The world famous Dainite rubber stud sole is used by Trickers, Sanders and Loake shoes as the preferred rubber sole in their goodyear welted shoes and boots. This durable, non-marking and yet flexible sole has remained essentially unaltered since it was first produced by the Harboro Rubber Company in 1910. The factory remains in Market Harborough in Northamptonshire and like so many of the successful shoe making firms has remained a family owned concern.
At its busiest periods the factory would operate night and day to keep up with demand and hence it became known as the Day/Night factory and so the name ‘Dainite’ was adopted as the name of its main product produced from natural rubber.
As most discerning male shoe buyers are aware the goodyear welted method of production is by far and away the best method of making a shoe and the Dainite rubber sole lends itself superbly to this production method. The essential advantage of goodyear welted shoes is that they can be re- soled innumerable times without degrading the upper leather. Replacement Dainite soles are freely available to shoe repairers and a good cobbler can either do a long sole and heel replacement or what is known as a half sole whereby only the rubber which hits the ground is replaced.
The studs on the Dainite sole allow sufficient grip without allowing dirt to get clogged between ridges in the rubber. Because the sole is otherwise relatively smooth they can be wiped down with a damp cloth when soiled. Of course being a hardwearing rubber the Dainite sole will take 2 or 3 times as much wear than a conventional leather sole.
The Dainite sole is presently used by our four main brands in the following shoes:
Sanders shoes: Robbie, Towcester.
Trickers shoes: Bourton, Stow.
Bradshaw & Lloyd: Holborn, Chiswick.
Loake shoes: Thirsk, 209, Blenheim, Worton, Wharfdale, Wolf, Haydock, Waverley, Badminton, Kempton, 805, Pimlico.
All are available at www.bradshawandlloyd.com.
