A prominent fixture of the Northampton community of shoemakers, Edward Green has been making quite legitimately some of the world’s best footwear since 1898—including magnificent timeless styles such as the iconic Galway country boot, apron-front Dover blucher, and elegant Piccadilly penny loafer. Arguably, most of the lasts in EG’s library tend to skew more sleek and chiseled, but they’ve started to shake things up a bit with a brand-new last.
Previewed earlier this year, the Edward Green 303 last is closely modeled after one of EG’s classic lasts, the 202. The 303 reportedly bears a similar fit to the 202, but features a rounder, fuller profile with a bit more room in the toebox area. It’ll be right at home on Edward Green’s boot styles and their more hefty derby shoes.
What spurred this development? Well, as Edward Green points out, “The pandemic has accelerated many of the buying patterns that were already in play: a move to more relaxed and comfortable styles; growth of loafers and boots; a blending of casualwear into the work wardrobe.”
Essentially, Edward Green is yet another high-end maker that is embracing the phenomenon of chonk.
From what we can tell, Norway’s Shoes of Stefan is the first retailer out of the gate to offer a public GMTO on the 303 last. Stefan has two 303 Galway GMTOs active at the moment: one will be made in smokey Grey Country Calf, while the other will have some classic Dark Brown Utah. These GMTOs will be open through July 14th or until Stefan receives ten orders of each style, with a delivery scheduled for November 2022.
Have a makeup in mind for the 303 last? If so, definitely reach out to Stefan—he can set you up with your own unique MTO pair. Check out the Edward Green MTO menu for details.