If you’re going to put the money into custom men’s boots, it’s safe to say you want a pair of boots that will hold up to the rigors of everyday use in addition to capturing a little bit of extra personality.
That is, you want quality, right? Hopefully, that’s not too bold of an assumption.
Well, let’s make you privy to a little secret that basically none of the consumer market in the country knows about.
Stop buying genuine leather. If you’re going to pay for a pair of custom men’s boots and dress shoes, and you consent to have them crafted out of genuine leather, you just missed the whole point.
You see, most consumers see a “genuine” leather tag and think, “Oh, wow, it’s genuine. It must be good.” Because, you know, genuine has positive connotations and all that.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Well, genuine might have a positive slant, but genuine leather is just one rung up the ladder from genuine rubbish.
Genuine leather is made by skiving (splitting) away strips of leather from a piece of the hide, and then, typically, gluing them together. The result is a patchwork (although you can’t always see it) of thin, low-grade leather scraps.
Over time, regardless of how well you care for it, this leather will break down. The layers will also separate in a process known as “delamination,” which almost literally means “to come apart.”
But it gets far, far worse. Genuine leather also is mechanically much weaker and more prone to stress cracking than higher grades of leather, like top-grain and full-grain leather, which are made from solid, unadulterated portions of the hide.
Even when you take good care of it, genuine leather will break down and fall apart. It is not an acceptable grade of leather for producing jackets, boots, belts, or other personal goods that, you know, you will actually use.
But again, and somehow, it gets worse. Do you like that darkened, beautiful sheen that leather produces after years of use and wear? It’s called a patina, and it’s one of the features that draws heritage fashion back to the allure of leather, time and time again.
Yeah, you won’t get that with genuine leather, because genuine leather does not form a patina. Since it’s made with thin, low-grade scraps, it lacks the depth, complexity, and fiber structure of full-grain leather that allows it to produce a patina.
So, in a nutshell, genuine leather is low-quality all the way around. You can’t properly maintain it, and even if you do, it is weak, prone to cracking, warping, and delaminating, and on top of that, do what you will, you’ll never get a nice patina.
So, to circle back, if you’re going to shell out a few extra dollars for custom boots, you might as well get what you pay for. Paying a premium for custom men’s boots and getting them made out of genuine leather is like buying a Ford with a Ferrari hood ornament.
Alright, Where Can I Get Custom Men’s Boots That Are Made from Quality Materials Only?
Now that we’ve covered that, here’s another secret. You actually don’t have to pay more for high-quality custom men’s boots.
Check out Idrese (Idrese.com). They have a special online tool that allows you to order custom boots – and all they use are quality materials and proven techniques.
We’re talking about full-grain (only) construction in a huge range of colors and finishes, leather soles, tempered metal shanks in the soles, and genuine Goodyear welts that are not only long-lasting but make it possible to resole the shoes and boots.
That’s the kind of thing you’ll find at Idrese, and since they don’t sell to a distributor (they sell direct-to-consumer) they can charge far less than their competitors.
If that sounds too good to be true, consider the fact that before you read this article you thought genuine leather was good.
Let that sink in, then visit Idrese at Idrese.com and treat yourself to a nice pair of custom boots for passing Leather Quality 101.
