Tredair is a brand of British-made footwear first produced by White & Co., a shoe factory and then a shoe design and procurement business in Northamptonshire.
History
The family ran factories from 1890 to 2003 making classic men's footwear and variations, sports footwear, cricketing shoes, utility footwear to government specification during the 1940s, a military contract for the Australian Army, a brand sold at Millets camping shops, and safety footwear employing significant numbers of people at White's Shoe Works in New Street, Daventry a Victorian factory called "Progress Works", and a 1960s former Barker's factory next to the current Barker site on Station Road.
Until 1983, when the Dr Martens' largest producer licensed exclusive use of the brand from its Munich-based owners, White & Co shared the work of producing Dr. Martens-branded boots with companies including George Cox, NPS, GB Britton and Sons, Hawkins of Northampton ("Hawkins ASTRONAUT with Dr Martens air cushioned soles"), Earls Barton neighbours WJ Brookes known for the Kinky Boot Factory documentary and musical, R Griggs Group (where the Airwear brand was registered) and Blundstone of Australia. 70% of White's 10,000 pair annual production was air-cushioned footwear in the early 90s, according to an interview with Management Today. White's best seller was a 4 eyelet gibson shoe, along with short production-runs of fashion styles and the classic 8 eyelet ankle boot, made on a rolling army last. To maintain independence White's registered the Tredair trade mark in 1976 to produce boots labelled "Dr Martens Tredair", and then just "Tredair" after 1983, using their own patented foam-injection system to make a bouncier mid-sole than the DM felt.