On 13th August, LANX will launch AXIS, a brand new boot collection that sits at the centre of the footwear range. AXIS bridges the gap between formal and outdoor, heritage and modern, countryside and city. Designed to complement the raw performance of the 365 Collection and the refinement of the formal and fashion collections, Axis works where most days actually happen: the office, the pub, the dog walk, the school run.
The AXIS collection and campaign celebrate the Lancashire community in which they are made, the craft, and the county that has been making footwear for the best part of two centuries. AXIS is a celebration of Lancashire’s manufacturing heritage and the people who continue to shape the county – makers, workers, artists, chefs and creators. From the region’s industrial past to its modern creative culture, AXIS stands as a statement of pride in craftsmanship, community, and honest making.
THE AXIS ‘LANCASHIRE BOOT’
Every detail of the AXIS boot is rooted in the Lancashire landscape. The colourways — Bark, Sandstone, Treacle, and Charcoal — reflect the rustic tones of the Ribble Valley countryside.
The ‘AXIS Sole Unit’ has been years in the making, a fully bespoke rubber sole, designed and developed to be durable, comfortable and dependable. The tread pattern is also entirely bespoke, with an extended heel surface to increase the contact area where boots wear fastest, helping to extend the life of the boots.
The AXIS boot is as easy to live in as it is to look at with cushioned, removable insoles chosen for comfort and easy to swap out for cleaning or repair, a full leather lining and LANX pull tabs and premium Italian elastic gussets to keep things practical.
The team are proud of the result, so much so that founder Marco Vaghetti has questioned whether ‘Chelsea boot’ still does them justice – ‘Lancashire boot’ feels closer to the truth.
MANUFACTURING IN LANCASHIRE
There was a moment when Lancashire must have felt like the centre of the universe. For the best part of three centuries, cotton was at the beating heart of it, with half the world’s supply passing through this corner of northwest England. The scale of it is almost impossible to comprehend.
Running alongside the textile story was a footwear industry that would come to define entire communities. Tucked into the hills of East Lancashire, the Rossendale Valley became one of the most significant centres of shoe and slipper manufacturing in the world: built generation by generation, through knowledge passed down through families who lived and breathed the trade.
Over the tops of the Rossendale Hills lies the Ribble Valley, home to LANX since 2018. From the beginning, making footwear here wasn’t just a business decision; it was an instinct, an itch that needed to be scratched. AXIS is our next step in reigniting the flame of Lancashire manufacturing, and we’re proud to pass the torch to the next generation of cobblers and cordwainers.
