Great British Design |
12/04/19
The story of the only remaining British owned sports footwear company. Designed and manufactured in Bolton, the 50 year old Walsh PB design continues to be chosen by fell runners across the country. But is its appeal fading? How do brands with such traditional methods keep up?
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Can specialised design still count as great? Walsh PBs will never grace the feet of the masses. Norman Walsh, his trainers, and the names of athletes who wear them scrambling through peat bogs and over lonely mountain tops, are largely unknown outside a circle of dedicated fell running enthusiasts. But I’d say they are still very much deserving of a great design blog spot. After leaving school at 14, Bolton born Norman Walsh followed his cobbler father’s footsteps into the footwear industry, starting an apprenticeship J.W Foster & Sons. He was selected to make the track spikes used by the Great British Summer Olympic teams - age just 16! In 1954 Norman was selected to make the shoes worn by Roger Bannister for his famous successful attempt becoming the first man ever to run a mile in less than four minutes. Nestled on the edge of both the Peak and Pennine districts, it was in the late 1960’s when Norman created the first ever mountain running shoe, the Pennine Adder. Used by many local scramblers and runners throughout the mountainous regions of Northern England, thus gaining the attention of British fell-running athlete, Pete Bland. It was in 1970, with the formation of the Fell Runners Association, Norman and Pete teamed up to create the first-everfell-running-specific shoe, the Walsh PB. The PBs are the perfect hill running shoe. On tarmac, unlike other fell shoes, the rows of rubber pyramids on the soles aren’t rock solid and uncomfortable. Off-piste they tear chunks out of hills and provide excellent grip. The shoes are amazingly lightweight. The simple but cleverly designed uppers give a surprising amount of support and comfort. |
Today, Norman Walsh UK is the only British owned sports footwear company continuing to design and manufacture sports shoes in Britain. Every pair is hand made in Bolton by their small team of skilled craftsmen and women. This is not a vast production line endlessly churning out thousands of the ubiquitous footwear you see bouncing past you in parks, hanging around street corners and on the richly sponsored feet of sports men and women. The Norman Walsh factory hand make every shoe based on the same designs started by Norman over 50 years ago. Still, the Walsh continues to demonstrate its suitability to the challenges of performance. British explorer, Jamie Bunchuck chose the PB trainer for the first ever foot-crossing of the fullest longitudinal extent of Kazakhstan’s ‘Betpack-dala’ desert in 2014, over 190 mines, completing over 7 back-to-back marathons in 8 days. Some will point out that the Walsh is losing popularity among fell runners, overtaken by more modern designs. The market is becoming 'techy' in a way that doesn't entirely suit Walsh - I'd be shocked if they ever came out with anything like Inov-8's 'graphene-enhanced' soles. Perhaps diversification is the way to address their dying popularity among fell runners. Over the past decade, Walsh has been involved in a number of select collaborations with brands and designers such as, Paul Smith, Margaret Howell, Fred Perry, Universal Works, You Must Create, Sunspel, and partnered up with Marks & Spencer for part of their ‘Best of British’ collection. Or, if you're after something more personal, Walsh offer a bespoke service so you can create your own unique pair of these historic trainers with a remarkable British heritage. What makes the PBs really great is the Walsh brand behind them. They have a real sense of history, and a story behind each shoe. They're comfortable, and I love the retro-inspired colour combinations. And they do some cool looking regular trainers too. So next time I'm after a new pair of trainers, perhaps I'll steer clear of those obvious brands. Go for something a bit different, and be proud to wear British! |
Sources:
https://www.normanwalshuk.com
Photos courtesy of my brother, dragged out of his bed especially
https://www.normanwalshuk.com
Photos courtesy of my brother, dragged out of his bed especially