I have only really become a fan of Nicholas Deakins shoes in the past six to twelve months with the styles before not really inspiring me, nor were they seen in a great light by the fashion public who saw them a slightly undesirable due to the type of people that would wear them. While this may still be the case in small areas Nicholas Deakins have reinvented their footwear ranges with three key areas ‘Nicholas Deakins’, ‘Deakins’ and ‘Nicholas Tate’ all offering footwear, but that something a little different every time. I think i’m most impressed with the Nicholas Tate range and around 50% of the styles in the Nicholas Deakins range. The ‘Deakins’ collection is OK, but quite largely branded, which for a pair of smart shoes sort of defeats the object in my opinion. The Nicholas Tate footwear is the newest of the three ranges and sees founder, owner and chief designer Craig Nicholas Tate offer a higher end smart option for is footwear with brogues, deck shoes and chelsea boots made from luxury suedes and leathers. With minimal branding the focus is firmly on the quality and craftmanship and moves considerably away from the style of shoes that has made Nicholas Deakins famous.

The ‘Nicholas Deakins’ range is a mixture of trainers, boots, shoes and the signature rhin overstitch style that has made the Leeds based shoe brand famous over the years. There are quite a few new styles in there, but the boots, espadrilles and newer styles of shoes stand out a mile and offer that something a little different for the footwear fans. This range is defined by Nicholas Deakins on their own site as:

The heritage collection from Nicholas Deakins encapsulates the whole ethos that created the brand 16 years ago. Green Label is widely regarded as the most popular collection due to its diverse styling and supreme construction. The brand boasts quality with a visibly urban street level appeal and lies at the heart of the company’s brand heritage. A vibrant, fashionable and accessible collection, Green Label is designed with the needs of the brand sensitive, fashion aware customer in mind. The collection targets key commercial trends whilst retaining desirability. Strong branding, high quality components and construction that is second to none combine to offer a desirable Markey focussed collection. Nicholas Deakins is renowned for sole designs and sole branding, which is unique within the industry.

The whole thing is based around commerciality and popularity and is well worth a look if you’re looking for some new smart shoes, or need a well made, quality pair of shoes or boots from a leading UK designer name. 2011 sees the 20th anniversary of the footwear with their first collection being released for autumn winter 1991 with only 500 pairs produced and sold around Britain. Twenty years on and Nicholas Deakins have grown considerably but also now have presence abroad and are on the verge of being one of the countries great homegrown footwear brands. Keep an eye out over the course of the year if you are a Nicholas Deakins fan as there is bound to be plenty of limited edition shoes, competitions and all round great fun to celebrate this momentous milestone in their history.