Photo: NPS Solovair
A pre-war worker's pattern, still Goodyear-welted in the Wollaston factory that made the first Dr. Martens boot.
Verdict
| What it is | Solovair 7 Eye Monkey Boot in Black Greasy (S7-117-BG-G), Classic Collection — a lace-to-toe pattern on last 409, Goodyear welted, Soft Suspension Classic Sole, made in England |
| Price | $229 — NPS Solovair's US store, checked Mon Nov 9, 2026 (£169 at the maker's UK store) |
| Availability | In stock across sizes at the maker's US store at check (US Men's 4–15 / Women's 5–16) |
| The angle | Fit adjusted at the toe, not just the ankle |
| Verdict | A worker's boot that adjusts at the toe — still welted in the factory that made the first Dr. Martens. |
What it is
Most boots lace a vamp and stop. The Monkey Boot's eyelets keep going — down the vamp to the toe cap — because the pattern was drawn before the war in Czechoslovakia for workers who needed the front of the foot held, not just the ankle. Tension is adjusted along the whole foot, which is why the lacing on the 117 runs to the toe. The shape was adopted in the West in the 1960s; the logic never changed.
Solovair builds its version in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, as it has since 1881. The maker's listing for the S7-117-BG-G: Black Greasy leather upper, leather and synthetic lining, Goodyear-welted construction, Soft Suspension Classic Sole, last shape 409 — and a maker's note that greasy leather may want a layer of dubbin to reach the pictured look. The factory is the provenance story in Northamptonshire shoemaking: NPS produced the first Dr. Martens boot there in 1960 and made Dr. Martens under licence until the mid-1990s; the Solovair name was trademarked in 1995, and the factory kept making its own boots on its own lasts.
Why it matters
The monkey boot is usually sold as a look. Here the look is a mechanism. Lace-to-toe is a fit system — it snugs a narrow foot and opens for a wide one in a way a standard vamp cannot — and on the 117 it arrives with construction the fashion versions skip: a Goodyear welt you can resole, a suspension sole, and a matte greasy leather that asks for dubbin instead of polish. Against the glossy monkey boots on the high street, this is the pattern built the way the pattern was meant to be built, by the factory with the strongest claim to the region's other famous boot.
Specs
| Brand | Solovair (NPS Shoes) |
| Model | 7 Eye Monkey Boot — S7-117-BG-G, Classic Collection |
| Last | 409 |
| Upper | Black Greasy leather (per maker) |
| Lining | Leather & synthetic (per maker) |
| Construction | Goodyear welted (per maker) |
| Sole | Soft Suspension Classic Sole (per maker) |
| Made in | England — Wollaston, Northamptonshire |
| Other versions | Black Hi-Shine, Oxblood Hi-Shine, Gaucho Crazy Horse (all $229); Black Vegan Hi-Shine ($219) |
What to check before buying
- Greasy is not Hi-Shine. The featured boot is the matte one — style code S7-117-BG-G. The glossy Black Hi-Shine (S7-117-BK-G) is a different finish at the same price, and photos of the two circulate interchangeably. Check the code.
- Budget for dubbin. The maker states it plainly: a layer of dubbin may be required to achieve the pictured look. Greasy leather is a finish you maintain, not a polish you shine.
- US pricing is all-in. The US store states its prices include duties and taxes for US orders — the $229 is the delivered figure, where the UK store's £169 is the local one.
Price record
| Price | $229 (UK store: £169) |
| Source | NPS Solovair's US store (us.nps-solovair.com), checked Mon Nov 9, 2026 — in stock at check |
| Featured | Site-first, Tue Nov 10, 2026 — the Instagram post follows as part of a combined carousel |
Want one?
- In the shop: browse current stock — one-off pieces, and they turn over fast.
- Hunting one? Join the Want List — tell us the maker and the budget; pieces like this surface in our trawl most weeks.
- This one: at the source — See it at Solovair. Not our listing. See Disclosure.
Related picks
- Barbour × Paraboot Chambord Derby — a dress pattern, built like a work boot, at $760
- od.A 001 — the plain black shoe, at £300
- Shoes Like Pottery LOW — vulcanised in a kiln, at ¥12,100
Spotted, not sold by us — this boot lives at NPS Solovair's own store. Prices are a snapshot from when we spotted it. Disclosure
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Shop the pick
Solovair 7 Eye Monkey Boot — Black Greasy
$229 — NPS Solovair's US store, checked Mon Nov 9, 2026
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