About Thomas Bird

Thomas Bird began as the dream of two friends, Taro and Adam, who had worked for other footwear brands before deciding to create their own brand.

Although proud of Britain's shoemaking heritage, they felt that the established brands had got too traditional. And many of the big European brands had become too expensive, trading on luxury labels, with big marketing budgets and price tags.

They were inspired by the sharper, more sleek look of Britain in the 60s. A time when British fashion, music, style and humour inspired the world. When London rocked, in art, music, James Bond and the Beatles.

They also took inspiration from a local hero, shoe maker Mr. Thomas Bird who built his factory in 1891. Thomas Bird was a visionary entrepreneur creating dozens of jobs and filing numerous innovative patents before closing its doors midway through WW2 in 1942.

Italy seemed the obvious choice to make the sort of footwear they had in mind - famous for its fine footwear and tailoring. Since the 60s, Taro's father, Tony, had worked with many of the Italian factories. He knew the perfect designers and artisan craftsmen to call on.  His knowledge and expertise would ensure that style, quality and attention to detail would be firm foundations of the brand.

The first collection introduced progressive versions of classic designs - hand dyed, wholecut oxfords, loafers, monkstraps and chelsea boots. As sales took off, new styles and colours were introduced, such as harness and zip boots.

Thomas Bird shoes and boots are now bought and worn by stylish men in over 80 countries worldwide, including some famous celebrity actors and musicians, who have all come to love the Thomas Bird look.

Meet the Thomas Bird UK team responsible for product design, development, marketing, order fulfilment and customer service.

Meet the team.