Leather and Care

Leather and Background

We use premium leathers from world-renowned tanneries including hides from free-range, grass-fed cattle. All of our leathers are tanned in their most natural state from tanneries such as Horween, S.B. Foot, Seidel and C.F. Stead.

We don't have our hides sanded down and over-dyed to cover up leather imperfections. It is our belief that the best leathers are left in their natural state, then tanned and cut at the factory.

Our Cutting Process

Leather hides may have some scars and imperfections. While we monitor this on every hide, there will be subtle, yet tasteful natural imperfections which may come up and these are considered part of the boots' overall character for two reasons:

1. Because they represent a story.

2. Parts of the upper pattern may be too large on any boot size pattern to avoid cutting into an area which may be scarred or have an imperfection, or a group of imperfections. For instance, a quarter panel's size may be so large as compared to the available space on the hide with reduced or no imperfections, that it is sometimes impossible to cut the quarter panel pattern portion without grabbing some of the area which is scarred. In this case we do our best to limit exposure and if completely unavoidable, areas are matched from boot to boot.

Rather than discarding these beautiful pieces of leather, we believe in using them in a tasteful way to create great footwear that will last.

Care and Conditioning

Leather should be treated like your skin - use the most natural form of conditioner or balm and be careful not to use too many synthetics. We recommend using Smith's Leather Balm for all models we offer excluding suede and nubuk. For suede and nubuk, it is best to clean with a horsehair or soft-bristled brush first then apply a waterproof spray to protect the leather.
 
Some other brands and items we recommend using are listed below:
 
Nikwax
Blackrock Leather N' Rich
Almond Oil
Mink oil - stay away from "blends" if possible
Oregon Trail Co. Boot Wax
KIWI waterproofing spray
 

Best conditioner for each leather based on our findings along with the factory:

Chromexcel - All of the above, plus click here for a more in depth guide to care from Stridewise.
Kudu - Smith's Leather Balm.
Waxed Commander - All of the above.
Moose/Elk - Smith's Leather Balm.
Vegetable tanned leathers (ex. Dublin, Essex) - Smith's Leather Balm.
Roughout/Suedes - spot clean, brush then apply waterproofing spray.
Mohawk/Rambler - spot clean, brush then apply waterproofing spray.