Loake Shoes Review - Kempton Suede Chukka 1880 Line

Loake Shoes History.

Let's first take a quick look at the history behind the brand before we head into the full Loake shoes review. In 1880 the company is born when Loake is set up in Kettering, Northamptonshire, by three brothers, Thomas, John and William Loake. Through the world wars, Loake made footwear for the British Army which included an array of boots. It's estimated that they have produced over 50 million pairs of shoes since their inception and was granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment to HM The Queen in 2007.

Today the company is still owned and managed by the family with Andrew Loake currently serving as the managing director. They've expanded by adding different lines of shoes with the entry level shoes being produced in their India factory and the higher end shoes still being made in Northamptonshire, England.

Loake has five different lines while also producing private label shoes for companies like Charles Tyrwhitt and Brooks Brother's Peal & Co labels. But the 1880 line is the one you want to pay attention to and what this Loake shoes review is mainly focused on.

They've recently looked to expand their presence in North America by partnering with a distributor within the last year and disallowing UK retailers to sell directly to the US. The number of retailers carrying Loake in the US is growing steadily which is nice to see so consumers can experience Loake quality and get sized in person.

Initial impressions of the shoes were good. The Loake Kempton is a three-eyelet, suede chukka with a rubber sole. I prefer the design of these chukkas over Allen Edmonds or Alden's versions as the lines are sharper and resemble something more along the lines of an upscale Clark's desert boot. I personally think it is one of the better-looking chukkas out on the market.

A quick look over the shoes and all looks good without any imperfections that really stood out to me. Seems like Loake has their quality control down given their heritage in making conservative and classically styled shoes. I did notice that the nap of the suede on the right shoe was just slightly longer on the vamp. I think as the shoes wear and age this will become less apparent, though it didn't stick out like a sore thumb, to begin with.

The brown suede preliminarily looks to be of good quality as it is relatively soft with the nap being fairly consistent throughout besides a small portion of the vamp of the right shoe which was a little longer.

The shade of the brown is just a touch darker than Alden's snuff suede (see comparison shot in the photo gallery below). It's simply described as brown suede, but Loake also offers a polo suede on a few different models and it's pretty hard to tell the difference. This shade of brown, like my Alden's loafers, is very versatile and easy to pair. Denim is the obvious choice, but it really pairs well with most pant colors.

What I enjoy most about this shade of brown is that it looks very different depending on the lighting. Indoors it can look like a dark brown and under direct sunlight almost a golden brown. I haven't babied these chukkas at all and the suede has held up well. I've scuffed them lightly a few times and after a little brushing with my suede brush, you wouldn't be able to tell that they were slightly scuffed at all.

The suede didn't require much break-in at all with the shoes being pretty comfortable right out of the box and even more so after just a couple short wears. I'd say the suede used seems to be nicer than Carlos Santos, but definitely a step below Enzo Bonafe and Edward Green as one would expect. Honestly, its tough to gauge the quality of suede compared to a smooth leather, so I'll see how it does over the long run and update here.

I do actually have a couple of other Loake pairs in suede, but they are likely from their lines below their premium level 1880. Both those pairs were private label for Brooks Brother's Peal & Co brand and used suede of much lower quality.

It wouldn't come as a surprise if these chukkas end of being one of my most comfortable pairs as I continue to wear them.

The chukka's pattern and design are very simple. In result, there isn't much stitching and very few seams. Loake's Kempton only uses three pieces of leather and the stitches that hold these pieces together are done cleanly throughout. They are more minimal than Alden and Allen Edmonds versions with less stitching and more akin to Clark's iconic Desert boot. There is only a single line of stitching that runs up the facings and around the ankle area where Alden and AE two spaced out rows of stitches.

There are two lines of stitches holding that holds the vamp to the quarter and a small area of stitch reinforcement which resembles a rectangle. At the back seam, you won't find a dog tail which is when the back seam runs vertically then angles off at the top resembling a dog tail. The use of a dog tail is functional because the back seam is less likely to come apart due to by dispersing tension between the seams.

On the inside of you'll find it's fully lined as is standard. There is a 1/3 length sockliner with a healthy amount padding at the heel for some nice shock absorption (for a dress shoe anyway). Loake 1880 Made in England is stamped on the sockliner and "real leather" is stamped on the insole.

The welt is flat and plain with no embellishments whatsoever. The outsole stitching is done at 7-8 SPI (stitches per inch), but the start and end of outsole stitch could've been executed much cleaner. It's on the medial side of the shoe near where the heel stack begins so at least it's not really noticeable unless you are looking for it. At the top of the heel stack, they've used a seat wheel tool to decorate it, a simple and traditionally garnishment used on many dress shoes.

Once we look to the bottom of the shoe you'll see the well-known British made Dainite studded sole. This version had a slight texture on the surface of the sole and seems to be an effort to add a little more grip for the wearer. Most, if not all, the other Dainite studded soles I've encountered used the flat, non-textured version. So this may be a newer more improved version of their famous sole.

At the heel, surprisingly it looks to only be attached by cement, even though Dainite leaves openings for nails to be driven through the toplift for extra security. While that's not a big deal, I would've like to see the nails there as they are present in all my other shoes sporting Dainite heels.

The 026 last Loake describes as "This last is very much a classic English last shape, with a rounded toe of standard length." I'd agree with Loake's description though the toe has very subtle angles rather than being a bulbous round toe. It's said to be similar to Loake's most popular and standard capital last with just a hair more room in the forefoot and toe box area.

It fits my wider feet quite well and a very comfortable in my case. I do wish the toe spring was about 2mm lower though. The toe spring measures about 17mm from the ground to the sole at the tip of the toe.

For my size US 8.5, it's nearly 12 inches in length and 4.25 inches at its widest point measured on the outsole. The weight sits at 21.1 & 20.7 ounces for the right and left boots, respectively.

Heel height: 1 inch / 27.25 mm
Sole thickness (including welt): 0.45 inches / 11.25 mm
Leather thickness measured at the quarters including lining: 3.65mm
Toe spring: 17mm

Overall it fits true-to-size with just a little more room in the forefoot and toe-box area. The last should be able to accommodate some slightly thicker socks which I feel is a nice option to have, particularly on boots. I'd definitely recommend getting your normal size in this last. The instep is about average or maybe even slightly below average which works better for me. I’ve experienced pretty much no heel slip even during the break-in period.

The initial arch support felt pretty good, but this tends to flatten out a bit as my flat feet continue to put weight in the arch area. So I'll have to see how it holds up after prolonged wear.

The boot is able to accommodate my not so normal feet pretty well. So that's great for me and those with similar sized/shaped feet.

My true size is a US 8EE (wide) in the forefoot and 8C (narrow) in the heel. Since almost no makers offer this size in RTW, I typically order a US 8.5 or equivalent (~UK 7.5) to accommodate my wider forefoot. I have a low volume/instep foot as well which tends to affect fit adversely.