The Hand Dyed Shoe Company is a new company started by Simon Bourne in North East England. He uses a nineteenth century technique to hand-dye shoes, providing customers with an element of individuality as no two pairs of shoes ever look the same. I spoke to Simon to find out more:
Q: Tell me something about yourself and the brand and what got you started? What made you think of dying shoes?
A: Well, I spent nearly 4 years working for a local entrepreneur in the furniture industry. Once of the great USPs of our product was that we would hand-craft the most amazing, 19th century-inspired sofas before quite literally dying in the customer’s chosen colour. I walked through our workshop one day and witnessed our apprentice scooping offcuts of leather into bin bags when it really dawned on me, ‘why is this leather going to waste’?
This beautiful, raw leather could be used to craft something else, something smaller than a sofa. So, I got thinking, what could it be? I’ve been interested in fashion for years and I would class myself as a fairly quirky guy. I like my tattoos, my tweed and my waistcoats… I’m a creative. It’s this creativity that brought about The Hand Dyed Shoe Company and my very unique, individual products. I never like to be ‘the same'.
Q: I tend to think of dyed/painted shoes as an Italian thing? What can you tell us of the history and background of the technique?
A: Well, my skins are actually sourced from Italy. The Italian calf leather is amongst the world’s finest, and they specifically breed they cattle for the leather as oppose to the meat. In doing this, you minimise the scarring and imperfections of the leather. In terms of the art, it goes back as far as the 12th century. There was no such thing as a tannery back then, obviously, so they would colour leathers using vegetable extracts mixed with water. It’s this same technique that I use on my shoes.
Now, the French and the Spanish have mastered the ‘art of patina’ in my opinion over the last century. The likes of Berluti create the most stunning, handmade shoes. For me, though, it’s about time we brought a little bit of British back to the industry and in my patina you not only have that, but individualism; no two pairs are ever exactly the same.
Q: Where do you see your market for these shoes?
A: There’s two main areas I target. Firstly, people who appreciate quality and handmade, British goods. These aren’t shoes that are going to last 6 months, they’re something to be cherished, resoled and kept for a quarter of a century or more. There’s nothing finer than old leather so with the right care, they’ll be around for a very long time.
The second market is creatives; people who like to be different, like me. The fashionistas, models, photographers, barbers; these type of people who are like me and they want something special and unique. The arts and crafts industry is stronger than ever and my shoes are very much part of it. You only have to look at the successes of Not On The High Street over the last decade to see that this is a growing industry and there’s immense appeal.
Q: Are there any maintenance issues around wearing and using dyed shoes?
A: Yes, if you don’t look after them, you’ll not get the life out of them. Think of them as your own skin. If you don’t moisturise you soon dry out and nobody likes a flakey face! It’s the same with these shoes, they’re real, aniline leather shoes and they need creaming regularly and of course polishing properly. Would you buy a Porsche and never wash it?!
Q: How do you see the brand developing?
A: Over the next 12 months I’m really wanting to get the product in as many independent boutiques as possible. Think of tailors, suit makers, etc. I want The Hand Dyed Shoe Company to be an extension of that handmade suit you just ordered; the finishing touch to that refined outfit.
With many thanks to Simon. For more and to buy, see The Hand-Dyed Shoe Company.
Note: this is an unsponsored post.
Fascinating article. But seriously puzzled by 'no tanneries in the 12thC obviously"! How did he think they tanned leather. We've had tanneries since the Ancient Egyptians, and there's at least one in Pompeii. Did he perhaps mean something else by 'tannery'?
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