Hand-Lasted 270° Goodyear Welt Construction. Horween® Chromexcel® Roughout Leather Vat Overdyed with Natural Indigo. Partially-Structured Toe. Dr. Sole 1122 Raw Cord Sole & Matching 1102w Raw Cord Heel with Hand-Tapped Ice Plug Nails. Flat Barbour® Welt. Hand-Brushed Charcoal Welt & Outsole Finish. Calfskin Vamp Lining. Tone-On-Tone Stitching. Brass Eyelets with Charcoal Enamel. Dr. Sole Natural Indigo Flat Cotton Laces & Charcoal Flat Waxed Cotton Laces.
Shop Field BootDeveloped to embody the character of Chicago, the Elston last is engineered specifically for our line of Everyday Boots, providing exceptional all-day comfort for nearly all foot types with a generous toe box.
Shop Elston LastInspired by the cork soles of the famous U.S.N. N-1 "Field Boot" used in WWII, the 1122 includes numerous improvements, including greater durability, shock absorption, and a reduction in weight. Perhaps the most notable improvement is its traction which comes courtesy of the pulverized hemp cord embedded into the nitrile rubber compound. Each sole is affixed to a thick layer of leather and paired with a matching Dr. Sole 1102w Raw Cord Heel.
Shop Dr. Sole 1122 Raw Cord SoleHorween's Roughout is a version of its famous Chromexcel® with the rough side out. Similar to a rugged suede in texture, but with a firmer hand and color that deepens and develops a beautiful patina with wear.
Shop Chromexcel RoughoutWe are 100% committed to manufacturing all our footwear and accessories in the United States.
All our footwear is 100% recraftable, meaning it can be re-soled again and again.
A blue-hued dye produced bya fermentation and oxidation processthat converts the glycoside indicaninto the blue-hued pigment indigotin
Historically, indigo was produced using one of several species of the Indigofera plant family or, to a lesser extent, tropical mollusks like the Hexaplex Trunculus sea snail. Each source of natural indican compound is known for a particular character of dye: Trunculus snails for the deep Tyrian Purple color of Imperial Rome, the Indigofera Tinctoria plant for a tendency to quickly develop a patina like that of sea-worn ceramic.
Today, nearly all indigo is derived from petroleum. These synthetics do contain indigotin and are therefore real indigo. In fact, they are nearly pure indigotin, roughly 400% more concentrated than most natural dyes, yet they fail to deliver the depth and intensity of natural indigo—precisely because they are entirely too pure, lacking the complex profile of flavonoids found in nature that enhance indigo pigments.
In addition to plant-derived indigo’s color-enhancing flavonoids which add traces of aquamarine and violet to its primary deep blue hue, fermentation leaves its indigotin compound chemically unstable and prone to random and unpredictable oxidation—this accelerates patination and brings-out tints and shades that highlight existing tonal shifts already present in organic materials such as leather. The wayward chemical properties of natural indigo enable this dye to produce an extraordinary range and depth of color unmatched by any single pigment. However, this unpredictability means effective administration of this dye is more art than science.
Our Chromexcel Roughout has been overdyed in an exclusive formulation of natural indigo, alkali salts, and rainwater that imbue the pigments with an affinity for the oil-rich leather. This is all done not according to any recipe, but by the hand of a master “dexter” familiar with the reactive nature of indigo dyestuffs exposed to complex organic compounds, such as those present in Chromexcel’s tannage. Once dry, the pigments stabilize, preserving the rich color of the natural dye without compromising oils that protect the leather.
Even the smallest amount of indigo will easily overpower nearly any other dye, so indigo vat dying is never done with equipment shared with other pigments–and that goes for everything from steel vats to rubber gloves. This means indigo-dyed materials tend to be boldly saturated and vibrant compared to those dyed with pigments that share equipment. The depth of a natural indigo is thus limited only by the physical properties of the raw materials and the skill of the dexter.
Above: Two years of hard wear
Beneath its indigo-overdyed layer, the Chromexcel roughout retains its natural color, like a tea-core leather, but inside-out. Unlike tea-core, which can take a year or more before the natural core begins to surface, the roughout napp will begin exposing natural tones without superficial scratches or longterm wear.
