Brothers John, Thomas and William Loake started making shoes in an outbuilding behind Thomas's house on King Street in Kettering in 1880, moving to a purpose-built factory on Wood Street in 1894, the same site the company still operates from today. The business has stayed in family hands across multiple generations since, specializing in handmade, Goodyear-welted men's shoes. It holds Royal Warrants from both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.