Celebrating its relationship with one of the world’s greatest tanneries, the brand unveils its Shell Cordovan Collection, a range that sees iconic silhouettes enhanced with the colder months in mind
Crockett & Jones, as we’ve long preached, is one of Britain’s greatest shoemakers. It is a label entrenched in traditional craft – the structure of its footwear continues to be based around the coveted Goodyear welt, and its factory remains in Northampton, the town in which the company was founded in 1879 – and the appeal, as a result, is evergreen and universal. For its AW’24 collection, the storied firm celebrates its long-standing, multi-generational ties with Horween Leather Co., widely considered the world’s finest tanner of shell cordovan, a horsehide leather whose rich appearance is achieved via an old-school (and lengthy) process of specialist vegetable tanning, hand dyeing and finishing.
Lanark 5, £850, crockettandjones.com
For the campaign, Crockett & Jones travelled to Horween’s tannery – first launched in 1905, in Chicago, US – in order to get up close to the arduous and noisy universe in which it works, observing the multi-tiered process as raw hide is transformed into a polished material and, ultimately, gaining a profound appreciation of the myriad steps undertaken before a pair of hands even touches the stuff back in England. With ties that stretch to the mid-1980s, the fruitful relationship’s first products were the Boston, Grasmere & Penrith, and an early Pembroke.
Horween Leather Co., Chicago, US
When it comes to cordovan itself, its virtues are that it’s extremely durable and hardy – the leather, after all, is taken from the hindquarters of a powerful animal – which is ideal for the cold-months ahead and the decades to come. Moreover, aesthetically-speaking, it takes on a lovely, incomparable patina as large folds develop across years of wear. Combined with the fact that Crockett & Jones is able to procure a regular supply in several colour options, the lustrous look is an unrivalled feature within footwear circles. (Rather notably, when it comes to applying the tanning solution, Horween’s hides are put in sizeable vats of solution for 60 days – contemporary tanning, by contrast, is typically done in a single day.)
Harvard, £775, crockettandjones.com
‘Tanning shell cordovan is a little like making fine wine... It cannot be rushed,’ says the company, which still follows the same formula and procedures that were utilised from its start.
Harlech, £1,030, crockettandjones.com
Across the Shell Cordovan Collection is a considered edit of Crockett & Jones’s most iconic silhouettes, all imbued with history and a classic profile: there’s the Harvard (available in dark brown, navy and dark green), which is the unlined, off-duty sibling of the brand’s Boston penny loafer; and, for something better suited to autumnal walks, there is the Harlech, a straight-cap Derby boot that makes use of double-leather soles and storm welts, and has a heightened appearance due to its whisky hue.
For further protection around the ankles, we’d also recommend the Lindrick 2 and the Islay, both of which are timeless pieces of design due to their brogue detailing – great for pairing with wool trousers – but are given a modern touch via their Dainite rubber soles (up until this collection, all styles would feature a single- or double- leather sole).
New to the range is the Lanark 5, a pared-down, plain-fronted Derby created with a blind-seam facing, dark-brown hatch-grain cordovan, and Dainite rubber soles. Due to its prosaic appearance, it can easily transition between dressed-up and casual ensembles.
Ascott 2, £830, crockettandjones.com
Another new addition is the Ascott 2 – also a Derby, only this time defined by an apron front. The burgundy colourway gives it a rich feel that stays on the right side of colourful.
All things considered, in a season where colours are sapped and the mood is fairly dark, we recommend you inject some spirit into your everyday wears via Crockett & Jones’s new footwear that sings with craft and verve.
Want more from the brand? Read about its other new collection, which embraces the great outdoors…
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