In our shoe dictionary you can read everything you need to know about the quality ofCrocket's Shoes:What does "welt-sewn shoes" actually mean? What are the classic shoe shapes? And what sole types? And finally, how should leather shoes be maintained to last long and always look good?
A lot has changed, but the one thing has not: John Crocket shoes are handmade as always. Certainly machines such as for example sewing the frame seam help, but for each pair the leather is cut by hand, pulled on the bars and cleaned by hand.
The leather we take from tanneries Du Puy and D'Annonay, the rubber soles from Dainite, Vibram and Finprojekt.
Legendary is theRendenbach solefrom Trier, one of the last tanneries that operate pure vegetative oak pit tanning. All leather used by Crocket is free of chrome.
First of all, good welt-sewn shoes are handmade. The sole is sewn by hand and not only glued to the frame. Our welts are sewn in the "Goodyear welted" process, see box.
Thanks to this method, the shoe can give the foot a firm hold in the shoe. At the same time, the sole remains elastic enough to adapt to the natural roll-off of the foot.
For those who wear welt-sewn shoes, it shows that it places great value on quality, and that it values handwork and tradition. This makes the welt-sewn shoe the perfect business shoe.
Someone states: "Shoes reflect the character of the human being." Whether this is the case, is another matter, but important is that a shoe should protect the foot. The fact is that we no longer move much on soft but almost only on hard ground. And this ankle, knee, hip joint and spinal column. Good footwear should therefore support the foot without constricting it and at the same time cushion the pressure of the hard underground.
More than two hundred work steps are needed to produce a Crocket Shoe. The shoe builds up from bottom to top as follows: heel and outsole, cork sole with joint spring and insole.
The insole is the heart of the shoe. On it, with an invisible seam at the end, the frame is fixed with the upper leather. On the frame, the outsole is fastened with a visible seam (if not the technique of a crack seam is used). The attachment of these seams is created with the help of machines developed by the "United Shoe Machinery Corporation" and by "Charles Goodyear jr.". Welt-sewn shoes are elastic and comfortable due to the fact that all layers of the substructure are able to move against each other. The welt-sewn shoe is (almost) waterproof.
The cork system between the insole and the outsole is also important; it absorbs moisture and adapts to the foot bed. In the case of welt-sewn shoes, cork is used as an elastic insert to support the incorporated footbed. The advantage of this material is that the foot can press into the cork plane, so that an optimal fit can be created.
The seam is the connection between welt and outsole.
The welt is the connection between the upper leather and the outsole.
The insole.
The joint spring for additional stability.
The cork insolation as insulation against cold and heat. In the cork insole the carrier inserts its individual footbed, which provides additional comfort.
Two shoe lines are in our range of products: Crocket's Classic Shoes and Crocket's Finest Shoes. In general, all Crocket Shoes are welt-sewn and there is a lot of manual work in all of them, without exception. They are well known for their excellent price-performance ratio. Customers do not pay any intermediate trade, as the shoes are made directly for Crocket.
The Crocket shoe is checked after completion and is burnished by hand. As a result, each pair becomes a unique one.
English shoes are a term for anyone who deals with classic men's shoes. They are English shoe shapes that name the shoes like Oxford, Derby, Brogue or Monk. In order to describe the different shoe models, one distinguishes between categories such as boots, half-shoes, etc.
Men's shoesare divided into lace-up shoes, slippers (without laces) and buckle shoes (monk straps). Lace-up shoes are divided into Derby (open lace) and Oxford shoes, a man's half-shoe with closed lace that has been common since 1880's.
The termBroguecomes originally from Ireland and Scotland ("brog"), it points to perforation pattern in the shoe, which in earlier times mainly served to make the shoe dry better through the holes. Today the ornaments are stylish, which are additionally applied.
The Full Brogue has a curved hole pattern and is often referred to as "Budapest shoe". Typical is the heart-shaped cap and the attached heel cap, which is adorned at the edges. This shoe is suitable for both suits and jeans, but should not be worn in black after 5 pm.
The Semi Brogue distinguishes itself from Full Brogue by a less distinctive perforation pattern and the straight front cap. He is the more conservative, elegant version of Full Brogue. It can also be worn to the sporty jacket.
An elegant buckle shoe, which closure lies laterally above the vamp. His name actually comes from monk, whose shoes had a belt buckle. The shoe is worn to rather slimline cut trousers, in order to not cover its closure.
The Punched Oxford is located between Brogue and the Oxford Plain referring to its perforation pattern. Due to his decoration on the seam of the cap and on the delimitation to the side parts and on the heel, he is not as formal as the Plain Oxford and not as playful as the Full Brogue.
The Plain Oxford is the most simple version of the English shoe. The only ornament is the seam on the cap and the one between the front sheet and the side parts. In black, you can also wear it to the tuxedo.
In the Derby cut, the two side parts, which carry the lacing, lie on the continuous front part. That makes the tightening simple. There is essential: the more simple the model, the more official the occasion.
The Derby Punched Oxford boot is a variant of the John Crocket Winter shoes. There is the rumor that the predecessor of this boot was made for Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, for the stays at Balmoral Castle in Scotland made from his cobbler.
Since 1871, now in the fourth generation, the company Johann Rendenbach produces leather in Trier according to the traditional timber pin tanning. This environmentally friendly production method produces first-class quality. The Rendenbach sole defies water and snow. Durable, flexible and breathable, JR-leather is characterized by a long endurance, optimal skin compatibility and excellent wearing comfort.
In the hidden seam, the thread is covered by the crack lip from the sole side. This means that the sole is cut open at the side, the channel for the seam is cut, the sole is sewn and finally the crack rib is ironed on the seam again (and not glued). This is a very complex variant of the Goodyear-welted method.
At the open seam, the thread is visible in its channel. The correct depth and width of the tears is very important. When the channel is too shallow, the seam wears too fast, and if the channel is too deep the sole can be damaged.
The vibram sole is produced by the company of the same name, headquarted in Albizzate in Italy. This hard-wearing profile sole is made of rubber. Originally, it was mainly used for mountain boots. John Crocket uses this sole for the Winter and Countrycollection.
This is a profile sole, which is particularly light and comfortable. It almost gives the user a "barefoot feeling".
The Dainitesohle is manufactured in England by the company Haboro Rubber. Thanks to a special rubber compound, it is more solid and durable than the vibration soleplate. The brand name "Dainite" was created by the residents of the village "Market Harbough", who called this factory "day and night factory". We will use the Dainite sole for you in red and dark brown. The Dainite sole is made especially for the Goodyear seam, which can be replaced with lightness. The Dainite sole is a tough weather sole.
We have compiled the following care suggestions for you, so that you can keep your framed shoes for a long time:
1.Always use shoelast to keep your shoes smooth and in the right shape. Ideal are shoe last according to shoe size. If you use expandable shoelasts: use them only with great care. The sole ist not straight but curved. If you overstretch it will curve the seam and will breake.
It is better to use non-adjustable shoe strips, where you choose the smaller size to your shoe size. Something particularly good will you do yourself and your shoes if you Shoe lasts are made of cedar wood. The cedar wood smells pleasantly and the wood is absorbent so that it removes the moisture from the shoe.
2. It takes at least one day until the moisture produced during wearing is completely dried out. Wear your shoes one over-an other so that they can dry properly.
3.If your shoes become wet, dry them at normal room temperature. If necessary, fill the shoes with a absorbable newspaper to absorb the moisture.
Never put your shoes in front of the fireplace, radiator or on top of the heatbecause the heat absorbs the oil from the leather and this can lead to cracks and to a short life cycle.
4.Shoe cleaning is of the utmost importance. Dirt and mud can best be removed with a damp cloth while the shoe is still wet. It is important to remove any dirt before cleaning, otherwise it leads to discoloration in the leather.
5.The sole can be protected from wear by attaching a thin protective sole. Advantage: You never have to change the original sole, only the protective sole is replaced.
6. Calfskin and box calf leather shoes should be polished in the right colour with a good oily shoe cream. Each shoe is particularly stressed in the folding folds. If you grease these areas regularly, the suppleness of the leather will be preserved for a long time!
7. Suede shoes must be generously sprayed with suede impregnation spray before first wearing them. It should be repeated every 6 months, depending on the wearing intensity. Suede shoes should be cleaned with a wire brush or hard brush.
Stains can be removed with a suitable solvent and shiny surfaces can be carefully roughened with sandpaper.
8. John Crocket supplies all shoes with a soft fabric shoe bag. If you store your pair of shoes in it, they are always well protected until the next wear.
A brush made of real horse hair is ideal for shoe care.
In our product and product dictionary you can read all the information about John Crocket's Qualityall about the traditionally high-quality materials, the materials we use, their processing and care.
Tweed is the most exciting chapter for many! What story is behind the Klan classics and the protected Tweed Mills such as Harris, Hanly, Moon or Magee?
Tweed Dictionary Buy Tweed from John Crocket
The perfect shirt has been found, you're missing a timeless business suit? Learn more about our selected fabric quality and our fit forms!
Suit Dictionary
