This brand has no place in classic men’s shoes community. But in the United States, there is a very iconic style, Weejuns, which is even more famous than the Bass brand.
George Henry Bass entered the shoe business in 1876 as a junior partner at EP Packard in Wilton, Maine. Within three years, he took full control of the company and changed its name to his own. Bass first built the Moccasin shoe in 1906, which they called the “Bass Moccasin Cruiser”.
After George Henry’s death in 1925, his sons John and Willard took over the company.
Bass was originally known for the aviation boots and ski boots used in Arctic expeditions, but with the advent of Weejuns Loafers, they achieved great success in 1936. These shoes are a combination of beanie shoes and loafers. Bass named his shoes “Weejuns” in order to sound like Norwegian shoes.
The ’50s were the days when Weejuns were at their best, because the Ivy League students loved them. They would put the phone coin inside the loafer strap.
Bass was acquired by Chesebrough-Ponds Incorporated in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1978 and then sold to Phillips-Van Heusen (later PVH Corporation) in 1987. In 2013, it was acquired by G3 Apparel Group.
Today, Bass has expanded the range of Weejuns styles, from classic leather-style weejuns, to patterned fabrics, suede skins, artificial lizard skins and more.
