LEATHERS
 

Upper Leathers

Grain sides of calf leather are the most appropriate for the tops of almost all kinds of shoes. Being elastic, smooth and easily maintained, they are relatively well weather-resistant. In the JK workshop, we use leathers coming from Poland, Austria, England, France and Germany.

For summer, lighter shoes, grain sides of goatskins may be used, which are called glazed kids. They are not well resistant though, therefore, despite their charm, we do not recommend them as multi-season men’s shoes. The best glaze kids are tanned and coloured in the south of Europe.

Cowhides are appropriate for making heavier, sport shoes. Their look might be similar to that of calfskins, but due to greater thickness and weight and the worse quality of the grain, they are not suitable for making luxurious shoes. In our company, they are hardly used.

The most appropriate choice for solid autumn and winter shoes is Cordovan, that is specifically tanned skin of horse’s croups. It is extremely durable and almost neutral to humidity. With the flow of time, it patinates beautifully. The most famous Cordovans are manufactured in the USA, they are also tanned in Spain, Japan and Hungary.

Kangaroo skin is a special kind of leather. It is thin and pleasant to touch as a glazed kid and durable as calfskin. It is mostly used to make the best (competitive) sport shoes, rugby balls and luxurious court shoes. It is imported from Australia and Italy.

Some of the most delicate shoes are made of suede. It is a velvet-to-touch calfskin or goatskin, which breathes perfectly and does not make feet tired. Unfortunately, it is not waterproof and easily stained. The best suede comes from England, Italy and France.

The nubuck type leathers are similar to suede, yet being substantially thicker and stiffer, they are more appropriate for solid weekend men’s shoes. Having been specifically impregnated, they become highly waterproof. The most famous ones come from Italy and England.

Russian leather is fully tanned with vegetable methods, without the usage of aggressive chemicals. It is almost always finished in the natural yellow-brown colour. A typical feature of such leather is the tendency to gain darker colour following each contact with water. It is a good choice for solid functional shoes, for instant horse-riding ones in the Western style.

Shoes made of ostrich skin are considered to be tremendously comfortable. In fact, owing to numerous pores on its surface, the skin breaths very well and its softness enables the perfect adjustment to the shape of the foot. A characteric feature of ostrich skin’s look are its visible projections which are the remains of thick feathers. In the past it used to be imported from the south of Africa, nowadays it comes from European breeding farms.

The most stylish shoes are made of reptile skins. Lizards and snakes are dominant, yet their popularity is being overshadowed by the most fashionable nowadays crocodiles and alligators. Reptile skins come from tropical countries, mostly from breeding farms. The best ones are located in Florida, Australia, Malaysia, and RSA.

Occasionally, we have other exotic skins, for instance frog, ray or shark ones. They are usually brought from the south Pacific islands and are a substantial attraction for enthusiasts of absolutely unusual designs.

Crocodile	Flatfish the sting-ray
Python	Ostrich
Shark	Cordovan
Lizards	Elephant ear

Sole Skins

A common feature of almost all hand-made shoes are their leather soles. One can say that elegant shoes cannot have soles other than leather ones. Apart from its esthetic values, the material is also very good in terms of practicality. The most important feature is their permeability. It is understood that approximately 30% of shoes’ “breathing” is done through the soles. If the soles are made of plastic instead of leather, the feeling of tiredness will be felt much sooner. Another feature which influences the shoes’ comfort is the skin’s capability to absorb dampness. During the several hours of activity, adult’s feet can give even over 100 milliliters of water. Only natural skin is able to absorb such a dose of dampness. Another advantage of leather soles is the possibility of joining them with the top part of the shoe not by means of aggressive chemicals like glue but by stitching. With this method, we obtain a substantially more ecologic product which is neutral to our organism. The stitched leather soles can also be more frequently and better repaired without the fear of losing their practical and esthetic values.

Butt, i.e. the thick skin covering the back of the animal, is the best leather for the soles of exclusive shoes. Following a special tanning, the leather becomes dense, elastic and abrasion resistant. In the JK workshop, we use butts coming from Poland, Austria, Italy and the most famous German ones from the age-old RENDENBACH tannery.