Church's
Encyclopedia
Church’s is a high-end English
footwear
manufacturer founded in 1873 by Thomas Church and his three sons.
Over time, the little family business
grew into a corporation currently employing nearly 700 people.
Its main installations are located in the St James area of Northampton
, with an estimated production capacity of 5000 pairs per week, 70% of which are exported all over the world. Besides production sold to resellers and individual customers, the company also has several of its own retail stores, including one in Jermyn Street, London
, George Street, Edinburgh
, and Pacific Place, Hong Kong
.
In 1999, the company was acquired by the international fashion group Prada
, more recently that group sold a 45% stake to Equinox, a private investment fund. Currently , the market ambition of the company is to further expand itself in the high quality footwear sector and to introduce new clothing and accessory
lines.
During Pierce Brosnan
's tenure as James Bond
, various selections of dress shoes from the Church's range were used in production. Lindy Hemming, who was the costume designer explained the choice of Church's shoes as having the appropriate weight to complement the silhouette of the tailored Brioni suits she had commissioned for Bond.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footwear
Footwear
Footwear consists of garments worn on the feet, for fashion, protection against the environment, and adornment. Being barefoot is commonly associated with poverty, but some cultures chose not to wear footwear at least in some situations....
manufacturer founded in 1873 by Thomas Church and his three sons.
Over time, the little family business
Family business
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being....
grew into a corporation currently employing nearly 700 people.
Its main installations are located in the St James area of Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, with an estimated production capacity of 5000 pairs per week, 70% of which are exported all over the world. Besides production sold to resellers and individual customers, the company also has several of its own retail stores, including one in Jermyn Street, London
Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street is a street in the City of Westminster, central London, to the south, parallel and adjacent to Piccadilly.It is well known as a street where the shops are almost exclusively aimed at the Gentleman's market and is famous for its resident shirtmakers Jermyn Street is a street in the...
, George Street, Edinburgh
George Street, Edinburgh
Situated to the north of Princes Street, George Street is a major street in the centre of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Laid out from 1767 as part of James Craig's plan for the New Town, George Street was named in honour of King George III.-Geography:...
, and Pacific Place, Hong Kong
Pacific Place
Pacific Place is a complex of office towers, hotels and a shopping centre situated at 88 Queensway, in Admiralty, Hong Kong. The latest phase, Three Pacific Place, is located at 1 Queen's Road East....
.
In 1999, the company was acquired by the international fashion group Prada
Prada
Prada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
, more recently that group sold a 45% stake to Equinox, a private investment fund. Currently , the market ambition of the company is to further expand itself in the high quality footwear sector and to introduce new clothing and accessory
Fashion accessory
Fashion accessories are decorative items that supplement and complement clothes, such as jewelery, gloves, handbags, hats, belts, scarves, wigs, watches, sunglasses, pins, stockings, bow ties, hand fans, leg warmers, leggings, neckties, suspenders, and tights....
lines.
During Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
's tenure as James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
, various selections of dress shoes from the Church's range were used in production. Lindy Hemming, who was the costume designer explained the choice of Church's shoes as having the appropriate weight to complement the silhouette of the tailored Brioni suits she had commissioned for Bond.