'Made in Bolton' Community Clothing X Norman Walsh Trainers

The British-made trainer collection gets a new addition, inspired by a 1970s running classic and handmade in the Norman Walsh factory in Bolton.

Community Clothing and legendary British footwear maker Norman Walsh have added a new style to their established trainer collaboration: the Catlow.

Designed in collaboration with the Walsh team, the Catlow takes inspiration from the iconic running shoes of the early 1970s, reinterpreting a classic silhouette for today. Made by hand in the Norman Walsh factory in Bolton, the Catlow has a full suede upper with leather detailing and is constructed using materials and techniques that Walsh has been honing for more than 50 years. It is finished with a natural rubber outer sole.

The Catlow joins the existing Beacon and Parlick styles, bringing the Community Clothing X Walsh collection to three unisex trainers, all handmade in Bolton. The shoes are named after fells near Community Clothing’s Blackburn headquarters: Beacon, Parlick and Catlow.

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The collaboration brings together two brands with a shared belief in British manufacturing and the value of keeping specialist skills alive. Norman Walsh has been making footwear in Bolton since 1961, with a history that includes running shoes for the British Olympic team in the 1970s, footwear for champion fell runners and football boots worn by Bolton Wanderers legend Nat Lofthouse.

The Catlow’s story has its roots in one of the most recognisable running shoe designs of the era. Its distinctive shape was inspired by the 1970s running shoes that formed part of Walsh’s extensive archive, with Community Clothing’s Patrick Grant working with the Walsh team to reinterpret the design.

Patrick Grant, founder of Community Clothing, says: “I’ve always loved the old Walsh running shoes. They were brilliantly designed, properly made and built for people who actually wanted to run in them, rather than just look like they might.

“The Catlow started with one of those great 1970s designs from the Walsh archive. We’ve reworked it with the Walsh team, keeping the character of the original but making it our own. And, of course, it’s still made in Bolton, which is rather the point.”

The Catlow Trainer is £140 and is available from  www.communityclothing.co.uk  

About Norman Walsh:

Norman Walsh was born in Bolton in 1931. Norman’s father was a cobbler and aged 14 Norman followed him into the profession at the legendary local firm of Foster & Co, creator of the very first running shoe back in 1898. His precocious skill as a shoemaker was instantly recognised and it was Norman who was asked to make the track spikes for the Great Britain team at the 1948 Olympics. Six years later it was Norman who made the shoes that propelled Roger Bannister to his first sub four minute mile.

It was also a foot shod in a Norman made boot that scored the winning goal in the 1958 FA Cup Final. Norman had achieved mythical status as a maker of sporting shoes and in 1961 he left Fosters and set up under his own name in a small factory in a quiet side street in Bolton. At this time, there was only one shoe that the serious fell or trail runner would wear, and that was the Walsh PB. Originally designed in 1970, and named after famed British fell runner Pete Bland, it remains legendary in the sporting shoe world to this day.

About Community Clothing

Community Clothing is a British clothing brand and social enterprise founded in 2016 by award-winning clothing designer and judge on BBC One’s The Great British Sewing Bee Patrick Grant. Community Clothing does good things for people and communities in the UK, creating jobs where they’re needed most.

The mission is simple; to sell great quality clothes at prices people can afford; to make these clothes in the best British factories from the finest natural materials; and by doing this to create work and support skilled jobs in regions of the UK that need them most. In short, Community Clothing sells great quality clothes, at affordable prices and consequently creates loads of fantastic jobs in places that really need them. 

To date Community Clothing has created nearly half a million hours (and counting) of work and supported 1,926 jobs. Community Clothing has a network of 48 partner factories all over the UK, located predominantly in the Northwest, Yorkshire, the East Midlands and South Wales.

Community Clothing has developed a unique business model that keeps costs super low, enabling the brand to produce clothes in the very best UK factories from the best materials, and still sell them at affordable prices. The unique business model utilises off-peak production, creates seasonless, brilliant basics, supports ultra local supply chains and promotes radical simplicity. 

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