An Axis is a fixed point, the core around which everything else revolves. For eight years, LANX has tried to occupy that space within Whalley and Lancashire, doing something the local community gravitates towards.
Our Axis collection is designed with the same idea in mind. It sits at the centre of our footwear range — between the raw performance of the 365 Collection and the refinement of our formal and fashion Collections — where most days actually happen: the office, the pub, the dog walk, the school run. Just chuck ‘em on, get ‘em worn.
This collection and the campaign surrounding it are a celebration of the community, the craft, and the county that has been making things happen for the best part of two centuries. We’re only eight years in, and we're just getting started.
THE ‘LANCASHIRE BOOT’
Every detail of these boots is rooted in the landscape around us. The colourways — Bark, Sandstone, Treacle, and Charcoal — reflect the rustic tones of the Ribble Valley countryside.
Our 'LANX Axis Sole Unit' has been years in the making, and is one that we are most proud to unveil. It’s a fully bespoke rubber sole, designed and developed from the ground up to be durable, dependable, and built for the kind of day that doesn't stick to a schedule. They’ve been worn and refined over twelve months to get the comfort and durability exactly right.
Running along the heel edge is a subtle silhouette instantly recognisable to anyone who knows this part of Lancashire: the curved horizon of Pendle Hill, a quiet nod to the landscape that shapes everything we make.
The tread pattern is also entirely our own, with an extended heel surface to increase the contact area where boots wear fastest, helping to extend the life of the boots. Additionally, the grip and slip resistance have both been independently tested by SATRA: one of the UK's most respected footwear test houses.
The rest of the design follows the same logic, because a boot should be as easy to live in as it is to look at:
- Cushioned, removable insoles sit underfoot, chosen for comfort and easy to swap out for cleaning or repair.
- A full leather lining brings a cushioned, considered feel.
- LANX pull tabs and premium Italian elastic gussets keep things practical.
We’re proud of the result: so much so that Marv has started to question whether 'Chelsea boot' still does them justice - ‘Lancashire boot’ feels closer to the truth.
MANUFACTURE IN LANCASHIRE
There was a moment when Lancashire must have felt like the centre of the universe. For the best part of three centuries, cotton was at the beating heart of it, with half the world's supply passing through this corner of northwest England. The scale of it is almost impossible to comprehend.
Running alongside the textile story was a footwear industry that would come to define entire communities. Tucked into the hills of East Lancashire, the Rossendale Valley became one of the most significant centres of shoe and slipper manufacturing in the world: built generation by generation, through knowledge passed down through families who lived and breathed the trade.
Over the tops of the Rossendale Hills lies the Ribble Valley, home to LANX since 2016. From the beginning, making footwear here wasn't just a business decision; it was an instinct, an itch that needed to be scratched. Axis is our next step in reigniting the flame of Lancashire manufacturing, and we're proud to pass the torch to the next generation of cobblers and cordwainers.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
The Axis campaign is rooted in the same idea as the boots themselves: that making things properly and taking pride in doing so is worth celebrating.
Filmed across Lancashire, the campaign follows a variety of local makers going about their normal days, including Heidi Caunce-Berry: an illustrator based in New Longton, Preston, working from her home studio, Design Cottage, and Jason Stocks-Young: a leather worker who founded ‘Diamond Awl Leather Workshop’ in Mossley, where he teaches the traditional techniques of leather working.
Alongside them, we follow Richard and Bev, part of our own factory team, and a couple whose lives have revolved around footwear in the Rossendale Valley. Their story is Lancashire's story: from the factory floors of their younger years in Rawtenstall, to the workshop bench today, still together, still making. It's a first-hand history lesson from two people who have lived and breathed it.
It’s a humble message that simply says: whatever your version of normality is, whether you’re standing at the workbench, queuing at the tills, standing at the school gates, or pacing up and down the studio floor, a decent pair of boots will get you there without hesitation. At the centre of it all is a pair of Axis boots.
MOVEMENT NEEDS A CENTRE
Axis is a brand new collection, the first since 365 launched in 2023. It bridges the gap between formal and outdoor, heritage and modern, countryside and city.
But Axis is about more than boots. It’s a celebration of Lancashire’s manufacturing heritage and the people who continue to shape the county - makers, workers, artists, chefs and creators. From the region’s industrial past to its modern creative culture, Axis stands as a statement of pride in craftsmanship, community, and honest making.
Movement needs a centre. For us, that's Lancashire. That’s Axis.