If you’re in Manchester, you’ll probably know MCR Finest. They’re the digital media, content and events team who shout about the best independent food, drink, arts and culture across Greater Manchester. We’ve been fans of their stuff for a while, so we figured it was about time we invited them round.
Matt White from MCR Finest came to see us, first at our Northern Quarter shop to have a look at the range, then up the road to Whalley for a peek behind the curtain at our factory. The last shoe factory in Lancashire, as it happens.
A TOUR OF THE LANX FACTORY
There was a time when Lancashire was full of shoe factories. In Rossendale and the valleys around it, shoemaking was work that got passed down through generations, with factories mostly making slippers and heavy industrial clogs, made for people working in other factories. All of that has gone now, and we’re proud to be the last remaining footwear factory in Lancashire.
As Matt put it, we’re “the shoemakers with one foot in historic making techniques, and one striding towards the future.” We’ll take that.
We showed him around and talked about our journey so far. LANX started as a one-man operation, with Marv, LANX Founder, selling footwear at markets around Manchester and the North West. “Just me and a couple of mates in vans just running around,” Marv told Matt. “At the start of COVID we had four staff and now we’ve got 60, and [we’re] proud to have our own factory”.
The factory team is small, and everyone has their own specialism. Richard, our senior laster, has been in the trade for over 40 years, starting straight out of school in the late 1970s. It’s never been a given that someone could still do his job, here, today. Now he’s passing it on to the next lot, like Josh.
“Construction, craftsmanship. I like materials, I like the history of it, I like the fashion, the whole thing, everything,” Josh told Matt.
Matt reckons that the hands-on side is a big part of why people like LANX. From the Northern Quarter shop, staffed by people who know the shoes inside out, to the factory and factory shop in Whalley, with the smell of leather and the clunk of the machines going in the background.
We’re still a small operation. But Josh summed up the best bit:
“I like it when I see them in the wild. You see them in the pub or something and you’re like, ‘I made that.’”
THE ‘LANCASHIRE BOOT’
Matt’s tour of the factory was taking place while our Axis boots, a brand new collection that’s designed to carry you through everyday life, was in production, allowing him to see what goes into making the boots before they hit the shelves.
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.
The design of the boots has been years in the making, and includes our 'LANX Axis Sole Unit'. 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.
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.
The men’s Ribble and women’s Aspinall are available now on our website.
ABOUT MCR FINEST
MCR Finest started in 2013 with one goal: to build the ultimate guide to Manchester. Over a decade on, they’re the go-to for anyone looking for something good to do in the city, whether you’ve lived here your whole life or you’re visiting for the weekend.
Restaurants worth booking, gigs worth catching, exhibitions worth the trip, and the hidden gems you’d walk straight past otherwise. If it’s independent and it’s good, they’ve probably covered it. They’ve also built a proper community around it, full of people who care about what makes this city tick.
GET ‘EM WORN
Thanks to Matt and the MCR Finest team for coming over. Come and see us yourself, in the Northern Quarter or in Whalley.