I’m just going to come out and say it: Church’s is my new obsession. A heritage shoe brand that has been around since 1873, I am kicking myself (wearing Church’s of course) for not finding them sooner. I’ve wasted so much time, money and thousands of steps walking in poor quality shoes, when I could have had these luxury leather wonders all along. But since I’m in the habit of being forthright, I’m also going to tell you straight up that they’re expensive – a pair will cost upwards of £600 – but I’m also going to scream from any rooftop, ledge or remotely high surface why they’re worth every single pound of their pricetag.
To set the scene, I’ve been consistently disappointed with the quality of footwear for pretty much as long as I can remember – winter boots being a particular sticking point. No matter how much I’ve loved a pair of Chelsea boots over the years, they’ve always let me down in no time at all: wet toes, worn leather, uncomfortable soles. Not to sound like my parents, but they just don’t make them like they used to. Only, with Church’s, they do. Not only do they create footwear that you’ll want to wear on repeat, but the heritage behind this brand is really something that makes it possible. Quintessentially British, this English footwear manufacturer hand-crafts all of their shoes out of the highest-quality leather right here in the UK – their Northampton factory to be exact. They’ve been doing it this way for over 100 years, so trust me when I say that they know what they’re doing.