Rayne is the name synonymous with the best in British 20th-century shoe design. Re-launched as a British-owned company in 2013, the remarkable design achievements of the company in the 20th-century are illustrated in this sumptuous book.

The business began in the late 19th-century as a theatrical costumier and soon added shoes to its products, with a factory in Bermondsey near the current Fashion & Textile Museum. Early clients included the Ballet Russes and Nijinsky. By the 1920s, members of the British Royal family and aristocracy were clients and a shop was opened on Bond Street with a new factory based at King's Cross. By 1950, the company had three royal warrants, had suppiled shoes for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) in 1947, and had a strong American presence with Delman Shoes at Bergdorf Goodman, NYC, amongst other locations.

Sir Edward Rayne became a celebrity in his own right and collaborated with many famous designers such as Roger Vivier, Bruce Oldfield, Jean Muir, and the "Fashion Knight" Sir Norman Harnell, and Hardy Amies. In the 1970s, Bill Gibb designed collections for Rayne, and Rayne supplied the shoes for several leading French couturiers houses such as Lanvin and Nina Ricci. In the 1980s Bruce Oldfield designed collections for them. Oliver Messel re-designed the famous Bond Street Store, which attracted stars of stage and screen, such as Elizabeth Taylor, as well as society ladies.

莱恩鞋子可以说是20世纪英国鞋子设计的代名词。2013年作为英资公司重新推出，这本书详细说明莱恩鞋子在20世纪的卓越设计成果。

爱德华·莱恩爵士与很多知名设计师合作过，如罗杰·维威耶、布鲁斯·奥德菲尔德、让·缪尔和“时尚骑士”诺曼·哈特内尔先生，以及哈代·艾米丝等等，20世纪70年代，比尔·吉布为莱恩爵士设计了一些鞋子，而莱恩爵士又把这些鞋子赠与了一些法国名流。自此莱恩鞋子便打开了知名度。