Solovair is admired for its timeless style and the story carried in every stitch.
Recently, Joe made the trip up to Wollaston in Northamptonshire to visit the NPS factory, where Solovair boots are still made the traditional way. What he found was a rare glimpse into a legacy of British shoemaking that has stayed true to its roots for over 140 years. The story of Solovair begins in 1881, when a group of skilled shoemakers in Wollaston formed the Northamptonshire Productive Society (NPS). Their reputation for quality craftsmanship quickly grew, earning them government contracts to produce boots for the British army. As industrialisation picked up pace, demand for durable, handmade footwear expanded both in the UK and overseas.
NPS has been producing shoes using a variety of construction methods over the years. Early techniques included riveted and stitched, stuck-on, and vulcanised constructions. Eventually, the company transitioned to Goodyear welt construction, which is now used across its entire range of footwear.
In the 1950s, Dr. Maertens (later Anglicised to Martens), along with Dr. Herbert Funck, developed a new type of sole that incorporated air cushioning. R. Griggs and Company Ltd., which held the manufacturing rights to this sole design, began searching for high-quality British factories to produce shoes using the new technology.
NPS was selected for its craftsmanship, and in 1959, it produced a set of sample boots with air-cushioned soles for Griggs.
This partnership continued for 35 years. During that time, NPS manufactured Solovair (short for “Sole-of-Air”) boots and shoes under license, sold to the public under the name “Dr. Martens by Solovair.”
During this period, their boots became a staple for postmen, factory workers, and police officers. By the 1970s, they had also been adopted by punks, new wave musicians, and youth subcultures. The look was rebellious, but the build quality was unmatched.
NPS no longer produces footwear under license but stayed committed to traditional British shoemaking and registered the name “Solovair”. With that, they continued producing the boots using the same techniques and machinery, preserving the original craftsmanship that had defined the brand for decades.
Inside the Factory: A Closer Look
NPS moved into a purpose-built factory on South Street in 1899, which they still occupy today. Joe’s visit to the NPS factory revealed just how much care and skill goes into every pair of Solovair footwear. The production process remains remarkably hands-on, with each stage handled by experienced craftspeople who often spend decades perfecting their role.
Clicking Station
This is where production begins. Skilled workers inspect full leather hides, chalking around areas free from natural imperfections like growth marks or tick bites. Precision here is essential, both to reduce waste and to ensure the strongest parts of the hide are used where the shoe experiences the most wear. While cutting is now done using shaped die stamps and hydraulic press-clickers, the process takes its name from the distinctive ‘click’ sound made when a blade hits the compressed fibreboard beneath during hand-cutting. That skill, once passed down through generations, lives on in the hands of today’s workers who still lay out hides manually and make cutting decisions by feel.
Closing Room
Here, the individually cut leather pieces are stitched together to form the upper. The Puritan and Singer sewing machines have been in use since the early 20th century. Machinists in this room are trained to work with thick leathers, heavy-duty threads, and multiple layers, adjusting stitch tension by feel for a consistent finish. Edge skiving (thinning the leather where pieces overlap) is still done manually on certain panels to reduce bulk. It’s a process that takes years to master and is critical in shaping the character and comfort of the final boot.
Lasting and Welting
Once the upper is stitched, it’s shaped over a foot mould known as a last. Solovair uses high-density resin and even still utilises some traditional wooden lasts The upper is pulled over the last and tacked into place. Then comes welting, one of the most technical and hazardous steps. Solovair uses Goodyear welt construction, stitching a U-shaped rubber welt to the upper and insole. The sole is then fused to the welt using a heat-sealing wheel that reaches 700°C. This unique method locks in the sole, creating the signature air-cushioned base that gave Solovair its name: “Sole of Air.”
Shoe Room
In the final stages, eyelets are machine-pressed, sock liners inserted by hand, and the boots are polished using a combination of wax and cream to build a rich finish. lustrous shine. Laces are threaded by hand, and each pair is given a thorough inspection. It takes more than 30 people to complete a pair of Solovair boots, and before they’re boxed, they’re checked one last time to ensure they meet the standards that have defined this factory for over a century.
