Wow, I think Poell should get his hands on some of this skin...
From NYtimes.com
Lace Up a Bit of History
LONDON — So, you’ve realized
that those shapeless but comfortable shoes you’ve come to favor do not
impress clients, that those sleek Italian driving slip-ons with treads
curving up the back no longer announce that you have a special style.
One remedy might be having shoes made from a leather so rare, so
exquisite, so exclusive that its purveyors have exhausted the thesaurus
to come up with adjectives to make you want it.
Only a lucky (actually, wealthy) few hundred have been shod in this
leather. And only a few dozen more will be able to join their ranks,
since the two shoemakers here that have access to it will soon be down
to their last hides.
The leather is pre-Revolutionary Russian reindeer hide and is said
by its owners to have wonderful qualities of wear, luster and aroma.
The shoes made from it are strikingly beautiful, notable for their rich
mid-brown color and cross-hatching applied by the hands of Russian
tanners in the 18th century. But however exceptional the leather is, it
comes with what is for many a more appealing feature: an intriguing
history.
The leather was recovered from a Danish brigantine that went down in
a storm more than 200 years ago off the coast of Plymouth, England. The
ship, the Catherina von Flensburg, was bound for Genoa from St.
Petersburg, its cargo destined for Italian artisans, when it sank in
December 1786.
The Times of London recorded the event, saying, “Ship and cargo totally lost; the crew saved.”
Lost maybe, but not forever. In 1973, amateur divers discovered the
remains of the Catherina and found its cargo of hides largely preserved
from the saltwater by the thick black mud of Plymouth Sound.
Under British law, Prince Charles, as Duke of Cornwall, was the
owner of the wreck and its contents. He allowed the diving club to sell
the hides to finance the salvage operation.
Ian Skelton, the head diver, found someone to restore the leather.
And John Carnera and George Glasgow — who are “bespoke,” or custom,
shoemakers in London and who knew of the legendary qualities of
pre-Revolutionary Russian calf — began acquiring it and fashioning it
into shoes in 1987.
“The way leather was worked by the Russian tanners was an art form,”
Mr. Carnera said. “They were laid in pits for a long period of time and
tanned using only natural vegetable oils.”
He said that modern efforts to duplicate the tanning process lost in
the Revolution have failed. The first pair of shoes made with the
leather was for Prince Charles, who is not only heir to the British
throne but also holder of the less-formal title “the world’s most
Englishly dressed gentleman.”
The shoes may still be purchased at New & Lingwood, a fine men’s
shop on Jermyn Street, where Mr. Carnera and Mr. Glasgow used to work,
and at G. J. Cleverley & Company, a renowned bespoke shoemaker in
the Royal Arcade off Old Bond Street, which they now run.
Colin Austin, the current master shoemaker at New & Lingwood,
says he has about 80 pairs of ready-made shoes in stock and only enough
leather remaining to make about five pairs of bespoke shoes.
Mr. Carnera says he uses the precious Russian calf only for bespoke
shoes and he has access to enough hides for about 40 more pairs. After
those shoes are gone there may be no more. Mr. Skelton said he no
longer wishes to risk his life diving in dangerous and murky waters.
Although the forward hold of the ship probably still carries some
hides, he said in a telephone interview from his home in Cornwall that
he’s finished diving. “I’m 66 now and have been doing this for 30
years,” he said. “During that time I’ve had some close calls.”
Those interested in acquiring the shoes should be prepared to pay a
bit more than for a pair of Hush Puppies; at New & Lingwood,
ready-made loafers and brogues cost £995, or about $1,900. Bespoke
Russian calf shoes are $4,960, compared with $3,433 for custom shoes in
regular leathers.
At Cleverley’s, you can get custom-made shoes from Russian reindeer,
including the shop’s signature squared-toe styles, for $4,197, compared
with $3,433 for regular leathers. Both shops are reticent about who is
walking about in rare Russian calf, but Mr. Carnera allowed that he has
made pairs for Jackie Stewart, the race car driver, and Terence Stamp,
the actor, both Britons. But most of those who own the shoes are
Americans.
Niels Van-Rooyen, a manager at New & Lingwood, said the
exclusivity and back story of the shoes acts like catnip to American
customers. “Americans love something with a history to it,” he said.
Owning a pair is, for many, “like joining a special club.”
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