr. Martens boots for decades, Solovair represents a very specific promise: British-made, bench-welted footwear built to outlast trends and their wearers alike.
But once you have developed a taste for that kind of quality, you want to know who else is working at that level. The good news is that Northamptonshire alone is home to a remarkable cluster of shoemakers, some with histories stretching back nearly two centuries. Beyond the county, a handful of other British makers carry forward the same traditions of leather craft and hand-finished construction. We have pulled together the best of them for you below.
Dr. Martens
You cannot tell the Solovair story without starting here. The R. Griggs Group licensed Dr. Martens' air-cushioned sole design in 1960 and contracted production to the NPS factory in Wollaston. For decades, every pair of "Docs" sold in Britain was built by the same hands and on the same machines that now make Solovair boots. When Dr. Martens shifted the bulk of its manufacturing to Asia in the early 2000s, NPS launched the Solovair brand to continue the original Made in England product. So these two names share literal DNA.
Today, Dr. Martens still offers a "Made in England" line produced in its own Wollaston facility, using many of the same techniques. The mainline collection, made overseas, reaches a much wider audience and leans heavily into fashion collaborations and seasonal colourways. The 1460 eight-eye boot remains the anchor, but the range now spans from chunky platform soles to refined leather loafers. Whether the overseas-made pairs match the originals in longevity is a debate that will never end, but the brand's cultural weight is undeniable.
Best for: Buyers who want the iconic silhouette with massive style range and global availability.
Tricker's
Founded in 1829, Tricker's holds the distinction of being England's oldest shoemaker still producing on its original site in Northampton. The company received a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales, and its reputation was built on country boots designed for the British landed gentry. The Stow brogue boot and Bourton country shoe are the pieces that define the brand, both featuring heavy broguing, storm welts, and Dainite rubber studded soles that handle wet grass and cobblestones with equal confidence.
Where Solovair channels workwear and subcultural energy, Tricker's is rooted in the country estate tradition. But the construction philosophy is almost identical: Goodyear welting, full leather linings, and an expectation that each pair will be resoled multiple times over a lifetime of wear. Tricker's also runs a robust repair service, returning worn boots to near-original condition. The brand's prices sit higher than Solovair's, reflecting the additional hand-finishing and the use of premium hides from tanneries like Charles F. Stead in Leeds.
Best for: Those drawn to British country style who want a boot that works as hard outdoors as it looks in town.
Loake
The Loake brothers opened their Northampton factory in 1880, and the family name has been stamped inside British-made shoes ever since. The brand operates across three tiers. The flagship "1880" collection is fully bench-made in Northampton with hand-lasted uppers and oak-bark-tanned soles. The "Shoemaker" range is also Goodyear-welted and English-made but uses more standardised processes. The "Design Loake" line is made overseas at a lower price point. This tiered approach means there is genuinely a Loake for almost every budget.
For Solovair fans, the 1880 collection is the natural comparison. Boots like the Bedale and Burford use the same welted construction methods and share that sense of a shoe built for decades rather than seasons. Loake's aesthetic skews more formal than Solovair's, with a focus on brogues, Chelseas, and lace-up dress boots in polished or burnished calf leather. But the Derby boots in the range carry enough ruggedness to sit comfortably alongside workwear denim. The brand's factory shop in Kettering is worth a visit if you are ever in Northamptonshire.
Best for: Anyone who wants Northampton-made Goodyear-welted boots with options at multiple price tiers.
Grenson
William Green founded his shoemaking business in Rushden, Northamptonshire, in 1866. The company claims to be the first manufacturer to use the Goodyear welt process in England, adopting the technique around 1874. That heritage is not just marketing copy. Grenson's factory production still relies on over 200 individual hand operations per pair, and the brand maintains its own manufacturing facility in Rushden alongside some overseas production for its more accessible lines.
Grenson occupies an interesting middle ground between heritage shoemaking and contemporary fashion. Creative director Tim Little, who led the brand for many years, pushed Grenson into collaborations with designers and retailers that gave its classic shapes a modern edge. The triple-welted Archie brogue and the chunky Fred boot are standout pieces that pair traditional methods with bold proportions. If Solovair appeals to you because it bridges workwear and style, Grenson does something similar but leans toward a fashion-conscious audience that appreciates visible craftsmanship.
Best for: Style-minded buyers who want hand-finished English shoes with a contemporary design sensibility.
Crockett & Jones
Charles Jones and Sir James Crockett started their partnership in Northampton in 1879. Today the factory produces around 100,000 pairs a year, making it one of the largest remaining shoemakers in England. The company supplies shoes under its own name and has historically produced for other luxury labels, giving it a breadth of manufacturing expertise that few competitors can match. The Islay boot, which appeared on Daniel Craig's feet in a James Bond film, brought the brand a wave of mainstream recognition.
Crockett and Jones shoes are built on a 250-step production process using bench-grade and hand-grade construction. The hand-grade line features hand-lasted uppers, hand-sewn channels, and individually selected hides. For Solovair admirers looking to step into something dressier without losing that sense of permanent quality, Crockett and Jones delivers. Their Coniston hiker boot and Snowdon Derby boot both bridge the gap between rugged outdoor footwear and refined Northampton shoemaking. Prices are significantly higher than Solovair's, but the finishing is among the finest produced in England.
Best for: Those ready to invest in benchmark-level English shoemaking with a polished, versatile aesthetic.
Church's
Thomas Church opened his workshop in Northampton in 1873, and his sons later built the brand into one of England's most recognised luxury shoemakers. Church's became synonymous with a particular kind of understated English formality. The Shannon Derby, the Consul Oxford, and the Grafton brogue are shapes that have barely changed in a century because they did not need to. Prada acquired the company in 1999 and has since expanded its retail presence globally while maintaining the Northampton factory.
Church's represents the high-end pole of the same shoemaking tradition that Solovair works within. Both use Goodyear welting, both source from established leather tanneries, and both build their reputations on longevity. But where Solovair's boots carry a deliberate edge of subcultural cool, Church's shoes project old-money restraint. The brand's leather is often polished to a bookbinder finish, and the lasts are shaped for a close, elegant fit. If you already own Solovair for your casual rotation and need something for more formal settings, Church's fills that gap without compromise.
Best for: Fans of traditional English formality who want luxury-grade Northampton shoes for dressier occasions.
Cheaney
Joseph Cheaney established his factory in Desborough, Northamptonshire, in 1886. The company spent years under the ownership of Church's and later Prada before the Church family repurchased it in 2009 through cousins Jonathan and William Church. That buyback was significant because it returned the brand to independent British ownership with a clear focus on factory-direct pricing. Cheaney shoes are made entirely in their Desborough factory using Goodyear-welted construction, and because the brand sells primarily through its own shops and website, the prices tend to undercut competitors offering similar quality.
The range covers everything from polished Oxfords to chunky commando-soled boots. The Pennine II and the Trafalgar are particularly strong picks for anyone coming from Solovair territory, combining thick rubber soles and full-grain leather uppers with that unmistakable Northampton build quality. Cheaney also offers a re-sole and repair programme, reinforcing the idea that these are buy-once items. For the money, it is hard to find a better entry point into English bench-made footwear.
Best for: Value-conscious buyers who want genuine Northampton factory-made shoes without the luxury brand markup.
Sanders
Sanders and Sanders was founded in 1873 in Rushden, Northamptonshire, and remains family-owned after more than 150 years. The company has held a Ministry of Defence contract to supply military officers' shoes and boots since the Second World War, and that relationship tells you everything about the brand's priorities. These are shoes built to withstand institutional levels of use. The factory still produces every pair in Rushden using Goodyear-welted construction, and the workforce includes craftspeople with decades of service on the factory floor.
Sanders is less well known than its Northamptonshire neighbours, partly because it has never chased fashion press or high-street retail. Instead, the brand has cultivated a loyal following in Japan and among European menswear enthusiasts who appreciate its no-nonsense quality. The Military Derby boot and the Playboy chukka are cult favourites. For Solovair fans, Sanders represents a kindred spirit: a factory brand with zero pretension, honest construction, and prices that reflect the product rather than the marketing budget.
Best for: Buyers who want under-the-radar Northamptonshire quality with a military heritage pedigree.
William Lennon
William Lennon and Co. has been making boots in Stoney Middleton, Derbyshire, since 1899. This is not a fashion brand. It is a working boot maker in the most literal sense, producing hand-welted footwear for farmers, gamekeepers, and anyone whose livelihood depends on boots that refuse to fail. The company is tiny by any commercial standard, operating from the same stone building it has occupied for over a century, with a small team turning out boots at a pace that prioritises craft over volume.
William Lennon boots are hand-welted rather than Goodyear-welted, meaning the welt is stitched by hand rather than machine. This is a more labour-intensive method that produces an exceptionally strong and water-resistant seam. The brand's hill boots and fell boots are made from thick waxed leather and built on wooden lasts. If Solovair sits at the intersection of heritage and accessibility, William Lennon occupies the far end of the heritage spectrum. These are boots for people who measure quality in decades of daily use.
Best for: Heritage purists who want a genuinely hand-welted British boot from a family workshop.
Edward Green
Edward Green founded his company in Northampton in 1890, and it has operated continuously since then. The brand produces roughly 250 pairs per week, a deliberately small output that allows for extraordinary attention to detail. Edward Green shoes are considered by many collectors and industry experts to be among the finest ready-to-wear footwear produced anywhere in the world. The Galway country boot and the Dover split-toe Derby are iconic designs that command serious prices and even more serious respect.
This is the prestige end of Northampton shoemaking. Edward Green uses only the top five percent of hides from selected European tanneries, and every pair goes through a 200-step production process. The brand's burnished antique finishes are applied by hand, giving each shoe a depth of colour that deepens with age. For Solovair wearers, Edward Green represents the summit of the mountain. The construction principles are the same, the geography is the same, but the materials and finishing are at a different level entirely. It is worth knowing what exists at the top of the tradition you have already bought into.
Best for: Collectors and connoisseurs who want the pinnacle of English shoemaking without compromise.
Clarks
Cyrus and James Clark started making sheepskin slippers in Street, Somerset, in 1825, making Clarks one of the oldest footwear companies in the world. The brand's trajectory has been very different from the Northamptonshire makers. Clarks scaled into a global mass-market operation decades ago, and its shoes are now manufactured overseas. But the company's place in British footwear culture is impossible to ignore. The Desert Boot, designed by Nathan Clark in 1950 and inspired by boots he saw worn by British officers in Burma, became one of the most influential shoe designs of the twentieth century.
Clarks is not a direct comparison to Solovair in terms of construction. You will not find Goodyear welting here. But the brand's relevance to this list comes from its deep roots in British shoemaking history and its ability to produce comfortable, well-designed footwear at accessible prices. The Wallabee and the Desert Boot remain genuinely good shoes that have earned their cultural status. If you are building a British footwear rotation and want something lighter and more casual alongside your Solovair boots, Clarks fills that role honestly.
Best for: Those who want accessible, culturally significant British-designed casual footwear alongside heavier welted boots.
Finding Your Next Pair
The world of British-made boots is smaller than you might expect, and that is precisely what makes it worth exploring. If Solovair hooked you on the idea of welted construction and factory-direct value, brands like Cheaney and Sanders offer a similar proposition at different price points. If you want to understand where Solovair came from, Dr. Martens' Made in England line is the closest thing to a sibling. And if you are ready to see just how far traditional Northamptonshire craftsmanship can go, Edward Green will show you the ceiling.
Whatever direction you go, you are buying into a tradition that has survived industrialisation, fashion cycles, and the offshoring of nearly every other British manufacturing sector. These boots are still here because they are still worth making.
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Written by
Spencer Lanoue
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