Walsh would go on to established his own sporting goods company in Bolton in 1961 and would develop sportswear for rugby, football, track, field, wrestling and boxing. The company continued to produce boots for Rugby League teams in the North of England throughout the 1970's. Since then they have serviced a discerning group, up north predominantly and those that have grown up with the brand.
Today Walsh are Britain's only wholly owned, designed and manufactured sports footwear producer. A proud accolade to bear in a market dominated by brands merely churning out re-releases from their archive (I'm looking at you Nike).
I had the pleasure of hearing from Jason at Norman Walsh shortly after I had written about TRiCKETT and of course was duly introduced to their recent collaboration.
Walsh very kindly offered to send me a pair of trainers for review after reading my piece on TRiCKETT and I couldn't help but oblige.
Of course when reviewing products it's easy to feel a duty to be sympathetic meanwhile completely conscious that you must maintain an unbiased honest opinion. However in this instance there are no concerns at all, and I have nothing but praise and admiration for everyone involved in producing such a stellar product. From the service to the environmentally friendly packaging, the polaroid like postcards of workers accompanying the trainers to the quality of the shoes themselves it is plain to see what a proud company this is.
Buying trainers these days is a dull process, you rarely feel your personal taste has given any credence to your choice. When you've searched high and low and scoured through the latest offerings, unconvinced by their durability it's little time until you find yourself in the queue at the post office with 5 other people sporting one and the same.
A pair of trainers from Walsh is like a goodyear welted shoe, you can feel the quality of the nappa leather accents and the soft sueded contours of the heel and uppers, the feel of the that trainers have been crafted and painstakingly handmade with great care rather than part of a production line. There's a wonderful sense of individuality with brand like this. The clean lines and muted colours make for a more refined runner, a pair of trainers for people that are not pre-disposed to a sporting look.
Walsh have five styles to their current range, the Cobra, Ensign (pictured), Pennine Adder, Lostock & V-Ripple. I went with the Ensign as it looked gloriously reminiscent of a 1970's track shoe.
This is no slouch either, Walsh know their onions and as well as the recent collab. with TRiCKETT they have teamed up with another British flagship Margaret Howell back in 2009 and again in 2012.
This is a brand true to their sporting history but with their sights on a design lead collaborative market.
Keep an eye on their Instagram feed for upcoming projects and check out the website here for more info on the sportswear range.
A big thank you to Walsh for such a nice pair of trainers and also to Corgi and Jigsaw Menswear for the polka dot socks, a perfect match.
Photo Source: WalshxMHL AW12, WalshxMHL AW09, WalshxTRiCKETT
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