Our Heritage
OUR HERITAGE
Winthrop Shoes have a long legacy of craftsmanship in American footwear. The brand started as an arm of the International Shoe Company (ISC), which was founded in 1911, in St. Louis, Missouri. ISC leveraged the technological innovations of the day to offer high quality shoes at a fair price, and at their apex, produced over 200,000 pairs of shoes a day - making them the largest shoemaker in the United States.
ISC launched Winthrop Shoes just after the great depression. With the economy on the rebound, demand for fine footwear swept the nation as people began to step out again. Back then, fashions were largely dictated by British style icons like the Duke of Windsor and David Niven, and at home, men envied the wealthy, who could afford to travel overseas for custom shoes in exotic colors and finishes.
Winthrop’s great innovation was to offer classic comfort shoes infused with the elaborately decorated styles of the United Kingdom, all while setting new standards of value. Thoughtful patterns and clever manufacturing allowed Winthrop to meet a level of quality once reserved exclusively for custom footwear from overseas.
For decades Winthrop thrived, distinguishing itself time and again, eventually becoming an international brand. But all that changed in the 1960’s. As traditional styles were replaced with casual, bohemian fashions, Winthrop slowly faded into obscurity.
Today, this storied brand embarks on a brand new chapter, rising once more to offer their enduring fleet of signature styles to a whole new generation.
