Why leather soles

However, leather soles are still the first choice of those who want to look elegant. Leather is a natural material that undergoes a tanning processes to become resistant and ready for use. The raw material, or animal skin, is a waste product from the food industry.

It therefore fits into a virtuous context of circular economy. In addition, there is only one tanning method that allows the hides to acquire the characteristics necessary to become sole leather: vegetable tanning in the tub with tannins.

Slow tanning in the tank is a traditional method, over the centuries it has remained practically unchanged. But how does it work? Animal skins are immersed in tanks containing increasing concentrations of water and tannin.

The process, which lasts several weeks, allows to obtain results that even modern tanning methods cannot overcome. The extraction process requires only the use of hot water, without any type of chemical additive. Are you eco-friendly? Then soles in vegetable tanned leather are the way to go.

The production uses recycled materials and tanning agents of natural origin;. Choosing a leather sole means bringing home a lasting product that is not harmful to the environment around us;.

Which is an issue, especially if you live in the UK. And yet leather soled boots and shoes not only served the feet of this country throughout history, but also survived trench warfare in the First World War, which was, to say the least, somewhat soggy. The first step is to ruin them. Wearing them on dusty, dirty roads and paths allowed the leather soles to pick up grit and become scuffed.

Once the lovely manufacturer marks on the sole are thoroughly ruined, our ancestors could begin to waterproof them. The now rough soles can be treated with polish, which does two things. The first is to hydrate the shoes. In the same way that dried out soil lets water drain straight through without absorbing it, dry leather is extremely porous. Fully hydrated leather like soil is able to resist small quantities of water.

The second reason we polish is to add a barrier. The shiny layer of polish exists between the leather and the water. The scuffing and grit on the soles now gives the polish a rougher surface to cling to, helping it build up a thicker protective layer needed on the bottom.

What we are doing is fortifying the shoe and adding resistance. Like ancient castles, whilst we can hold the enemy out for a time, eventually defences will fail. Nonetheless, on our small well-drenched isle there is no escaping a good soaking from the skies. Your next actions are critical. Choose the right path and your shoes will live to walk another day. Firstly, we need to draw water from the saturated leather.

Stuff your shoes with absorbent paper towels to pull the water from the leather. Repeat until the paper towels come out dry; this may take several days.

If you intend to wear your shoes again, do not dry them with a heat source. This includes radiators, fires and especially hand dryers. Leather is a biological product, held together with protein and fat strings. Sudden heating breaks these bonds en-masse and will cause your shoes to begin falling apart. In the modern day leather soles are almost exclusively found on dress shoes. This results in several problems. And with that expense, they expect the shoes to be longer-lasting than their cheaper, synthetic or rubber soled shoes.

Unfortunately this can never be the case. In the same way that a Ferrari must be serviced more regularly than a Ford Mondeo, a leather sole will need replacing by a cobbler at regular intervals.

Another is an obsession with sole preservation. Shoemakers love to decorate a leather sole with their own logo and other artwork, and we, the wearers, indulge them. I hope this has been helpful, or at the very least given you a greater appreciation for leather soles. Toggle Navigation. August 6, Rubber soles We offer a veritable plethora of variations of rubber soles at Cheaney, but in essence they all offer the same properties. Getting married? Leather sole.

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