The Alden Shoe Company

Alden is a family owned company with a history that now spans four generations of shoe makers. A long time ago the Alden Shoe Company decided that it is important to create handsome shoes of great comfort and quality. Since 1884, the company has designed and manufactured classic footwear that represents America's tradition of old-school, custom shoemaking at its finest.

Still, given a modern world that too often prizes the promotion rather than the product, one might well imagine these old-fashioned talents for craft and honest value to be irretrievably lost. Alden's footwear stands as clear, adamant proof to the contrary.

In these pages, we proudly offer our Alden New England collection of original designs: trim, well-balanced oxfords, sturdy brogues, and slip-ons of proportions and elegance. Each handworked from the finest leathers, representing a century-old tradition of craftsmanship, and reflecting in a quiet sure manner the solid values of the person who wears them.

The Alden Shoe

Every Alden New England shoe has a full leather lining chosen from our special stock of supple glove linings and smooth, glazed kip linings. Genuine Goodyear welt construction. Top quality leather welting is securely stitched through the upper to the insole rib. On models requiring the clean appearance of a close heel trim the welt runs from the heel forward. For other styles, such as brogues, where the solid look of an extended heel trim is appropriate, the welt is stitched all around the shoe. Every Alden New England shoe carries a tempered steel shank, precisely contoured and triple ribbed for extra strength. Truly the backbone of a fine welt shoe, the shank provides the proper support and shape so necessary when your day involves much walking and time on your feet. Long wearing rubber dovetail heels with leather inserts. Solid brass slugging gives secure attachment yet allows for easy rebuilding.

Classic patterns, crafted with extraordinary attention to detail. Made on our exclusive lasts, designed for comfort and refined appearance. Upper leather selected from the top grades of the finest tanneries in the world. Rich, aniline calfskins, luxurious calf and kid suedes, and genuine shell cordovans. Hand stained and polished to the classic patina that is the hallmark of the custom bootmaker's art. Heavy, natural leather insole of pure vegetable tannage. Unsurpassed for breathable comfort and long wear, it assumes over time the contours of your foot shape, giving a truly custom quality to the fit. Beneath the insole is a layer of natural cork, providing additional resilience and insulation. Oak tanned leather bends are cut into outsoles at our factory for maximum control of quality. Especially treated for durable wear, then patiently burnished with carnauba waxes to a fine luster.