Edward Green began making handcrafted men's shoes in Northampton, England in 1890, having started as a 12-year-old shoe clicker before opening his own workshop and gathering the town's best craftsmen around him. Guided by his philosophy of "excellence without compromise," the company became known for the finest Goodyear-welted English footwear, supplying officers' boots to the British Army in the 1930s and dressing clients including the Duke of Windsor, Ernest Hemingway, and Cole Porter. Edward Green remains based in Northampton, where more than 60 craftspeople still hand-make its shoes for export worldwide.