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Giveaway – Crown Northampton Ernest Wholecut Sneaker

Author

David Shuck
September 08, 2025

We’ve seen a lot of products that are storied, well-made, and ultimately built to last, but now and then, something comes along that completely blows our minds. Something that excels so highly in every department, it transcends the game and ultimately needs to be seen to be truly appreciated. One of those products is the Crown Northampton Ernest Wholecut Sneaker.

We’ve teamed up with fellow publishers Stitchdown, Shoegazing, Worn & Wound, and Rose Anvil to give away a pair of Crown Northampton Ernest Wholecut Sneakers. A collaborative project between Crown Northampton and its sister company, E.Woodford & Sons, the Ernest combines the best of traditional British shoemaking with the clean profile of a modern, versatile, flat sneaker. Worth over $1500, Crown dubs its Ernest Wholecut as “the best sneaker in the world,” and before you scoff, read on to learn about the story of the Ernest.

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is drop your email on this page before 15 September 2025. The one lucky winner will be notified by email and have 24 hours to confirm their shipping and size information. All entrants will be signed up for all partners’ newsletters, from which you can unsubscribe at any time.

About the Hand-Welted Ernest Wholecut Sneaker

The Ernest blends modern style cues with deep, time-honored British shoemaking heritage – some specifically localised to Northampton. Its formulation took months of trial and error, culminating in the development of a proprietary “double welt” construction which delivers the look of a cup sole, with traditional hand-welting hidden beneath.

Constructed from hand-cut oak bark-tanned calf leather from the last remaining oak bark tannery in the UK, J & FJ Baker, the Ernest is an asymmetrical wholecut sneaker. The upper is hand lasted by pins to a channeled insole; a double welt is then hand stitched to create a sidewall and lower welt. Cork is applied along with the Lactae Hevea sole, which is hand-stitched in place to the lower welt.

One of E. Woodford & Sons’ most talented shoemakers, Will, is deeply involved in the conceptualizing and making of the Ernest. He proposed the detail that the join in the whole cut upper should follow the flex of the foot for comfort and longevity, as well as developing his own hand-woven, oiled threads for hand-welting the sneaker.

Honoring his century-old shoemaking heritage, Chris Woodford of Crown & E.Woodford & Sons named the Ernest after his grandfather, the ‘son‘ in E. Woodford & Sons. A talented Northampton shoemaker, Ernest himself was known for competing in shoemaking competitions using wholecut designs and was involved in the Northampton shoemaking industry until his death. Chris Woodford is deeply committed to preserving Northampton shoemaking, and the Ernest Wholecut Sneaker is a testament to this:

“Shoemaking is in my blood. Some of my first memories are of being in my dad’s factory aged about six or seven, surrounded by noise and machines and the smell of leather. Back then, mass production was the norm in Northampton. These days, most of it has moved elsewhere. But the bones of it remain. And what bones they are. Eight centuries of shoemaking heritage still echo in this town if you know where to listen.

All the knowledge is still here. All the skill. You just have to care enough to make it matter again. That’s what led to the Ernest. This town. Our factory. And the Woodford genes I was lucky enough to inherit.” – Chris Woodford

Crown Northampton Ernest Wholecut Sneaker Key Facts:

  • Made from the highest-quality oak-bark tanned calf leather from J & FJ Baker, which will earn patina with use and wear. This leather features throughout detail of the shoe, down to the insole, toe-puff, and stiffeners.

  • Lined with soft Italian baby calf leather, tanned slowly over eight weeks in traditional wooden drums.

  • Hand-lasted, hand-welted, and hand-stitched — construction usually reserved for bespoke Northampton dress shoes.

  • Double welt construction developed in-house for the Ernest Wholecut Sneaker.

  • A full Lactae Hevea sole, individually cut and hand-stitched to each pair.

  • Cork filling that will naturally conform to the foot with wear.

  • A touch of arch support gained by setting the wooden last into the insole during lasting.

  • Handmade in Northampton, England.

  • 18-20 week production time

  • Available in four colorways: London, Natural, Black, and Brown.