Shell Cordovan Shoe Blog: Shell Cordovan Basics

Shell cordovan is a type of leather made from the under-layer of skin from a horses rump.

^ "shells" ^

It is a tough and durable leather that is known for its unmistakable dull shine. Unlike calfskin and other leathers, shell cordovan does not readily absorb water. Due to its tanning process, the leather retains much of its natural waxes and oils, which allows unfortunate scuffs to simply be buffed out. The waxy nature of the leather also means that shell cordovan can be buffed to a shine with little or no paste wax or polish.

There are currently two tanneries in the world that produce shell cordovan. Comipel, which sources their hides from Japan and dyes them in Italy, and Horween. Horween is a 4th generation family-owned American tannery located in Chicago. Horween has been producing shell cordovan using their proprietary technique for over 100 years. They also produce other types of specialty leathers, such as the leather that official NFL footballs are made from, as well as leather for baseball gloves. Many shell cordovan enthusiasts consider only Horween shell to be authentic shell cordovan, as they are the only tannery to have continuously produced the leather for over a century, and slightly discernible differences can be noticed between the appearance, feel and smell of Horween and Comipel cordovan. However, Comipel does produce a wider spectrum of colors than Horween, including some very bright shades.

Comipel Shells

The tanning process for shell cordovan takes no less than six months. Unlike other leathers, shell cordovan is tanned using vegetable liquors instead of distillates. This is why shell cordovan is able to retain much if its natural waxes and oils. The length of time that it takes to tan shell cordovan is just one of the factors contributing to its scarcity. The other is the availability of horse hides. Horses are not slaughtered for their leather, rather they are raised for their meat. In France, Canada and other countries horse meat is considered a delicacy. The hides are simply a byproduct of this trade. Not every hide is suitable for producing shell cordovan, as they must largely be free of blemishes and other imperfections. Darker colored shell cordovan has a higher tolerance for imperfections as they can be hidden with dye, however, lighter colors require the most carefully selected shells, and are therefore more rare.

After the hides are steeped for a period of weeks, they are hand stretched on to a frame and allowed to dry. They are then shaved to a uniform thickness, hand dyed and glazed. All of these steps require the refined skill of an expert craftsman, and much of the process is done by hand.