Handmade Shoes for (big) Kids

The other day my oldest son and I stopped in to see Uncle Dave at the shop.  He took a short break to chat with us and then one thing led to another, and we walked out the door with the smallest pair of Aurora Shoes I've ever seen (Women's 5 C) walking under the happiest face I'd seen that day. 

And what did my little (big) boy do when I asked him to model these pristine shoes?  He did what little (big) boys do;  he climbed his favorite tree.  I almost said something about the scuffing, but I bit my tongue, partly because Dave and I wore our first pairs to do everything under the sun when we got them 20 or so years ago, and partly because that's what full grain leather is all about.  It can take a few scrapes and bruises and somehow come out looking better for the wear. 

Where are your Auroras taking YOU?

Boots

We've had a lot of questions about our boots and when they'll be available.  We had originally planned (hoped) for a fall 2013 release, but to be honest, we're not quite ready yet.  It's taken a lot of time and figuring to prototype, test, and manufacture a shoe that has the look, and more importantly, the comfort that we're going for.  We feel that we owe you, our loyal customers, a pair of boots that will be worth the hard earned money you spend on it.  We're still experimenting with stitch placement and other little details that might not seem like a big deal, but that can have a huge impact on how our boots feel and wear.

While we're not quite ready for your orders, we are currently working to fulfill a first offering order for our longest standing distributor in Japan.  Here are a few boot process shots from the shop yesterday afternoon.  Thanks for being such a good sport, Bill!

 

Next up:  

Learning About Leather

Have you ever bought a piece of furniture made of "real wood" just to find that it was actually a cheaply made mass of particle board?  Or maybe you saw wood grain and later realized that it was just a veneer?  Well, leather is a lot like wood.  There are four main grades of leather and unless you know what you're looking for, you can end up with a product that doesn't match your expectations.  We pride ourselves on our top quality leather and thought you might like to learn a little about what that means.

Bonded Leather
Much like particle board, bonded leather is the lowest quality leather available.  It's often made from a blend of real leather and some sort of polymer to bond it all together.  The ethics of labeling things made from bonded leather are pretty murky, as the word leather usually goes over better than the euphemistic pleather, but it's often the same thing.

We steer clear of bonded leather, so this one's from Wikipedia

Genuine Leather
The genuine in genuine leather refers to the fact that the leather is real and not a composite material.  What the name doesn't imply, is the practice of embossing and painting this structurally weak leather to replicate the look of higher quality products.  Genuine leather is missing the top grain, the part that gives leather its strength, breathability, and the unique ability to look better with wear.  Suede is a genuine leather product, and anything that carries a texture or pattern is probably a stamped genuine leather as well.  Smoother genuine leather products are usually finished with synthetic top coats and painted to look like higher quality pieces.

A thin layer of genuine leather, this tears easily and needs processing to be usable.

The genuine leather here is thick like suede.

If you find yourself thinking about buying a genuine leather jacket, purse, wallet, belt, or shoes, consider the fact that they'll look worse with wear, and that they'll need constant upkeep to look like the top or full grain leather they're meant to mimic. 

We produced a limited edition shoe for our friends at Neighbour, and by putting the rough side out, we achieved the appearance of suede.  We like the look and would love to play with this more in the future.
 

Top Grain Leather
As the name implies, top grain leather is a piece shaved from the outer surface of the skin.  It's also near the top of the leather quality spectrum, which makes it a better purchase.  Top grain leather is basically the wood veneer of the leather world.  It's shaved off the top and is usually fairly thin.  It's not as strong as full grain leather (for obvious reasons) and it is often "corrected" which usually means sanded and refinished to mask blemishes in the skin.  This refinishing leaves top grain leather sealed and unable to breath.  It also makes for a product that does not age the way that truly top quality leather can.




Full Grain Leather
This is the undisputed top of the leather world.  Full grain leather is just that - the full piece of leather in its raw and unedited form.  Full grain leather is infused with oils, which help to make it supple and durable, but it is not sealed, which leaves it able to breath.  While lower grade leathers are "painted", full grain leather is either left natural in color or stained, allowing the natural grain of the leather to show through.  This results in a product that maintains the ability to stretch and flex.  It also allows it to age gracefully, developing a natural patina that gets better with wear.

Do you see the color popping where the leather is stretched?  That's the good stuff.

We use only full grain Horween leather.  Vegetable tanned in Chicago, our leather carries the distinction of being at the top of its class.  Like wood, high quality leather comes in many shades and with various markings throughout.  We order our leather by the full hide and take care to work around blemishes and portions that don't lend themselves well to shoe production.  We also work in small batches, carefully pairing pieces from the same hides to ensure the same color wear within a given pair. 

A sneak peak at our new boot, scheduled for sale by fall, 2013

The next time you notice a bit of grain, or a variation in color, know that these are signs of a top quality leather.  Like other natural materials, each piece of leather is unique and tells a story of its own.


p.s.  Learn more about our leather and the legendary Horween Leather Company here.

Suggestions Welcomed

Dave is loving his new Adler.  It can handle several layers of leather and opens the door for all kinds of accessories.   Belts and wallets are some initial thoughts.  We'd love to know, what kinds of leather accessories would you like to see?

The Virtues of Leather

 

 

Return to the Roots

Originally Published:  04 October, 2010

I would like to introduce myself as a leather technician, owner and co-owner of tanning companies Heller-Leder, Helcor-Leder-tec and Südleder. Outside of my daily business activities I am also president of the German Leather Industry Association (Verband der deutschen Lederindustrie) and of the ‘German Leather Development Group’ (Forschungsgemeinschaft Leder).

It is no wonder that I am very fond of leather and its image as both my parents’ family histories are connected to the leather business, meaning that I am the 4th generation of my family involved in leather manufacturing.
I want you to consider the following statements:

• Leather is a natural product
• Leather has specific characteristics which other materials do not have or not to the same extent
• Leather is distinctive
• Leather is valuable
• Leather arouses emotions

These five statements account for the image, the popularity and also the high demand for leather.
Myself, as a leather-guy and leather technician who has been dealing from childhood with this fantastic material do, however, see a huge risk to leather in the future.
During the 26 years that I have been professionally in the leather business this wonderful natural material has become more and more a product that is reduced to its technical characteristics and performance at the expense of its natural features.
The technical properties are certainly important, but should in many instances be an additional feature and rarely the main reason to use the material. To meet some technical characteristics we are in danger of destroying what really makes leather special, ie its naturalness, the outstanding touch and comfort characteristics compared to other materials, its distinctiveness and the emotions which it should arouse – and with all of that the real added value.
Why should I create a shoe lining leather that has an excellent perspiration fastness then apply a heavy finish on it to achieve good sweat rubbing fastness and thus negate the perspiration properties as the shoe is no longer able absorb the sweat? This is absurd.
Why should I use a car interior leather that cannot be differentiated with regards to comfort, feel or touch from synthetic materials? Automotive leather is now such a good technical product that it still looks brand new after five years while the car exterior shows its age. The natural look and touch is gone before being fitted in the car. It’s more plastic than leather.
Why should I buy a piece of furniture covered with leather that is resistant against all kinds of dirt and stains yet feels cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Leaving you sweating on it like sitting on piece of plastic foil? So much finish is applied that the natural appearance and handle is lost.
Why should I have an object made out of leather that has been stripped of everything that might be a sign of its naturalness such as hair pores, healed hedge cuts and bruises? The visual difference with synthetic materials has become blurred or lost (the differences in comfort and feel we have ‘killed’ by making the material meet ever more demanding technical specifications).
If this trend of viewing leather more and more as a technical product and no longer as a natural product with all its associated advantages but also with some disadvantages in order to maintain the naturalness, then we are running the risk of downgrading leather to the level of artificial materials.
In my opinion we are already going too far as the difference, depending on the leather type, in technical properties, is making leather difficult to distinguish, even for the experts, compared with synthetics!
Leather, once this happens, due to its premium price (hidden below huge amounts of finish in order to achieve the technical requirements) will increasingly lose more market share against other cheaper materials because nobody will recognise its value and, therefore, why should anyone pay more for it? Many hides simply don’t need to be corrected or buffed and can be processed with a natural grain intact. Natural leather is a premium material and can command higher prices. We should allow the leathers natural characteristics to show themselves.
Therefore, my appeal to you is to try new ways by returning to old values, which our customers in the North American furniture industry have done so successfully. Approximately 25 years ago ca. 90% of all leather used looked rather like a plastic cover but, today, aniline leather is now resurgent with all its advantages and also the few disadvantages …what a change!
Let’s try!
Thomas Strebost

Taken from LEATHER INTERNATIONAL, the link to the website and original article can be found here: http://www.leathermag.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/14512/Return_to_the_roots.html

NorthernGRADE Photos

Dave and Andrea have had a great weekend at NorthernGRADE, the 100% American Made pop-up market in Minneapolis.  Dave has been uploading photos to our Facebook page throughout the weekend.  It looks like an amazing venue and a really inspiring group of vendors.  Take a peek!

NorthernGRADE

We were thrilled to be selected as a vendor at the exclusive NorthernGRADE menswear pop-up market.   The market features only 100% made in the USA menswear and seems like a perfect fit for our American (sourced and made) shoes. 

Dave and his wife Andrea will be heading out to Minneapolis for the market in mid September and they'd love to see you there. 

All images via NorthernGRADE.com.  Check out their list of vendors here. 

Our Leather Goes to Summer Camp

Due to the inconsistent nature of leather, there are portions of hide that aren't optimal for shoe production.  We're left with boxes full of leather scrap and are thrilled when we can put some of that scrap to good use.  Some day we hope to come up with our own uses for the pounds of scrap that pile up, but for now, we are happy when we can put it into the hands of people who have the time and inclination to use it. 

April, the Director of Environmental Education at the Fern Hollow Nature Center in PA, just sent us these photos of kids using our leather to make dream catchers at their first camp of the summer season. 

What about you - any ideas for projects made from scrap leather?   We'd love to hear your ideas or share your work on our Facebook page.  Link your photos and we'll share them with our friends.

Birds of a Feather: Beam & Anchor

We find inspiration in other businesses and organizations who, like us, work to promote a love of good design and an appreciation for fine craftsmanship.  In this series, which we call Birds of a Feather, we'll share stories and ideas from around the world that reflect our own values.  We hope that you find them as inspiring and thought provoking as we do.

Beam & Anchor is a perfect example of ideals in action.  Founders, Jocelyn and Robert Rahm have created a retail and work space in Portland, Oregon that artfully combines product with process.  When I contacted Jocelyn about this post, she shared that she wore our shoes for years and attended nearby Syracuse University.  It's a small world, I tell you.  Small.

Beam & Anchor is such a wonderful example of synergy in action.  How did you hatch the plan to create this innovative space?

Beam & Anchor originated a couple years ago when we both got disillusioned enough with our respective career paths that we decided to start taking our passions more seriously. We took our love of design and community and merged them into what is now Beam & Anchor. Robert has a background in wilderness therapy and I have a background in teaching and life coaching. This is where the community piece comes into play. We both are passionate about the idea of building community and challenging what's possible within that realm. Robert has been reclaiming furniture for years and I am a painter so we wanted to create a space where makers and artists could commune, collaborate and ultimately thrive. We also wanted a space where we could sell unique and beautiful things to the community.

via phloem studio

You have said that Beam & Anchor is not just about "craft", and that "good design is critical" (via this Dwell article).  What design rules or principles do you live by?

We don't adhere to rules or principles, perse. What we're looking for is a certain feeling. Objects, not unlike people, have an energy and the energy has a resonance so we're looking for a certain resonance. We love the juxtoposition of new and old for this reason. Old things have a history and carry stories with them. We have a couple old opera chairs from the 19th century in our shop right now and they have such great, old texture. Their history is almost palpable when you sit in them. Then we have new lamps that are handmade locally by Shannon Guirl of Caravan Pacific and they're innovative interpretations of mid-century designs. What we're after is great design and good stories. We've also tried to keep our collection as local and hand-crafted as possible.  

 

Your shop combines vintage goods and handmade items.  What is the unifying element or philosophy behind this pairing?

I think it's about the relationship between history and innovation and how they interplay together. There's so much wisdom that comes from history and so much possibility that comes from innovation. They are mean't to work in harmony with one another.  

via habitual

I have always found that creative energy leads to decisions and directions that I never anticipated at the start.  How has Beam & Anchor responded to the creative energy that you've nurtured?

Beam & Anchor has taken on a life of it's own. We may have "birthed" the concept and we will influence the course of its trajectory, however the genesis of Beam & Anchor will be very much informed by what shows up along the way. We are very excited to see where it goes from here.  

via shannon quimby

We're very excited to see that you have plans to create an online shop.  Do you have any updates or information to share with those of us way over here, on the East Coast?

We'd love to have our online shop up and running by 7/1/12. No promises but that's our goal.   

via beam and anchor

What advice would you give to others who are inspired by your business model and want to create their own collective?

The heart of a collective is always the people that are involved so find good people. When you do something that's a little bit off the beaten path, you'll always face criticism or folks that don't get it. That's all part of the process and it's meant to test your commitment to your vision. Above all, find the joy in making it happen. Don't let what's not working derail you as that's part of the creative process too. 

via phloem studio

 Thank you for inspiring us, Beam and Anchor!  

On the Business of American Made Goods

Have you noticed that there has been a new push to buy American made fashion?  It's a slow movement, but it's definitely gaining traction, with websites and blogs popping up to keep us posted on the latest developments and the hippest shops.  I've seen a rise in American bags, accessories, leather goods and American heritage brand boots, shoes and blue jeans.  

There are plenty of viewpoints about the merits of domestic vs. international production, and I'm not looking to get into that debate.  What I want to focus on is the intent of our consumption.  In general, I think that this Americana movement is a great sign that people are looking to support their local and national economy through thoughtful consumption.  Because really, thinking about our impact on the world and those around is is at the center of our morality. 

The thing is, everything of value has a cost and when we pay less for an item, someone else pays more. Poor working conditions, unfair pay, even slave labor are going on RIGHT NOW to bring American consumers cheap and expendable goods. 

 

It’s my opinion that American companies who use imported materials only go half way.  If you pride yourself on your American purchases, do your homework and find out where the materials are sourced as well. It’s a long chain of events and you deserve to know what you're really paying for.  

Things Men Have Made

Handsome American Leather

If leather is a byproduct of the meat packing industry, then what would you call these beautiful pieces?

We call them fantastic! 

Made from the same  Horween Chromexcel that we use for our shoe leather, the baseball and wallet above are fittingly handmade and stitched with care by Paul Cunningham in Glen Rock, New Jersey.  Paul has purchased leather scraps for use in some of his projects.  You can view more of Paul's work, including hand stitched footballs, rugby and medicine balls, on his Etsy site.  Etsy featured Paul and his shop in June including a video that is a cool blend of old football footage combined with Paul's workshop and process. 

We love Paul's work and think these pieces are perfect for those who appreciate sports, high quality handmades, and history (his baseball designs are based on 19th century lemon peel styles).   Just think, if you ordered one of Paul's artisinal footballs today, you could be tossing it around with a friend by next weekend!

Wondering what we do with the leather scraps that Paul doesn't use?  I'll tell you all about them and how you can get some for your own projects when I'm back here next week.  Until then, have a great fall weekend!

The Value of Handmade

What is the value of handmade?  It's a question that many of us ask ourselves as we price our handmade goods or search for the perfect handmade gift.  Monetary value can be broken down easily enough.  Add the cost of materials, a decent hourly rate and you've got a number.  Prices allow us to buy and sell, but do they really reflect the value of our goods?  

 When we buy handmade we're demonstrating a value that goes beyond price.  To buy handmade is to invest in an art form, a way of life and a cultural ideal.  It's to take part in a system that supports the individual, the artist and the entrepreneur in a society and an economic system that leans in the opposite direction.  

At the Aurora Shoe Company we are proud to be a part of the handmade culture.  Aurora Shoes are made with pride in Upstate New York using only American sourced materials.  This means a lot in an age when many products are assembled under sub-standard or unregulated working conditions using materials that are often produced in even less desirable conditions.  All of these materials and products travel great distances to finally make it onto the shelves of American shops where the shipping, import taxes and marketing costs result in products whose pricing does not reflect their quality.

At Aurora Shoe you pay for what you get:  high quality materials, superior craftsmanship, serious comfort and a solid guarantee.  You can see the Aurora Shoe production process for yourself by watching this video, filmed by a local newspaper about a year ago.  

The next time you decide to spend your hard earned money, consider what you're investing in and look for the real value that isn't reflected in its price.