Our Chelsea boots in 5 questions
#1 Why this pair of shoes?
A pair of raw jeans, a pair of sleek Chelsea boots, no need for more.
Remember our minimalist white sneakers, we wanted to make a refined product but pushing the quality very far.
This is what we wanted to do here, but in a more formal register.
#2 Why a Chelsea boot?
It's no secret: I love ankle boots.
(ah, by the way, when I use the word “ankle boots” in this article, it is to designate a high-top shoe without laces)
It's casual but chic, it's comfortable, it's the magic of Chelsea.
I like to give an elegant touch to my outfit, without being too dressy. And the Chelsea boot lends itself very well to this balance that I like so much.
In addition, thanks to its elastics on the sides, it is a very comfortable type of shoe.
#3 Why suede leather from the Stead tannery?
We like the very fine grain of Stead leather.
Because this English tannery is quite simply a world reference in the field!
And it is precisely because they are in England that they manage to make beautiful suede leathers for shoes that do not fear small urban showers.
#4 Why a crepe sole?
Yes, usually, it is common to see Chelsea shoes with a classic leather sole. So why did you want to change?
Because a crepe sole is very comfortable! In fact, the thousands (millions?) of air bubbles trapped in the latex are little cushions that will cushion your step.
If you have a long walk planned for the day, or you have to stand for a long time, this is the insole for you.
And then visually, I like this textured aspect which visually relaxes this shoe.
Here, it is also a sole that has one of the best quality grades: PLC 1 grade (see below).
#5 Why these two colors?
Two colors: a very soft gray-brown color and a stronger cognac color.
I like cognac and gray-brown colors for shoes, because they are very mid-season colors, which give a little strength to an outfit, without falling into a brown that has been seen again and again.
There you have it, you know the essence of this pair of Chelsea boots.
If you think you know enough, you can stop reading here, but for the more curious, let's dig deeper into some points...
Our Chelsea boots in detail…
The particular balance of the Chelsea
I love the Chelsea boot for several reasons:
- it's practical to put on
- it's super comfortable to wear
- it's a very clean design, which implies that you can't lie about the quality of the leather and construction.
The benefit of a pastel-colored Chelsea: it brightens up an outfit made up of dark pieces.
The history of the Chelsea boot in 60 seconds flat
What I didn't know was that the history of the Chelsea was closely linked to the history of industrial rubber work.
Well yes, because its signature are these two elastic bands around the ankle!
It all began around 1840, with the rivalry between the American Charles Goodyear (yes, yes, the tires are him) and the Englishman Thomas Hancock, where each worked on processes allowing rubber to be easy to work with and which does not decompose when it is hot or cold: this is vulcanization .
Vulcanization summarized in an image, if that speaks to you…
It was an invention that changed the world, if only for the automobile industry, which was in its infancy at the time.
If Goodyear was the quickest to file a patent for an industrial process for working rubber, it is indisputable that it was Thomas Hancock who was the first to invent something that would revolutionize the textile industry: elastic .
And more precisely, he invented the elastic band . Today, it seems trivial to us, but it took a lot of ingenuity to create a strip of fabric that stretches, maintains, and returns to its shape. And which is comfortable!
In 1852, Queen Victoria wanted shoes for horse riding, and she no longer wanted her shoelaces to get tangled in her stirrups.
And there you have it, you know why Jason wanted to take a photo of them in full swing!
It was his royal shoemaker, J. Sparkes Hall, who invented this ankle boot with elastic bands.
The patent where the history of the Chelsea began!
And it's quite funny to see that 150 years later the design hasn't changed much, which shows how visionary J. Sparkes was.
And why are they called Chelseas then? Quite simply because in the 60s, Chelsea was a very trendy area in London.
The Mods , a clothing style that deserves an entire article, who spent time in Chelsea appreciated these boots which mixed workwear and Victorian influences.
The kind of photo that helped make the Chelsea boot legendary. (The Beatles)
Then we know the rest: pop and rock singers took hold of them and the Chelsea boot became "cool", in addition to its comfort and ease of putting on thanks to its elastic bands.
That's the story of this boot. As usual, Heddels made a great article , where I learned that Star Wars Stormtroopers wore Chelsea boots!
An authentic white painted Chelsea boot worn by a Stromtrooper in Star Wars Episode IV. It was the specialist boutique Prop Store which sold it at auction for £1,080.
A Goodyear assembly made in UK by Barker
Yes, just like our two previous pairs, this pair:
- has a Goodyear assembly
- is manufactured by Barker in England
As a reminder, Barker is an English manufacturer that I really like and whose visit Nicolò described at length here . They are the ones who made our first pair of boots released in December .
Yes, the Goodyear construction goes all the way around the shoe!
A suede leather from the English tannery Stead
Yes, we have already crossed paths with Stead on sneakers: Clem and Marin
You are undoubtedly beginning to know this English tannery, which is one of the world's leading tanneries for suede leathers.
Founded in the 1890s, the Charles F. Stead Leather tannery is one of the premier suede leather tanneries in the world. The family business is now internationally renowned. Stead leather is mainly recognized for three reasons:
- The structure of the fiber: In their suede, they shrink the structure of the collagen fiber to give it a tighter structure, which will result in a more durable leather.
- Richness and depth of color: they use premium quality dyes that give a beautiful shade to the leathers.
- Thinner and more flexible skins: which are therefore smaller and more expensive, but it is worth the effort.
The crepe sole: great comfort
A material worked since always a good amount of time
In the beginning there was a tree: the rubber tree.
And this tree, to defend itself from external aggression, produced latex .
Very different from sap, latex protects the tree from injury by forming a protective barrier.
Very early on, the Amazonian Indians realized the usefulness of this material: it waterproofed fabrics, was used to make balls and made boots, as some explorers noted as early as the 15th century, at the time when the rubber boot was completely unknown in Europe.
Amazonian Indian shoes, the ancestor of the sneaker! Photo credit: Dustin Holmes .
Then, you know the rest: latex is available in erasers, hot air balloon canvases, suspenders, a particular branch of clothing, the fabric waterproofing (hello Mackintosh), the tires and… the soles!
How do you make a crepe sole?
It is this precious rubber milk which is the basis of a crepe sole!
The latex is harvested by making spiral cuts on the trunk of the rubber tree.
From there the rubber milk flows (yes, it's really called that).
Then, through an industrial process where each manufacturer has its secret recipe, this liquid is dried, pressed and rolled into sheets. In short, he is manipulated in every way!
This is a machine used to wash crepe sheets.
A PLC1 grade sole
It is with great pride that I announce to you that among the three quality grades for a crepe sole, we have the highest, the PLC grade for Pale Latex Crepe, while most of the time, it is l EBS (Estate Brown Crepe) which is used by shoe brands.
This means that the PLC grade is made only from 100% latex harvested from the rubber tree.
It is this light color which is the sign of PLC 1 grade.
Within this grade, there are 4 categories: PL1X, PLC1, PLC2, and PLC3 .
And we use the PLC1!
In practice, since PLC grades have the least carotenoids, they are the lightest colors, and therefore those that are seen as the most luxurious.
Conversely, it is for this reason that on cheap shoes, the crepe soles have a color that tends towards brown.
Note: I noticed that Jacques & Demeter had done a great article on the crepe sole! I wholeheartedly recommend reading it!
The advantages of the crepe sole
Obviously, the first reason I wanted a crepe sole was for comfort.
In fact, its internal structure traps thousands of cells filled with air which absorb shocks when walking.
This is also why the medical profession has long used crepe insoles for people with back pain.
The pair of shoes for relaxing on Saturday afternoons.
So if you want to look dressy AND walk for hours without sitting down (typically: a day of shopping or meetings), get a shoe with a crepe sole!
And obviously, who says “micro air cushions” says “insulation against cold floors”. Fans of Vibram soles will understand what I mean…
It is a sole that is obviously very flexible, which also provides great comfort when walking.
And finally, the crepe sole has a minimal environmental impact because a rubber tree can produce latex for several decades.
It's the elegant shoe that allows you to take long walks.
Because I’m not hiding anything from you: the limits of the crepe sole
I could have stopped there and told you that the crepe sole, it is the foot it is the best. But like wool or leather, and like any natural material, the crepe sole is "living", that is to say it reacts to its environment.
For example, according to the article by Jacques & Demeter, it reacts very poorly to hydrocarbons and solvents such as white spirit or acetone.
So of course, it's not every day that we walk in a puddle of acetone, but I'll mention it just in case!
Regarding resistance, some say that a crepe sole can wear out faster than a classic sole but my experience does not allow me to say this.
I actually have two pairs of crepe sole shoes, which I have worn extensively, and I really haven't noticed anything unusual.
I almost have the impression that they wear out less quickly than a classic sole, a thesis also supported by supporters of the crepe sole.
You will see, the comfort of the crepe sole on a minimally elegant shoe will make you forget everything else.
Therefore, I think that on a poor quality crepe sole, wear is more premature, exactly like a sneaker sole in the end.
On the other hand, a crepe sole can be resoled contrary to popular belief, but some shoemakers are reluctant to do so. The Maubeuge workshop is recommended for this operation, again according to the article by Jacques & Demeter.
Then let's take aging over time: yes, a crepe sole darkens over time. To say otherwise would be a commercial lie.
You can clean it to remove dirt, but personally, it doesn't bother me that much, I'm not afraid of the marks of time passing on my shoes, even on one of my pairs costing more than €500.
But let us be clear: all these constraints have little weight compared to the comfort and “look” of a crepe sole. That's why I couldn't imagine these Chelsea boots any other way.
Now let's move on to the shirt for this launch, our indigo honeycomb shirt!
A new indigo honeycomb shirt
You appreciated the khaki shirt with this very particular fabric:
So here it is back in indigo color, still with a fabric from the Japanese supplier Maruwa!
As a reminder :
A VERY COMFORTABLE “WAFFLE” FABRIC from Maruwa
It's the perfect fabric to reveal the thousand and one shades of indigo.
Impossible to miss: the texture of this fabric should please you, especially if you are the type who always wants more relief in your clothes.
This is a shirt that will go very well with white or ecru t-shirts underneath.
If you look closely, you will see a multitude of raised squares , but which have nothing to do with a ripstop. This is an embossing, which gives soul to this fabric.
Don't hesitate to wear this shirt with a t-shirt underneath, for an ultra relaxed and effective outfit.
Don't be afraid to wash it, it will fade beautifully and bring out the texture over time!
In this photo, we deliberately showed the hidden button down (made of mother-of-pearl obviously). Also note the very very very slight fading which begins to appear in the most raised places. As you wash it, it will get more and more beautiful!
It is a fabric with a real “roundness”, an enveloping and comfortable side which is not easy to describe. Indeed – and to give you an idea – the design is reminiscent of the embossing of high-end linen napkins.
There is therefore a very appreciable and rather atypical softness for a Japanese material.
Yes, it’s also a selvedge fabric!
How to obtain our new parts?
Visit our stores .
