Meerbroke Dress, Jack Wills [similar 1; 2] | 2-Eye Boat Shoes c/o New England Outerwear | Bracelets, Oh Buoy Boston; KJP | Tote, C.Wonder [similar]
I am so very pleased and excited to introduce you all to an incredible new company and brand today. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you may have picked up on the fact that I am a huge fan of local businesses and American-made products. Oh, and a huge fan of shoes.
Enter New England Outerwear. Started by two locals, Greg Cordeiro and Dan Heselton, this is the company bringing shoe manufacturing back to New England— Massachusetts specifically was the largest producer of footwear in the world at one point, and these two are passionate about making that happen once more! Says Greg, “we want to bring that story back to New England.”
The great grandchildren of tannery owners, Greg and Dan are focused on 100% made-in-the-USA product. Their shoes are currently manufactured in Lewiston, Maine by veterans of the industry with 30+ years experience. “We love what we do and we love where we are from, so we thought it ought to be fitting to be inspired from generations past in the oldest part of the country.”
New England Outerwear is passionate about creating high-quality products, ones that stand the test of the harsh New England climate. Though they may be investment pieces, the quality is superior, and this is a pair of shoes that I am positive is long-lasting. “The goal is to make them last your lifetime and maybe even pass them on if you can.”
The men’s line has been around for a couple seasons now, boasting boat shoes, boots, mocassins, loafers, and oxfords for footwear, plus belts and hats.
Women’s shoes are new to the game though, with my boat shoes [above] and braided mocassins being first on board.
Next spring they’ll be launch a full apparel and outwear line, for both men and women. To say I’m excited for this is probably the understatement of the year…!
Where can you buy these beauties? Gentlemen, you can head over to The Tannery in Boston, but ladies— you can try them on in person at the darling Thistle Hill in Rockport. For anyone out of the area, you can definitely purchase your pair online, and they will be custom-made just for your order.
And if you’re not impressed yet? Check out the video below, to see just what goes into making a single pair.
Photos by Jay Layman