Church’s, the luxury artisanal English shoemaker today launched its new global campaign, with creative direction by David James and shot by Phil Poynter at St. Giles House, the magnificent Dorset family home of the Earl of Shaftesbury. The campaign marks a bold visual direction for the heritage Northampton shoemaker founded by Thomas Church in 1873, with a creative emphasis on Church’s unique marriage of Englishness and charming eccentricity.
“The Church’s” is a cinematic journey into the sophisticated world of Church’s, where beautifully handmade Goodyear-welted shoes such as the iconic Consul Oxfords and the Pembrey penny loafers find themselves in the house and grounds of a grand English estate, watering ducks, playing bicycle polo on the croquet lawn, and enjoying a spot of cricket in the library room. At the root of this playful examination of English eccentricity is Church’s unique heritage, being pioneers in shoemaking for over 150 years. Together with his three sons, founder Thomas Church was the first to design shoes that were specifically made for both left and right feet, while subsequent innovations saw the release of the first truly flexible dress shoe sole.
Bringing to life a cast of idiosyncratic characters, the campaign brings to life Church’s long history of innovation and breaking of the status quo, solidifying the brand’s reputation as the foremost English artisanal shoemaker.