★ 11 ways to save money on boots: https://stridewise.com/best-boot-deals ★ Is Cordovan Really Worth It? (Spain Trip) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59JrlM9DF_M ★ How to make a $739 Cordovan sneaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdfj7V5u5rc ★ See also: Why Lefarc is Mexico's Most Sustainable Tannery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBY6zFHQbNQ If you're looking for the absolute highest quality material you can make a shoe from, the answer is just about always the same: shell cordovan. With at least six months of production time to create a material that can only be made from the quarters of a horse, the combination of scarcity, labor, time, and expertise all comes together to make shell cordovan. It's a leather — or a membrane, as some insist it should more rightfully be called — that is self shining, wrinkleproof, and incredibly durable. I went to the world's best makers of the stuff, Chicago's Horween Leather Company, to learn all the steps. 00:00 How is Cordovan made? 00:30 Hide inspection and trimming 01:20 Hair removal 01:37 Lime / pickle process 02:40 Vegetable tanning 03:50 Stuffing 05:05 Hand currying/smearing 06:04 Shell shaving 06:22 Inspection & trim 06:39 Finishing 07:25 Rolling the cordovan 08:02 Glazing 09:00 Final plating 09:25 Final grade/Quality control #cordovan #leather #leathercraft
