We here at Clothes-Make-the-Man don’t make any bones about our love for British design, aestheitc and good round great craftsmanship. Two great advocates if this ethos are David Keyte’s Universal Works and Norman Walsh of, well, Walsh Trainers.
These two Great British brands have reworking and refining their archive Ensign running trainer, to create a sneaker for contemporary urban life.
Norman Walsh footwear, can boast that it is the only British owned sports trainer manufacturer that still makes the footwear entirely in the UK, in the same factory started by Norman Walsh in 1961. Norman Walsh originally produced footwear for track and field, road running, rugby and football and then later began producing shoes for fell running which they continue to manufacture to this day. Walsh Casuals is their contemporary range that takes directly from original archive models, using much of the same methods and technology used in the early years of production. For the City Runner, Universal Works constructed the upper in luxe-materials; leather, suede and pigskin linings, simplifying the design and adding a soft comfortable midsole to create a clean and luxurious take on the Walsh staple.
The three colourways were made for three of the cities that have become integral to their businesses and are a continual sources of inspiration. Black is for London, a more mature style referencing our recent presentation at London Collections: Men. Navy is for Tokyo, the awe-inspiring capital of Japan, known for indigo, a colour and integral to Universal Works design and thinking. The Stone/ Tan is for Paris and more specifically the stone of the classically Parisian Haussmann buildings.
