Wollaston's shoemaking heritageNPS Shoes
& Solovair
Founded in Wollaston in 1881 as a workers' co-operative. Made Dr. Martens boots for thirty-five years. Still making boots in the same village today.
A workers' co-operative that outlasted its rivals
In 1881, a group of Wollaston shoemakers pooled their resources and founded the Northamptonshire Productive Society — a workers' co-operative in which every employee had a share in the business. Local rivals, sceptical that such an arrangement could survive, nicknamed them "The Duffers."
They were wrong. The NPS outlasted most of those rivals by well over a century. Today, operating as NPS Shoes, the co-operative still produces footwear from Wollaston — making it one of the oldest surviving workers' co-operatives in the United Kingdom.
The plaque on Thrift Street marks the site where the society was first established. The factory itself continues nearby, a living piece of the village's industrial heritage.
Parish Council heritage plaque marking where the NPS was established, Thrift Street, Wollaston
Thirty-five years making the world's most famous boot
When R. Griggs & Co launched the 1460 boot at the Cobbs Lane factory on 1 April 1960, NPS became one of the licensed manufacturers producing Dr. Martens boots. For more than three decades, both factories operated in the same village — Cobbs Lane and Thrift Street — producing boots that would become a global cultural phenomenon.
Through the skinhead era of the late 1960s, the punk explosion of the 1970s, and the mainstream fashion boom of the late 1980s, NPS workers were stitching the yellow welt and pressing the air-cushioned sole that made Dr. Martens what it was. At the height of demand, the factories could barely keep up.
When the licence ended in the mid-1990s and Dr. Martens production moved overseas, NPS did not follow. Instead, the co-operative turned its full attention to its own brand — and Solovair was born.
140 years in Wollaston
The Northamptonshire Productive Society is founded
A group of Wollaston shoemakers establish a workers' co-operative on Thrift Street. Nicknamed "The Duffers" by local rivals who doubted they'd last, the NPS would go on to outlive most of its competitors by over a century.
Growing the co-operative
NPS expands steadily, producing quality boots and shoes for the domestic market. The co-operative model — where workers share in the profits and governance of the business — proves resilient through economic downturns that closed many private firms.
NPS begins manufacturing Dr. Martens under licence
When R. Griggs & Co launch the 1460 boot at the Cobbs Lane factory, NPS becomes one of the licensed manufacturers producing Dr. Martens boots. For over three decades, both factories work side by side in the same village, producing some of the most recognisable boots in the world.
Three decades of Dr. Martens production
NPS manufactures Dr. Martens boots under licence for more than thirty years — through the skinhead era, the punk era, and the mainstream fashion boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s. At its peak, demand is enormous.
The licence ends — Solovair is born
When the Dr. Martens manufacturing licence ends, NPS does not close. Instead, the co-operative focuses on its own brand: Solovair. Using the same Goodyear-welt construction, the same air-cushioned sole technology, and the same Wollaston workforce, Solovair positions itself as the premium, genuinely British-made alternative.
Still made in Wollaston
NPS Shoes continues to produce Solovair, Gripfast and NPS-branded footwear from Wollaston. The factory on Thrift Street — where the co-operative was founded 140 years ago — is still operating. Factory tours are available, offering a rare chance to watch traditional Goodyear-welt shoemaking in action.
Why people choose Solovair
Still made in England
Every pair is produced at the Wollaston factory. Not assembled abroad and finished here — made here, start to finish.
Goodyear-welt construction
The welt is stitched, not glued. That means the sole can be repaired or replaced — a pair of Solovairs can last decades with proper care.
Air-cushioned sole
The same air-cushioned sole technology that made the original Dr. Martens famous. Comfortable from day one, durable for years.
Workers' co-operative since 1881
NPS is one of the UK's oldest surviving workers' co-operatives. The people who make the boots have a stake in the business.
Inside the NPS Shoes factory, Wollaston
Watch boots being made by hand
NPS Shoes offers factory tours — a rare opportunity to see traditional Goodyear-welt shoemaking in action, on the same Wollaston site where boots have been made for over 140 years.
You'll see the lasting, stitching, soling and finishing processes that go into every pair — the same craft techniques used when NPS was making Dr. Martens, and long before that.
Explore Wollaston's shoemaking heritage
Two factories, one village, over two centuries of craft. The full story spans both sides of Wollaston.