The Patina of Age on Well-Worn Shoes

One of the most enjoyable properties of leather is that it often looks richer with age than when it is brand new. This is especially true of the fine leathers used on Yuketen footwear. Leathers such has Horween's oily Chromexcel will patina gracefully and with lovely contrast while leathers such as the Waxed Flesh-Out Leather (pictured above) will vintage more aggressively, revealing an almost two-faced character. 

A part of the job that I quite enjoy is facilitating our customers' resoling services for shoes that have been well worn and require outsole replacements. The pair featured in this post has been worn on and off for over four years by Michael, a return Yuketen customer from the Netherlands.  Michael decided to change it up for his second resole and throw on a pair of Vibram ripple soles- to striking effect. Although the outsoles are fresh, the leather sitting atop continues to age beautifully and has gained much character through years of use. Enjoy the boots Michael!