Russian Intelligence - Radnor 4 Derby Boot from Crockett & Jones





Russian Grain Leather

The Radnor 4 Goodyear-welted derby boot, with a Dainite Ridgeway rubber sole, by Crockett & Jones, is made from Russian grain leather produced exclusively for C&J by an English tannery. The leather is made from 'young English ox hides' that undergo an ancient vegetable tanning process.

What is Russian grain leather? In production in Russia up to the time of the Bolshevik Revolution — from which point in time the practice virtually disappeared as Russian civilisation was upended by ideology — Russian grain leather is extremely hard-wearing and weather-resistant. The English tannery — and if they're reading this, please step forward and I'll give you a plug — brought in a Russian translator to help research the production of Russian grain leather. The process took over two years and they finally produced a leather that closely matched archive samples of Russian grain leather.
























The leather is tanned for four months using willow and oak bark 'liquor'. The leather is then dressed with birch oil, dyed and embossed with a grain that matches the original Russian leather from the time of the Tsars.

What a wonderful story. And what a wonderful boot, to boot!



Comments

  1. Is the tannery in question Tanner Bates?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ramy. Your suggestion put me on to J&FJ Baker. I think we've found the tannery. http://www.jfjbaker.co.uk/ Best wishes, Tweedy

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  2. Mystery solved I suppose. I find this leather to be rather interesting since it's as far as I know the only modern alternative to the batch of old russian reindeer leather that Cleverley holds so dear!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. Good show for C&J and the tannery for working on this. Best wishes, Tweedy

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