Engineered Garments x Alden - Algonquin V-Tip Blucher - #8 Shell Cordovan w/Commando Sole

The Alden Shoe Company was founded in Middleborough, Massachusetts in 1884, one of hundreds of shoemakers in New England in the 19th century and now the only one left. Alden's refusal to lower its standards is what kept it in business for close to 150 years.

How it is made

• Built on Alden's 379x Military last, developed for soldiers during the Second World War
• Goodyear welt
• Handcrafted in New England

Shell cordovan does not come from a cow. It is taken from the shell, the connective tissue on a horse's rump, and Horween's process for it runs over months and has not changed in more than a century. Crystallised tree bark extract is what lets the finished leather hold its sheen without wax. It ripples rather than creases, so it is far less likely to crack, and it has fewer pores than calfskin, which gives it both its mirror finish and a natural resistance to water.

Horween grades its cordovan by how many times the shells go through its aniline red dye, the recipe for which is a trade secret: #2, #4, #6, then #8. Colour #8 carries the most dye and the deepest colour of them.

The Commando sole is modelled on Alden's original leather sole, with a rubber lug section at the front half and the heel joined to the leather by an overlap that fits together like a jigsaw. It takes weather better than a plain leather sole and flexes more.

Please note

Sizes are US.

Also

• Last 379X, Welt Flat, and Commando Sole
• Width D