Rancourt & Co for Need Supply Co

Rancourt continues to be my favourite american maker of moccasins (my Eastlands are made by Rancourt). They're hot as hell now and making mocs and loafers for so many brands and shops. I think, they're even still offering the option of having made-to-order handsewns made. Something I've been thinking quite a bit about having made. I would probably go for a classic ranger moccasin in natural Chromexcel leather with brass eyelets and their French-made Lactae Hevea sole from Reltex. This would be a classic looking and very wearable ranger moc, indeed.

BUT then I saw these monsters that Rancourt made for Need Supply some time ago, and was immediately enthralled. Then I figured that I should probably wait a bit and see if it would go away. But I just looked at them again, and I feel like a fat kid at a Cold Stone Creamery screaming "GOTTA HAVE IT!!" 

 Classic nylon boot laces add a rugged touch

 That stacked leather heel/counter and ripple sole from Vibram look great together.

Rancourt - Green Shell Cordovan Moccasin Bluchers

I have a terrible feeling, that these might be the coolest moccasin bluchers, I've ever seen. Some might find them a bit too extravagant for a regular pair of moccasins, but I'm all for this kind of craziness. This is taking a somewhat standard product, which admittedly is an understatement and bringing it to a whole new level.

They're made by Rancourt in the US. Rancourt has long been a maker for a number of other brands (including the Eastlands, that I have - see 1 and 2), so I promise you, that the construction and craftsmanship is second to none. Furthermore the materials couldn't possibly be any nicer. Shell cordovan to me is probably one - if not the - of the nicest leathers around and the sole by Reltex which I honestly didn't know about before seems very, very nice.

Eastland Made in Maine - Part Deux

I caved. I went back to get the other pair of Eastland Made in Maine shoes, that I had been eyeing for some time. My older mocs (mostly Quoddy and Yuketen) are all quite worn out, and they are my go-to summer kickers, so I felt it was an investment worth making. 

They fit me perfectly and the construction of the shoe feels very solid and very sturdy. The leather choice isn't that interesting per se, but this Chromexcel from Horween feels a bit different from the other Chromexcel footwear I have. It's more waxy, more greasy and bit thicker as well. I'm sure, it'll wear in very nicely. But the colour however is a bit more interesting than the more regular colours you often see, although it's not crazy like some of the more recent moccasin, we've also been seeing.

Another nice feature is the leather mid sole. It's not an original feature, as far as I know, when comparing to bluchers in old LL Bean catalogs for instance. but it is a feature I quite enjoy.

Nice grain on the leather. It has a bit more character than regular Chromexcel, though still very subtle.

Perfect stitching.

I wouldn't mind adding more Eastlands to my shoe collection. They very well-made.

Now this post wouldn't be complete without a video. I hope I haven't posted this one before. It's hard to keep track. This video shows the Rancourt factory, where I'm quite sure, that Eastland's Made in Maine collection is made. It'll make you appreciate your shoes more.

Ebay Find - Russell Moccasin Memorabilia

If you like Russell Moccasin of Berlin Wisconsin as much as I do, you are going to enjoy seeing this piece of memorabilia.

If you don't know about Russell Moccasin, I suggest you do some Google search on your own for now. Or else wait patiently until I find the time to do a piece on them.

Anyways, check out the Russell Moc dog boots

HERE

Quoddy Workshop

I purchased my first pair of Quoddy Moccasins some years ago. Now back then they weren't advertised as being made by Quoddy. They were advertised as a pair of Albam moccasins made near the Passamaquoddy bay in Maine, USA. Fastforward a couple of years and Quoddy is almost a household name.

I still have them around, although they are pretty worn out by now, in case you are wondering.

I'm not going to write much about Quoddy at this point, but I'll yet again post a video on how a moccasin is made, and the skill and craft that goes into a pair of moccasins.

Quoddy Workshop - Lewiston, Maine from Oliver Wilkins on Vimeo.

PS. If you want the nicest pair of Quoddy moccasins, you should probably head over to South Willard, as they happen to make the best custom ones.

Repairs, repairs and more repairs

These last couple of days have been hectic. A good friend returned from the States and stayed with me for a couple of days. We ate some good food, drank a couple of beers, and I gave him a crash course in leather work which resulted in a beautiful belt and a wallet.

Besides that I have only been doing repairs. I have been repairing crotch blows on some jeans that belongs to good friends and I have been repairing a bag that is used to carry too many books, which resulted in a lot of busted seams. So I did some hand sewing on the bag which will make it last a long time, if not forever. Hopefully I managed to take some decent pics of it, which I'll post later on.

It's funny when you talk about hand sewing because it is widely used in a lot of different (meaning; wrong ways). Sometimes it means that a person did the sewing on a sewing machine, but sometimes it does in fact mean that a person did every stich by hand. That is time consuming, but it is also more beautiful, if done right and it will last a lot longer.

Some time ago I found this little gem on Youtube. Here you see a genuine craftsman doing what he does best - hand sewing a pair loafers.