Nicholas Deakins is a highly respected footwear brand for those in the know, maintaining its vision of craftsmanship & quality as well as its subcultural roots to the West Yorkshire City of Leeds.
When we think of rave clothing we picture weird & wacky outfits, smiley t-shirts, glow sticks, whistles and the colourful scenes of Berlin's Love Parade. However, the key thing to remember here is that rave culture, specifically Acid House, actually started in nightclubs. Whether that was London or Manchester is a topic of conversation for another day but the reality was you simply couldn't wear the stereotypical rave clothing to nightclubs back in the late 80s. Back then the bouncers were still wearing tuxedo's and the whole 80s nightclub scene was all about designer gear and looking sharp. On the flip side of that so was the late 80s Acid House scene. Brands like Cerruti, Best Company, Paul Smith & of course
the classic gum soled Wallabee were all firm favourites of the original rave revellers. From Manchester's notorious Hacienda to Back to Basics in Leeds some 40 miles over the Pennines, the North of England played an integral role in the UK's Acid House scene. It was the homegrown West Yorkshire brand Nicholas Deakins that saw a gap in the crossover club style, fuelling the demand for the no trainer policies of the nightclubs by introducing a range of rave ready shoes that were geared up to get down to the squelching sounds of Acid House.
Above: The Nicholas Deakins Solo Moccasin Boots in tan suede now available from 80s Casual Classics.
By 1991, rave tunes were becoming a mainstay on the airwaves. 'Charlie' from The Prodigy, 'Devotion' from Nomad, 'Everybody's Free' from Rozella, 'Gypsy Women' from Crystal Waters & 'You Got The Love' from The Source Featuring Candi Station are just some of the tunes that achieved commercial success in the UK charts that year. 1991 was also the same year that Craig Nicholas Tate founded Nicholas Deakins whilst studying Fashion & Textiles in London. The cross over "casual" nightclub style of the brand became a fan favourite of die hard Leeds fans as they ditched singing 'Marching On Together' on the terraces to banging it out on the dancefloor to 'Move Your Body' by Xpansions. 
Above: The Nicholas Deakins Chukka Boots in tan tumbled leather now available from 80s Casual Classics. Over the past 30 something years Nicholas Deakins has become a Leeds icon & a highly respected footwear brand for those in the know. Maintaining its vision of craftsmanship & quality as well as its subcultural roots of the West Yorkshire City. 'On one side of town there was Dave Beer and co, already moving the scene past the acid house era by going 'Back to Basics' and making the chances they needed to make in our city; then in another part of town Nicholas Deakins was just starting out, fuelled by Basics' 'no trainer' policy, designing and making shoes for the Leeds lads to wear out.' Speed Queen's Stacey Hicken recalls when talking about the Leeds brands' 25th anniversary back in 2016. 
Above: The Nicholas Deakins Rohan Apron Boots in brown suede now available from 80s Casual Classics. The good news is the original rave brand now arrives at 80s Casual Classics with all its early 90 charm. With a collection of classic gum soled wallabee styles like the Nicholas Deakins Solo Moccasin boots in tan suede which features a hand finished embossed toe vamp. We've also got a collection of classic chukka styles in tan tumbled leather, hand stitched detailing & crepe cup soles. Shop the latest collection of Nicholas Deakins footwear now from 80s Casual Classics via the links.
