Stepping Back In Time
There is an encouraging new artisan movement in Los Angeles where local products are made the old-fashioned way using the best and most authentic ingredients. Many of the craftsmen in this movement have been drawn together as a result of the common thread they share.
One particular artisan, the boot maker – Julian. He is known amongst fellow craftsmen as someone who takes joy and pride in every step of the process from hand carving lasts to hand making every single pair of boots, right here in the America. While riding in Hodis’s pre-war hot rod as the navigator on the Annual Reliability Run, meandering through the San Gabriel Mountains, the idea of the collaborative effort was born.
We took an English last (the last makes the the shape of a boot) from the time period before the First World War. This last was the shape that was used by Welsh miners in the United Kingdom during this pre-war period. We made a couple modifications for comfort and fit and then we applied a pattern that was commonplace in that time up until about 1920.
The boot that we created is all handmade solid leather throughout (100% leather sole and upper), crafted in the old-fashioned handmade way, the same way that it would have been done back in that time period.
One motivation behind this project is that we see people are becoming very serious about buying local products made with old-fashioned techniques and with the highest quality of goods. We believe some of this was born out of an intrigue with vintage products because they were always made and bought locally, and with highest quality materials. It is in opposition to most of the products we buy today that have been made in the farther parts of the world.
We made only 5 pairs of these boots which will be available for boot enthusiasts to look at, try on, and purchase at our event on August 7, along with our mine-found recreations.
