Alden Shoe Company is the last standing original New England shoemaker, founded in 1884 by Charles H. Alden in Middleborough, Massachusetts, during the boom of American footwear manufacturing. Starting with custom boots and shoes, it weathered the Great Depression, with the Tarlow family taking ownership in 1931 after Alden's retirement, and built a new factory in 1970 where production hums on today. The company specializes in handcrafted men's leather dress shoes and boots, like Oxfords, loafers, bluchers, and chukkas, using premium materials such as Horween shell cordovan and Goodyear welt construction for durability, plus a recrafting service to keep your favorites kicking for decades.
Alden stays refreshingly neutral, with zero traces of DEI policies, Pride endorsements, BLM donations, or ESG virtue flexes in their public info or site, just focusing on timeless craftsmanship without mandatory inclusion workshops. It's a breath of fresh air in an industry where some brands trip over themselves to rainbow-wash everything.
