Crown Northampton was founded in 2016 by Chris Woodford, a fifth-generation shoemaker whose great-grandfather established E. Woodford & Sons in Northampton in 1908. After years training in pattern cutting and shoemaking and studying his own supply chain, Woodford launched Crown Northampton to apply traditional English dress-shoe construction to contemporary sneaker designs. Every pair is made to order in the family's Northampton factory.