Welcome to the first edition of our new publication, The Patina Post. In Division Road's "footwear first" tradition, we’ve taken a few boots from our personal collections that have been worn throughout the last year, and issued a demonstration of the kind of break-in and development of character one can expect depending on the usage and circumstances worn. We are of the belief when dealing with fully re-buildable handgrade footwear that while they are impressive new, these products look better with age, and really exhibit the craft when put through various conditions and journeys in which they break-in rather than break-down.
We don’t baby our footwear, and when restoring them we take a "less is more" approach. A complete cleaning with water, sometimes using a mild soap to get off dirt and debris is necessary. Then we use leather conditioning wipes on the midsoles and on some of the highly finished leathers to provide some base level hydration after cleaning. Finally and most importantly, we liberally apply Saphir Greasy Leather Crème or Renovateur depending on the tannage type to fully moisturize and replenish the leather with the original and natural oils. No tinted creams or polishes are ever used, just conditioning, hydration, and replenishing to refresh the materials while allowing the deep patina, scuffs, and general character to remain.
Viberg Tan Horsehide Chelsea Boot – William
Worn: Shop, Farm, and Traveling
10 Months – 4 Restores
Will works his boots quite hard and this results in the kind of patina that takes some of us twice as long to achieve, which means his pieces are an excellent example of how our footwear can be used. Most of his boots are worn equally at the boatyard, on the farm, in the shop, out in the city, and hiking on various Pacific Northwest terrains. Some of us only strive to get the kind of patina that William is able to achieve in such a short amount of time. His pieces are an iconic illustration of how these boots are built for all conditions, and after a little care are easily rejuvenated to reveal a result unique to the life of the wearer.
Viberg Black CXL Service Boot – William
Worn: Shop and Boatyard
14 Months – 5 Restores
Russell Moccasin Black CXL & Bison South 40 Huntsman - William
Worn: Shop, Farm, and Hiking
12 Months – 2 Restores
Tricker’s Antique Acorn Stow Boot – William
Worn: Shop, Farm, and Traveling
14 Months – 6 Restores
Viberg Crust CXL Service Boot - Jason
Worn: Shop, Traveling, and Hiking
10 Months – 3 Restores
Jason is slightly more deliberate with his footwear and has a pretty broad collection to cycle through, so admittedly not every pair sees the regular wear that they should. However even with a city, shop, traveling, and hiking lifestyle you can see the change and adaptation that occurs while wearing footwear made to old world lifetime standards from the highest grade natural materials. Even with a mostly urban lifestyle the development of unique qualities is evident. The process of the footwear molding to the foot, the depth of character and color changes that occur within the leather, and the overall unique transformations will still take place for those fellows who go a little easier on their boots.
Viberg Black CXL Service Boot – Jason
Worn: Shop and Traveling
14 Months – 3 Restores
