Even if you’re not a leather aficionado, there’s a good chance you’ve already heard of shell cordovan. And if you have, there’s also a good ch

Is Cordovan Worth It? A Complete Guide to the Fanciest Shoe Leather

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2024-12-26 05:30:02

Even if you’re not a leather aficionado, there’s a good chance you’ve already heard of shell cordovan. And if you have, there’s also a good chance you’ve wondered, “Why is this type of leather so darn expensive?”

On a recent trip to Europe, I knew I had to visit the Spanish island of Mallorca to find out more about Carmina Shoemaker, a company that has been running — under one name or another — since 1866. That’s before the Goodyear welt was even invented!

Known for their Chelsea boots and their Cordovan shoes, one of the videos I filmed with them is all about Cordovan, a subject I’ve never explored before on my channel. IS it worth it? Ioana Dinu, Carmina’s business development manager, explains.

Named in part for the city of Cordoba, Spain where it was first produced in the seventh century by the Visigoths and was known as cordoban, shell cordovan is becoming an increasingly coveted commodity, particularly in the realm of men’s fashion. Though it’s also used to craft wallets and watch bands, cordovan is predominantly sourced to craft high end dress shoes. And by high-end, I mean high-end. The raw material clocks in around $100 per square foot and Viberg’s classic service boot in shell cordovan will run you upwards of a thousand dollars. Granted, they are an incredibly good-looking pair of boots, but are they really worth the ticket price? Let’s take a closer look.

Not only is shell cordovan an indisputably good-looking leather, it’s one that only gets better-looking with time. Shell cordovan is a self polishing material, which means that you don’t have to do much at all for it to develop a beautiful sheen, allowing its already impressive appearance take on an all new luster.