Northamptonshire is known around the world for the county’s shoemaking history and if there is a shoe for men that comes to mind it has to be the English brogue. The archetype of the Country outdoor shoe, the origin of the brogue design leads to Scotland and Ireland where the brogue was originally worn as an outdoor shoe for removing bog water when crossing wetlands.
From humble beginnings as an outdoor work shoe the contemporary brogue can be worn as a formal dress shoe or casual with workwear. The brogues of today feature the punching as an aesthetic detail is an aesthetic detail as opposed to a structural one and can be seen on a wide variety of shoes in countless style permutations. The different types of brogue shoes for men can be categorised as a full brogue, semi brogue, quarter brogue and the longwing brogue.
Generally made out of premium leather or suede the Barker range of Goodyear welted brogues feature in several collections including the Handcrafted, Country, Creative and Professional ranges.
The Barker Country collection features several Goodyear storm welted brogues including the Charles, Kelmarsh, Calvay and Westfield. For office shoes, Formal brogue options can also be discovered in the Handcrafted, Professional and BarkerTech collections.
The Country collection includes several traditional brogue styles including the Charles, Calvay, Kelmarsh and Westfield leather shoe styles made from calf and grained leather on a full leather or British Dainite rubber sole. A popular brogue boot that is a Country staple is the Calder boot which is made on the 460 last from calf leather and is available in several colourways.
The Barker Professional collection offers an extensive range of formal dress black brogue shoes from the classic Albert and Alfred hi-shine styles which have featured in the Barker collection the longest to new additions such as the Malton, Mirfield and Morpeth styles.
The BarkerTech collection includes the Turing full brogue which is made on the 493 last from premium calf leather and features the latest Barker comfort technology which combines traditional craftsmanship and padded comfort whilst maintaining an elegant aesthetic.
The Creative collection includes several iconic Barker brogue styles that represent the imagination of the Barker design team. The Barker McClean Oxford brogue is one of the most popular brogue designs in the Barker collection, made on the 443 last from premium calf leather with either suede or paisley laser detailing. Further Creative collection brogues include the Bailey, Johnny, Grant and Valiant styles.
Barker brogues are available across the current collection in Oxford, Derby and boot styles but it’s important to find the fitting and last that suits you the best as a brogue from the Country collection will fit differently to the Creative collection.