Welcome back to another exciting week of new drops from the ever-growing world of Heritage fashion. What better way to close out February than limited releases from trusted and beloved brands like Viberg, Oak Street Bootmakers, Parkhurst, and more.
Oak Street Bootmakers
Oak Street Bootmakers has teamed up with Italian tannery Carlo Badalassi to bring you a new boot leather called Ness. This hide was created using a supple Vachetta that’s uniquely processed, shrunken, and dyed through, ultimately producing an intense level of grain character and striking contrast.
They’re using the leather on their Field Boot. It features four eyelets, three antique brass speed hooks, and a partly structured toe. Unlike your typical field boot, this model has a 360 degree Goodyear welt, a leather stacked heel, and a recessed lug Itshide commando sole.
I’m expecting this boot to include a vegetable tanned leather insole, a steel shank, and cork filling. The aesthetic is purely casual, as is true to most Elston last based models from the brand.
Needless to say, it’s sure to be an eye-catching conversation starter.
The Cognac Ness Field Boot would pair nicely with olive chinos, as well as other earth tones to compliment the leather’s unique appearance.
Parkhurst
Parkhurst is finally introducing their Maryam Horsebutt leather boots, a product they’ve been working to bring to their customers since last summer.
Parkhurst is releasing this extraordinary leather in several different colors, in D widths, and in a limited quantity for a limited time.
Their styles sporting this leather include: the Delaware in Natural or Dark Brown, the Allen in Asfalto, the Richmond in Oliva, and their Bidwell 2.0 in either Natural or Oliva.
Maryam’s TPR Leather is created using a full Horsebutt hide that’s coated with a layer of clear thermoplastic resin. The resin binds to the surface of the hide, providing a layer of clear coat that acts to protect the leather from the elements, while also producing a rich and luxurious shine.
Viberg Boots
Well known Canadian boot brand Viberg is releasing two models, a service boot and an oxford, both made from Horween Brown Waxed Flesh.
First up we’ve got the iconic Service Boot: it’s built on their rugged 2040 Last, featuring a five-and-a-half inch shaft height and a prominent bump toe. It has a 270 degree Stitchdown construction, an unlined shaft, nine antique brass eyelets, and a smooth-out tongue that provides a bit of healthy contrast.
I expect these boots to have the same level of excellence that is synonymous with Viberg. It includes full vegetable tanned construction, cork filling, a kip leather vamp liner, and a cedar shank. This field boot is built on a Dr. Sole Super Grip half sole with a leather stacked heel.
Next we’ve got Viberg’s popular and in-demand 145 Oxford. Crafted for the true enthusiast, both models feature an unstructured toe, partly gusseted tongue, and tonal stitching. The 145 Oxford is built using a 270 degree Stitchdown construction and makes use of Vibram’s 2021 wedge sole.
You can expect the Horween Waxed Flesh to be firm to start and approximately two-and-a-half to three millimeters thick, at about six to seven ounces in weight. The leather will appear to be a very dark brown that is nearly black but will begin to transform over time as the wax begins to wear away, exposing the nappy texture beneath.
Both models will develop a rich patina that’s unique to the owner’s lifestyle. These are purely for casual wear. I would pair them with indigo selvedge, chinos, or any other workwear inspired outfits.
Wootten
I’d like to bring a new brand to your attention today: meet Wootten. This is a small bootmaker out of Ballarat, Australia with a great deal of heart and skill.
The brand uses locally tanned leathers for all of their products. Their Chelsea prototype sports a locally-made Nitrile rubber outsole, are hand-lasted, fully leather lined, have two to three millimeter thick vegetable tanned leather insoles, toe puffs, and heel counters.
Wootten uses a Blake Rapid construction on their boots. There are a few articles circling around on the web that seem to misunderstand what the method actually is. It’s often conflated with standard Blake construction and referred to as lighter weight than Goodyear, which is true of Blake but not true of Blake Rapid.
The Blake Rapid method replaces the welt strip and canvas gemming of the Goodyear method with a midsole/through sole, which is then Blake stitched through the upper, lining and insole. This acts as the welt to which the outsole is then stitched to.
The upside to Blake Rapid vs a Goodyear welt: the construction is mechanically fixed to the insole (vs the use of a glued canvas gemming), a midsole creates more torsional strength through waist and midfoot, and the boot can have a softer insole, meaning less break in time. The repairability is increased with this construction method.
Wootten is well known by local collectors for their attractive service boot designs, like their popular Gordon Boot pictured below.
Taylor Stitch
Taylor Stitch is dropping a new Type 2 style trucker jacket called The Ryder. It’s part of the brand’s Barnstable Collection, a clothing line inspired by the saltbox homes and quaint villages of Cape Cod.
This jacket is made from a medium weight goat suede that’s been tumbled to provide a soft and supple hand. The Ryder Jacket is unlined with a double pleated front and two lower patch pockets. The hardware includes YKK antique silver tack buttons that compliment the dark blue suede quite nicely.
The Ryder is notably built to last, and it features double needle top-stitching throughout the jacket’s construction. Inside, the Ryder Jacket is adorned with a leather patch stamped with the Taylor Stitch logo.
You can expect the goat suede to develop a rich patina over the years. This is a great alternative to the common denim trucker jacket and can be worn in the same fashion.
See You Next Week
It’s been a short but sweet week for the industry. I expect to see releases to pick up in the following weeks as we start seeing new spring lines coming out.
I’d like to thank you all for stopping by. Come back next week to keep up with the latest drops in Heritage fashion.