Church's

CHURCH’S

The history of Church’s from a small artisan workshop to a reference point in the world of footwear  

Church's
Church’s SS 2019

Index

  1. The origins
    1. The Goodyear model
  2. Church’s joins the Prada Group
  3. A new chapter
  4. International expansion
    4.1 Church’s stores
    4.2 The English aesthetic of Church’s
    4.3 2021: Dear Thomas and the collaboration with Kei Ninomiya

The origins

The Church’s brand was created in 1873 by brothers Thomas, Alfred and William. The origins of the brand, however, date back to 1675, the year of birth of the ancestor of the Church’s brothers: Stone Church, Northampton. In this town since the Middle Ages a flourishing tanning activity and, later, the start-up of the footwear industry had developed. The skills of the trade were therefore transmitted from father to son until the time of the founding brothers of the brand.

In a few years Church’s transformed from a small artisan workshop into a reference company for the high quality segment both for the local market and for the most demanding shoe shops in London and England. In 1921 Church’s opened the first single-brand store in London.

Church's
A shoemaker working on a shoe

The production plant was inaugurated in 1957 and is still the company’s headquarters today. The visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1965, together with the awarding of the prestigious “Queen’s Award” for export, formalized Church’s status as a leading international brand.

Church’s represents the style of the English handmade shoe all over the world: 250 processing steps and 8 weeks for each pair. The company is based in Northampton, where boots were produced for Cromwell’s army in the Irish War. Northampton also provided the British armed forces with 70% of the shoes for its men in the trenches of the Marne, in the massacre of the First World War.

The Goodyear model

The shoe factory, in addition to producing the classic leather shoe, was the first to invent the technique to combine the preciousness of the finest uppers with the futuristic comfort of the rubber used for the soles. This is how the Goodyear model was born, a leather lace-up with para rubber. The first exports date back to 1887. The debut in America was in 1907.

Church's
Goodyear: the Flexible Rubber collection, 2012.

Church’s joins the Prada group

In 1998, the turnover was 240 billion lire. In the summer of 1999, Diego Della Valle raked in 8.6% of Church’s shares. At the end of August of the same year, Patrizio Bertelli bought 9% of the capital for Prada, launching an amicable public purchase offer to acquire control of the company. Bertelli offered 20% more than the stock market price, committing about 310 billion euros to the operation. Thus, since 1999, Church’s has become part of the Prada group, world leader in the luxury sector, which currently holds 100% of the capital.

The acquisition took place with the explicit desire to optimize the business opportunities linked to Church’s, in full respect of its English identity. The main strategic guidelines have provided for the rationalization of industrial production criteria and the introduction of marketing logic in the planning of collections and new products. This has allowed a further expansion of production potential and the development of collections including classic categories, alongside more contemporary and seasonal proposals.

Church's
Shanghai shoe

A new chapter

In January 2002 the second flagship store was opened in Milan, after the first opened in 2000 in Via Sant’Andrea. The shop in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, designed by Roberto Baciocchi, is spread over two floors and has teak walls and wengé wood floor.

In 2003, revenue amounted to EUR 61.2 million. The brand was available in 895 multi-brand stores. There were 48 single-brand stores, of which 47 were directly controlled and one franchised. 95% of the production was carried out in Great Britain and 5% in Italy (the Women’s collection). 

The brand’s expansion policy immediately provided for the opening of new single-brand stores in the most important international capitals. In addition to the boutiques in Milan, between 2001 and 2003 new stores were opened in Paris, Rome, Saint Moritz and New York.

Church's
Shop into La Rinascente, Milan

International expansion

In 2003, an agreement was signed between the Prada Group and Equinox, a leading investment company, to support an ambitious expansion plan worldwide. This plan was based on the development of new and complementary product categories. An important part of the agreement provides for the complete autonomy of the Prada Group in defining the design and strategies regarding the brand identity.

Under the agreement, Equinox bought 45% of Church’s capital. In December 2006, Prada bought back all of Church’s. In 2008 the brand started a new expansion plan, with the opening of several international stores: Venice, Bologna, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo and Beijing.

Church’s stores

In July 2011 Church’s opened the first store dedicated to the Women’s collection on New Bond Street, in the heart of London’s shopping district, reaching about 200 spread around the world. But not only Europe and the United States, since 2018 the brand has strengthened its presence in Asia by opening its first store in South Korea.

The store is located in the prestigious Shinsegae shopping center, in the Gangnam district of Seoul, the beating heart of the capital and the centre of luxury shopping. The store is divided into two sections, one for shoes and one for accessories, it also offers a selection of accessories from the St. James series. A few days after opening, the brand opened a second store inside the Lotte shopping center, also in Seoul. 

The English aesthetic of Church’s

In October 2016, Church’s chose Oxford for its autumn campaign. The Kit Butler and Hedvig models Palm is the star of the FW16 collection advertisements. The brand collaborates with photographer Lachlan Bailey and stylist Margherita Moro, who dresses models in preppy clothes and Oxford-style leather shoes, renewing the link with the English aesthetic. 

Church's FW 2016
Church’s FW 2016

2021: Dear Thomas and the collection with Key Ninomiya

The brand revealed its new SS21 collection, both male and female, with a short film, Dear “Thomas”. The film, loosely inspired by the mood and style of the iconic book and film “The Talented Mr Ripley”, gives the perfect atmosphere for the new collection. The shoes of the SS21 collection are very particular in design, showing a contemporary look that hides an innate elegance. The new collection has shapes and models that are inspired by the designs of the brand’s archives, revised in a modern key, especially the women’s sandals with tank soles. 

 Also for Spring Summer 2021 Church’s decides to collaborate with the Japanese designer Kei Ninomiya, a student of Rei Kawakubo who has been showing with his brand in Paris since 2012. The excellence and elegance of English shoes meet Japanese aesthetics in the Church’sxNoirKeiNinomiya collection presented in Tokyo. Key models of the brand are reworked by the aesthetic of Ninomiya, and are enriched with punctures and small studs.

Church's x NoirKeiNinomiya
Church’s x NoirKeiNinomiya

 

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