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Dirty boots look cool.
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Then the weekend after, I wore them again to a wedding! I took them into a shoe repair shop for a clean, condition, and shine 10 bucks, and they were ready to go with a suit! Really speaks to the versatility of this product.
I'm also excited that this is a unisex style. My wife, my mom, and all the women I love can finally have stylish, comfortable, and healthy footwear =D
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Inspiration from the Competition
In December 2013, I saw the release of Vivobarefoot's hand-cut line. Of course, the first one I lasered in on was the Lisbon. It was definitely an improvement over the Ra thanks to the shinier, more structured leather. However, it still had the Shrek-like toe box characteristic of Vivo. The upper design is also too simple for my taste. And I still think a dress shoe needs a heel, at least the look of one.
However, the Porto doesn't look so bad! Hm...Why is that?
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Seth Godin recently wrote about the Apple Watch in an article titled "Functional Jewelry":
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What does this remind me of? is a key question people ask. Certain glasses make people look smart, because they remind us of librarians and scholars. Some cars remind us of movie chase scenes or funerals... If you're going to put something on my wrist, it's going to remind me of a watch. What sort of watch? The Pulsar my grandfather wore in 1973? A 175,000 euro Franck Muller Tourbillion, with complications?
Marketers rarely get the chance to start completely fresh, to say, "this reminds you of nothing, start here."
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For Oxfords, the presence of a fake heel is still a plus--if not a necessity---to look good with a proper suit or trousers.
But for boots, an outsole that is clearly flat doesn't look too bad. It's probably because there are a good number of wedge sole boots, where it isn't immediately obvious that the heel is raised. Flat sole boots remind us of something familiar, in a way that flat sole dress shoes do not.
No longer needing the hollow heel outsole also means we can try different construction methods too. We'd be able to use Goodyear welt construction, and provide you with all the benefits that come with that!
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Shoe Construction: Cement vs Goodyear Welt
Back in June 2013, I asked if we could use Chromexcel leather for our boots. Chromexcel is made with a century-old recipe by Horween Leather Co in Chicago, USA. It's a prized leather among craftsmen of the finest goods, found in products such as Alden Indy Boot, Red Wing Iron Rangers, and Wolverine 1000 Mile. The oil content of Chromexcel is very high, over 30%. This is what gives Chromexcel its trademark look of depth and variation, as well as it's softness despite thickness. Unfortunately, the oil also made it impossible to make with our outsole, because the cement can't stick to it. And, Cement is the only viable construction method that we're aware of for attaching our hollow-heel outsole.
However, if we don't need the look of a heel for our boots, we're no longer tied to Cement, and we could use other construction methods. Namely, the timeless Goodyear welt.
(For those who want to learn more about how these work, check out Tanner Guzy's article on Primer Magazine: Understanding Shoe Construction. In addition to Cement and Goodyear welt, he also covers Blake construction, which is what the Vivobarefoot Lisbon uses).
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The goodyear welt comes with a number of advantages:
- Use of oily, rich leathers like the Chromexcel. With Goodyear welted shoes, the primary means of attachment is stitches, and so we're not subject to the limitations of Cement and oily leather not playing well together. And the benefit of oily leather isn't just the looks. It also allows a thicker, more robust piece of leather to still be soft.
- That outsole isn't going anywhere. You know how I tell you not to run in our Oxfords? I run in our Goodyear welted boots every day =). They're not the best for it, as leather is heavier than running shoe mesh. But I do it because Goodyear welt is probably THE sturdiest construction method. Not only do stitches beat Cement, the lockstitches used in Goodyear welt mean that even if one thread pops out, the remainder won't unravel.
- More resoles, and easier resoles. In Goodyear welt, the upper and the outsole aren't directly attached to each other. Rather, the upper is stitched to the welt, and the welt is stitched to the outsole. In Cement resoling, the old outsole needs to be removed via force. In Goodyear welt, the old outsole is removed by taking apart stitches, resulting in much less stress to the shoe's leather.
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However, it's not completely one-sided. Goodyear welt does lose to Cement in the following:
- Flexibility. With thicker leathers and stronger bonds to said leather, Goodyear welt shoes are less flexible. For a barefoot athlete like me and you, I must say that they are NOT comfortable out of the box. They do break in to comfortable levels, but they won't ever be as flexible as our Oxfords.
- Groundfeel. Goodyear welt shoes have more layers of material, and thus more between your foot and the ground.
- Cost. A Goodyear welt is an old but sophisticated process that involves more time and skill. The average Goodyear welt shoe involves over 200 individual hand operations. This adds more labor costs to the shoe.
- Dressy Heel. I must admit that even though the flat outsole boots look great, having the appearance of a heel would make them look even better.
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As you can see, this was not an easy decision to make one way or the other. It's not even a clear-cut matter of Form versus Function, because both construction methods have their fair share of advantages in both courts. Our shoes are the highest intersection of style and comfort, and it is our mission to stay that way by continuously push the envelope in both directions. In the end, after all things considered, I decided to develop our first boots as a Goodyear welt because I feel it makes the best boots for you.
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Prototype 4: Chromexcel No. 8 Leather, Goodyear Welt, Vibram Outsoles
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To Be Continued...
In next month's newsletter, I'll be continuing our story as we walk through further prototypes. There will be another controversial discussion, this time on leather versus synthetic outsoles.
But for now, Happy Halloween! You can bet I'm gonna be "stress testing" (i.e. dancing in) some boot prototypes this weekend ;)
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Best Regards,
Mountain Evan Chang
Founder
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