Walsh

Norman Walsh joined JW Foster & Sons (who would become Reebok), at the age of 14. At 16 he was selected to produce shoes for the 1948 Olympic running team, the JW Foster Deluxe. Foster were the first company to fit spikes to their running shoes.

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

TRiCKETT Sportswear

What if now and then we chose to forego the usual sportswear brands and plump for a team a little closer to home here in the UK?

Recent revived interest in British production and manufacturing, which could be attributed to the state of British industry brought on by the recessionary economy, has created a drive among investors to breathe new life or even resuscitate heritage brands.

TRiCKETT is the brainchild of Lancashire born Iain Trickett and is a platform for collaboration and retail, in essence a site dedicated to the sale of things that he loves.

As well as collaborating with US brand Ebbets Field Flannels on their wonderful baseball caps, TRiCKETT produce a number of pieces of their own right here in the UK made from British cotton and woven in Lancashire.

The collection is heavily inspired by baseball styles which are clear in the composition of wares such as their 3/4 length tee the 'Mays' shirt (in honour of Willie Mays who holds the record for the most appearances in Major League Baseball All Star games with 24) and of course the caps, but also references footballing memories with the 'Washington' scarf and 'Finney' socks (in honour of Lancashire born Sir Tom Finney).

This season they have also teamed up with Walsh Sports, on an exclusive collaboration and limited run to produce trainers in their trademark navy grey and white colours. You can get these kicks here whilst stocks last.

When I contacted TRiCKETT and asked if they had press shots of their collections that I could feature I got an interesting response, rather than product images Iain replied by telling me that he was not of that mind, that the product images do not reflect what we are is trying to convey and what we hope to inspire, so instead he sent me the images that inspire him and the brand and their creation and images that restore memories of childhood adoration for the spectacle of sport and the legendary athletes of days past.

Hopefully these images will conjure the same memories for you, the squeak of rubber on the court, the elation of the crowd as Alan Shearer hits the back of the net on his way to a record 34 goals for Blackburn Rovers circa 1995, the sweet spot of the bat hitting ball, the commentator 'Mays up to bat, aaaaaannnnnd... 'THWACK' he knocks it out of the park!'