A traditional shoe style for many of the Northampton shoemakers is the brogue, a hole punched icon that is an archetypal English shoe. The English Brogue has evolved from a functional outdoor shoe to a business staple but its origins trace back to Scotland and Ireland where the brogue was originally worn as an outdoor shoe for removing bog water when crossing wetlands.
From modest beginnings, the brogue shoes has many disguises since its creation to the contemporary designs seen today from shoemakers all over the world, notably Alden, Grenson and Trickers. Although the construction and details of the classic English brogue remain similar the modern brogues punching features as an aesthetic detail only as opposed to its original function and over time has seen a wide variety of brogue style permutations. There are several different types of brogues including the full brogue, semi brogue, quarter brogue and the longwing brogue.
Within the Barker range, there is an extensive offering of men's leather brogues made from a variety of leathers and suedes on a choice of soles. The Barker Handcrafted, Country, Creative and Professional collections offer a distinctive selection of brogue designs to suit your style.
For traditional leather men’s brogues, the Country collection is the best place to start exploring the Barker range of brogue shoes. Country collection staples include the Charles, Kelmarsh, Calvay and Westfield which are all Goodyear storm welted and made from premium calf and grain leathers on functional soles such as Vibram and Dainite rubber soles. For brogue boots the Country collection Calder boot is highly recommended and made on the 460 last and is available in several colourways.
For smart or business casual brogue styles the Handcrafted, Professional collection and BarkerTech collections offer a selection of Oxford and Derby brogues in several fittings on a variety of last shapes used in the Barker Earls Barton factory.
The Barker Professional collection includes an extensive range of formal dress brogue styles from the long-standing Albert and Alfred hi-shine styles to the latest brogue additions such as the Malton, Mirfield and Morpeth styles.
The BarkerTech collection includes the Turing full brogue, made on the 493 last from premium calf leather and features Barker comfort technology which combines traditional craftsmanship and padded comfort whilst maintaining an elegant aesthetic.
Imaginative brogue designs will be discovered in the Creative collection which features several iconic Barker brogue styles that reflects on the design boundaries of the Barker design team. The McClean Oxford brogue is one of the most popular brogue designs in the collection, made on the 443 last from premium calf leather with either suede or paisley laser detailing. Additional Creative collection brogues to consider include the Bailey, Johnny, Grant and Valiant styles.
Whether you’re interested in a Barker black brogue shoe or boot it’s advised to consider the fitting and last used to make each brogue style as this will alter not only between designs but within each Barker collection.