The Classicist: A Bastion of British Style in the Burlington Arcade

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
May 27th 2008 at 9:02AM

Photo by Andrew Dunn

Classic English shoe brand Church's was founded in 1873, but its roots date back to the late 1600s when a Northampton cobbler named Church first set up shop. The traditional shoemaker is known for its elegant footwear, which has been the choice of well-dressed British gentlemen for over 130 years. In 1999 Church's was acquired by the Prada group, and while some traditionalists bemoaned the end of an era, little of the company's core values have changed. Its high-end models, which have names like the Consul, the Diplomat, the Chetwynd and the Gunthorpe, are still handmade in Northampton and cost in the neighborhood of £300 pounds, or about $600.

Prada has certainly set about modernizing the brand however, which is known for durable style. The company recently redesigned Church's historic shop in London's Burlington Arcade, Britain's first shopping arcade, which was built by Lord George Cavendish in 1819 and houses some of the world's finest boutiques. The revamped shop incorporates some modern design elements while retaining the important historical fixtures. In addition to shoes, the store also stocks neckties, gentlemen's accessories and leathergoods. Part of Prada's plan to boost the brand's presence internationally, new Church's shops were also recently opened in Venice and Bologna.

Gallery: Church's & the Burlington Arcade

With the new developments will no doubt come more cries of "sacrilege" and Prada will have to work hard to convince longstanding customers that standards of quality remain unchanged. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair once said he wore the same pair of classic Church's for 18 years, a testament to their resilience to both long use and changing fashion. Church's shoes were also featured in some of the James Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan: Goldeneye, The World is Not Enough and Tomorrow Never Dies. Last year two pairs of Church's worn by Brosnan in Goldeneye (along with his Brioni suits) were auctioned off at Christie's in London for £2,000 or about $4,000.

The Bond connection was a beneficial one for the company. What Prada is looking to do is shed the stodginess associated with one of Britain's oldest shoemakers while reinforcing the aspects of timelessness and excellence of craftsmanship. Not an easy proposition by any means but we think they've achieved it with the Burlington Arcade refurbishment. And in today's economic climate, a pair of shoes that can be worn for 18 straight years is a precious sartorial commodity indeed.

Tags: Burlington Arcade, BurlingtonArcade, Churchs, English shoes, EnglishShoes, James Bond, JamesBond, London, Pierce Brosnan, PierceBrosnan, Prada, Tony Blair, TonyBlair