With Made in China labels on everything from smartphones to t-shirts, Bolton-based Norman Walsh Footwear is a breath of fresh air, offering men, women and children the ‘best of British’ and helping to keep a tradition of manufacturing alive in the UK.
Over the past year, celebrities like Maxine Peak, The Vamps, Mani from Stone Roses and Tony McCarrol from Oasis have been wearing Norman Walsh, while the brand has been busy manufacturing shoes, pushing boundaries and exceeding expectations. Not to mention developing an exciting spring and summer range, which is sure to get adrenalin racing.
Truly made in England, Norman Walsh originally served his apprenticeship at Bolton-based Foster Bros Footwear, the founders of Reebok. In 1948, soon after being selected to make shoes for the British team at the London Olympics, Walsh began manufacturing footwear for top athletes around the world.
His football, cricket and athletics footwear was handcrafted for the likes of mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, ex England cricket captain Tony Greig and runners Roger Bannister and Ron Hill, to name but a few. For the past 40 years, his fell running shoes have been voted the UK No 1 Footwear and worn by champions Billy Bland, Ian Holmes and Rob Hope.
On being the first to complete the 182 mile Betpak-Dala Steppe in Kazakhstan, Jamie Bunchuck, who is also the editor of Sidetrack Magazine, said: “They perform incredibly well. The main issue I had, running-wise, was wasting a lot of energy in pools of dusty sand, but the PB Ultra provided a lot of traction through this sort of terrain. They didn’t allow my feet to slip, nor create any blisters, despite the sand, while allowing enough space for my swelling feet across the eight hours of daily running.They work superbly!”
As a sportswear brand that looks as good as it performs, it’s no surprise that recent achievements have included launches in Japan and Korea, as well as a heritage range of casual trainers.
The Norman Walsh spring and summer collection Perfectly designed and patriotic to boot.
