CHATHAM MADE IN BRITAIN By Henry Harington


Chatham flying the flag P


hil Marsh and his family are proud of the shoes that their company, Chatham, of which Phil is managing director, design, develop and


manufacture. Coming from several generations of British shoe makers, the Marsh family are also proud to be British as is evident from the Union Flags with which their shoe boxes and marketing material are bedecked.


But Phil always wanted to add the word “manufactured” to the words


“designed” and “developed” in Britain. Of course, as all British shoe manufactures know, the cost of labour, even when the logistic costs are included, make the landed price of shoes from Pakistan, Indonesia and other locations, much lower than those that are wholly made in the UK making it uncompetitive for mass produced shoes to be made here.


But now Phil’s dream is coming true, Chatham, based in Exeter, Devon, has decided to reinforce their “Made in Britain” marketing message by returning parts of the manufacturing process to the UK.


Chatham’s ranges have always been created in Britain, the manufacturing


processes and many of the materials, like the fine leathers from British tanneries have been developed and made here. But now the company has invested in manufacturing equipment and has started employing shoe craftsmen to add to the manufacturing process in their Exeter factory.


The imported uppers are paired, shaped and treated there. This is followed


by the sole being attached and sewn before the final articles have socks inserted and the shoes are buffed and the leather rehydrated to restore the lively sheen that can be lost in the travelling and manufacturing processes.


Chatham’s “Made in Britain Collection” features four styles each in a


choice of colour combinations and all named after British Prime Ministers. Peel and Churchill feature contrasting upper and sole and are made from premium leather sourced from a tannery in Leeds.


Kudu can’t do On a personal note, I was disappointed to learn from Phil that he had abandoned the use of Kudu leather to make this range. The Kudu is one of the most majestic of antelopes found in the African savannah. Each pair of the original shoes using the leather tanned in Leeds was unique, bearing the patterns and, yes, small blemishes, that one might expect from a roaming prince of the African bush. Yet Phil says the lack of uniformity in the finished product did not go down well with customers and the designs have reverted to the use of calf leather.


Rainbow shoes Not only have Chatham started employing staff and manufacturing their shoes in Britain, they have introduced an exciting new process that allows their customers to create bespoke colouring for their “Made in Britain” range of shoes.


Branded as “Chatham BYU” the concept, including, a point of sale


display allows buyers to customise the colouring of the shoes. The shoes’ marketing includes a splash and dash of paint that could be a tribute to the American abstract expressionist painter, Jackson Pollack. The displays call on customers to “Express yourself” adding that the range is, “Where art meets feet”!


To be launched this year the “Chatham BYU” is bound to lead to a social media frenzy as buyers of the new shoes that they have helped design, compete in creativity and outstrip in outrageousness, the colour designs that they choose for their shoes.


The shoes all start life as a pale “crust” calf leather that has been


specifically selected to ensure the colour consistency and colour fastness of the dyes that will be applied. The results are exciting: In some of the samples Chatham staff and distributors have used to test the shoes, the internal sock has been turned into the stars and stripes of the US flag and a Spanish employee has a Basque flag in his shoes. Of course the possibilities are endless with people choosing colours to represent their countries, sports teams or companies giving shoes in their liveries to their customers.


While the decision to start manufacturing in Britain was primarily aimed at


reinforcing the Britishness that is integral to the Chatham brand, Phil says, “From a business perspective it will offer greater flexibility for trade buyers, and will open up the export market for us through the USA and Asia, where demand for British products continues to soar”.


Contact: T: 01392 822981 W: www.chatham.co.uk


18 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JANUARY 2018


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