Journal

Say hello at our booth April 28th-30th in San Francisco at the Windup Watch Fair! The Worn and Wound team is among the most hospitable people we know, allowing us to join their annual watch fair. 

We will have samples on display and ready to discuss all things shoes.
Watches, shoes, cocktails, what's not to like?

One of our priorities is to help our customers find the size best suited for them. Of course, many variables affect sizing, but the proper selection can be straightforward when avoiding these five mistakes we encounter most often.

1. Buying snug to “break in” the boot. This is a wildly popular take on how new GYW footwear should fit. This is uncomfortable from the first wear and depending on the season and time of the day, your foot can swell creating an even more miserable experience. Tight footwear restricts blood flow and leads to poor foot health. A new shoe should feel comfortable from the outset.
2. Focusing on the amount of room in front of the toes. Most people are used to wearing sneakers and try to compare the fit to their boots and shoes. Sneakers generally have a rounded toe shape, which allows the toes to sit closer to the front of the shoe. However, when the footwear has an almond shape, excess space in front of the toes should be expected. Prioritize having the ball of your foot in the widest part of the shoe. The 5th joint (small toe) needs to be sitting comfortably in the shoe, never pinched.
3. Heel slip. Ah, the dreaded heel slip. It might be the most troublesome issue because customers will size down (too far) solely to avoid it. When a customer is in-between sizes, we encourage the larger of the two for one reason in particular: a tight-fitting Goodyear-welt shoe or boot will not improve with wear. It will shape to your foot with time, but the lack of overall volume will still cause discomfort on a summer day. Heel slip, however, can improve with wear. As the insole and outsole components are being flexed over time, the shoe begins to roll, working with your stride. The upper components, including the leather heel counter, also begin forming to your foot, thus improving the overall fit and minimizing that slippage.
4. Tight instep. While this fit issue may not be as obvious on a shoe or boot that laces, it’s worth paying attention to from the onset. (If you have ever worn a loafer with a tight instep, you understand the true meaning of discomfort.) When lacing your footwear, observe the instep area and notice the distance between the eye rows or simply unpleasant pressure on the top of your foot. When it feels like you're restricting blood flow in your foot, you probably are.
5. Sticking to your size. As with clothing, it's easy to continue buying the same size each time before realizing it's not always working. We encourage customers to evaluate their current footwear and how they actually fit today. It's all too common when someone says they wear a 10 in a particular boot, but when we ask how it fits, they will catch themselves explaining how it feels too big or small. Even when clothing sizes may not change over a period of time, areas of the foot can change, requiring a different shoe size.

To sum it all up, our simple rule of thumb is to make sure your new shoe or boot offers enough room from the very first try on. If you have specific questions on fitting, please reach out to our team by phone or email for personalized suggestions.

A collection of tanneries around the world specialize in footwear leather suitable for a better-grade Goodyear-welt shoe or boot. When sourcing leather for a product, you must consider several facets. First, you identify the pattern you’re going to make and give thought to how that shoe or boot will be used. Accessibility also plays a role – whether you have a relationship with the tannery, their availability, and logistics.

The last couple of decades have seen a movement towards casual attire throughout the world. Even a salesperson who “dresses up” today by wearing a sport coat may have been required to wear a full suit twenty years ago. 

This transition inevitably makes an impact on footwear as well. Think fewer oxfords, more boots and casual patterns. In most workplaces, a boot or loafer is acceptable attire. You may be the only one among your colleagues not wearing sneakers.

Crimson Chromexcel Traveler Penny.

Further down the line, this dress-down movement plays a quiet yet significant role in leather selection. Calf leather is generally preferred on dress footwear for its clean, tight grain structure. Since it is a smaller, younger animal, the article typically has fewer imperfections. This allows for a better cutting yield, so the material tends to cost more. That is not to say calf leather is always superior, as many other factors go into your choice, including the tannage and the use for the material. For example, depending on the product, you could be better off using cow leather simply due to the thickness.

Chromexcel

Chromexcel leather tanned by Horween in Chicago is one of the most common choices for better-grade leather goods for a few reasons.

The hide itself derives from a large North American bovine. This sets the tone for the hide thickness and grain structure. Many of these sides (half of the animal hide) are 20ft2.

Now for the fun part, Horween's proprietary combination of vegetable and chrome tannage creates a lively leather that ages beautifully. Chromexcel might be known best for its heavy “pull-up” effect. During the tanning process, the leather is impregnated (hot-stuffed) with wax, oils, and greases. This creates an incredibly rich attribute where the wax and oils move throughout the article. It not only looks fantastic, but it's also the polar opposite of a dry, boardy leather that feels dead.

Dune (Natural) Chromexcel Blucher.

Once a Chromexcel shoe or boot is worn, it develops highs and lows from the creasing and the individual wear. This characteristic is a dynamic trait that is addicting and shared among industries beyond footwear. People treasure the idea that the article changes and adapts over the lifetime of the item, becoming genuinely unique to its wearer. 

Very thick 3.4-3.8mm hides are used to make these unlined Chromexcel Belts. 

The vegetable retannage (from mixing bark extracts with other natural agents) plays an essential role in this attribute, allowing the leather to develop a patina over time. 

Aside from aesthetic reasons, CXL leather's thickness combined with the waxes, oils, and grease allows it to stay hydrated over the years to avoid cracking while faring well in moisture.

Crimson Diesel Boot showing a pull-up effect on the vamp break.

One trait that shouldn't be overlooked is the hand (or feel) of Chromexcel. The heavier weight combined with this tannage makes a very forgiving, elastic leather. The difference is so noticeable that it can change the way the footwear fits altogether. For example, some customers will buy a boot in Chromexcel, then try the same size in a different leather only to find out the pattern doesn't fit properly or is the wrong size altogether. Chromexcel can stretch to accommodate pressure more than most leathers. 

Whether on the tongue of a new boot or the instep of a loafer, the leather adapts quickly, avoiding a drawn-out break-in period.

The “Break”

The most common concern with Chromexcel is the break. If perusing the forums, you might see someone refer to the "Chromexcel lottery." The heavier break that can be found with this leather is a common topic among customers because it's the first thing you can see, and it varies from one shoe to the next.

When a vamp is flexed, the top grain folds toward itself, creating what we call the break. Bending the top-grain inward is the opposite direction of what's natural (think of straightening your elbow). This causes the top-grain to push up, pulling away from the grain below. 

The vamp being flexed to show the break.

The heavier grain break that is found on Chromexcel is natural, stemming from the raw material. The large, thick hides have longer fibers. Longer fibers are ideal for the forgiving, soft feel, but the grain structure will inherently be less dense than calf’s. 

Factors like the tannage, where the leather is cut from the hide, the direction it's cut/lasted, and thickness all play a role, but the leather's foundation is the primary constant. The raw material is so important that each hide is sorted based on grain structure, thickness, and imperfections before the tanning process begins.

A heavier break does not affect the leather's longevity or performance and should be expected with this type of article. It becomes part of the individuality of the piece. If a customer wants a tight grain structure and minimal break, we suggest a different leather. 

A common occurrence, the right vamp showing a looser grain structure.

Maintenance

Given the properties of Chromexcel's tannage, the day-to-day care is relatively straightforward. With time, you can begin deciphering whether the article looks dry as it won't have the rich, deeper color it once had. Generally speaking, applying a conditioner such as Venetian Balm every few months will keep the leather hydrated, deepening the color.  

Routine care and the use of shoe trees can also reduce heavier grain breaks. We frequently use Venetian cream and a deer bone on worn photo samples to help smooth the grain and richen the leather. 

As with most leather, when the article is wet, we suggest avoiding heat and letting it dry naturally. This will help the leather retain its pertinent oils and waxes, keeping it moisturized. All things considered, it's one of the easiest leathers to maintain and will continue to perform year after year.

Our customers often ask about the production of our footwear, primarily wondering why we chose to make our collection in China. Historically, Goodyear-welt footwear is more commonly made in Western countries but our story is quite unique and we are happy to share how it all began in Xiamen.

The GYW market is a niche category notable for its commitment to craftsmanship. The time-consuming construction requires hand-work and specialized materials.

Most factories making GYW footwear look the same as they did decades ago. You cannot easily mass-produce quality Goodyear-welt shoes. Brands who attempt to excessively scale capacity end up fighting tooth and nail to maintain consistency in quality and, in some cases, move away from the category altogether to pursue a business model based on volume and lower costs.

When an up-and-coming brand lays out its road map nowadays, the country of origin is not typically the first step. Instead, they identify the product vision and technical specifications, from design to materials to construction techniques. The maker or factory is then sourced accordingly, based on costs and capabilities. In other words, regardless of where the product is made, the brand has already set the product’s quality standards, before the make process begins. (Read more about our approach here.)

Our story started differently for a simple reason. We had a standing relationship with a factory in Xiamen, China whose team had decades of experience making Goodyear-welt shoes. This team made the very first Grant Stone samples and they continue to help develop our current collection. Without these makers, Grant Stone wouldn’t exist. Our director and co-founder Wyatt spent eight years in this factory, learning the craft and Chinese culture en route to creating Grant Stone in 2016. His father Randy, has worked alongside this team in Xiamen for nearly 20 years.

We were also already working with premier leather and components suppliers from around the world, so we had the tools and the team to create better-grade footwear. Together, we identified the opportunity to deliver a high-value product directly to consumers and that’s where Grant Stone began.

Quality, Consistency, Value

Making the best product we are capable of sounds like an obvious direction for a business, but customers nowadays also care about the transparency of the business, which brings us back to the original query – why would a customer buy a Goodyear-welted shoe made in China?

Our answer is mundane but we believe it, and our customers echo this resolve: Quality comes first. If you want a Goodyear-welt shoe made using the basic fundamentals, including proper fitting lasts and correct components such as a leather insole and cork filler, the options are already limited. Throw in specific leathers in an array of sizes and widths and you have a uniquely complex product.

Components must be sourced worldwide based on the top suppliers’ expertise, whether thick vegetable-tanned hides from San Miniato, Italy, or oil-dipped leather outsoles from Pennsylvania, USA. These better-grade suppliers that make components like our leather welts in Massachusetts are few and far between. In today's world, you're more likely to run into a Rolex dealer than a Goodyear-welt shoe store. It is a dying art.

So today, we still work alongside our original team in Xiamen daily to develop new products and grow together. Using materials such as shell cordovan has been a fun learning process for everyone and a subtle reminder of why we began this journey. We make our products in China because that’s where we have our strongest connections to quality-driven production.

We have found quality cannot be judged by a single aspect such as country of origin, but instead derives from a collection of efforts starting with a principled mindset and commitment to nailing the fundamentals.

I sat down with our Founder & Director Wyatt Gilmore's grandfather, Floyd Gilmore, to hear why after sixty two years, he's still dreaming of shoes.