Cordovan

Leather in shell cordovan has a different structure and features than regular calf leather, therefore it needs to be treated a bit differently. Here you among other things find Saphir Medaille d'Or's popular shoe cream for cordovan as well as deer bone from renowned Abbeyhorn. Also try our stiffer brish with wild boar bristles which is excellent to work out the natural oils and waxes in the cordovan leather. All so your cordovan shoes will get the care they deserve.

What is shell cordovan?

Cordovan is a special type of leather, which is made from the horse's butt. This is because the skin of horses here is slightly different, as between the outer grain layer, or epidermis as it's called, and the subcutaneous layer, the dermis, there is a thin muscle membrane which is known as the shell. On cordovan, the grain, the harder, more durable part on the outside of full grain leather, is turned inside and it's the muscle membrane outwards, which is then treated in various ways and stuffed full of natural oils and waxes. The fact that cordovan doesn't have the grain part on the outside means that it can withstand scratches very well, for example, on normal leather you damage the grain surface when you get scratches, the shell muscle membrane you can process in a different way. The scratches can appear a bit easier, just like water marks for example, but instead it's easy to restore and make neat again.

How do I best care for shoes in shell cordovan?

Shell cordovan is stuffed with a lot of natural oils and waxes in the tanning process, and as it's absorbed in a special way by the shell membrane, much of what the material needs is already in the leather. Therefore, heavy brushing, preferably with a stiffer boar bristle brush, or rubbing with a deer bone, is often enough to bring out the oils and waxes from the leather and make marks and other things disappear.

If you need to clean cordovan, Saphir Medaille d'Or Leather Cleanser is an excellent product. And if you need to top up with more oils and waxes, perhaps to cover extra dull marks or similar, Saphir Medaille d'Or Crème Pommadier Cordovan is an excellent product, also available in a range of colours.

How do I get a good shine on shell cordovan?

Most of the time, brushing very vigorously, preferably with a stiffer boar bristle brush, will suffice. If necessary, you can add Saphir Medaille d'Or Crème Pommadier Cordovan which adds new oils and waxes and makes it easier to bring out the shine again. Finishing with a nylon cloth often adds the final touch to the shine of cordovan shoes.

Why doesn't shell cordovan crease?

Cordovan does crease, it's just that the creases become soft waves instead of pronounced creases. The reason for this is that you don't have a harder grain surface that breaks in the form of folds, like on regular smooth-pressed full grain leather, but here the grain is on the inside and the softer shell membrane is on the outside. Then these waves are formed instead. You can see a similar type of crease formation on full reverse calf suede, where the hard grain is inwards and the softer, sanded flesh side is outwards.

Which tanneries make shell cordovan?

The most famous tannery for cordovan leather is Horween in Chicago, USA. However, there are several other tanneries that make this type of leather. In Italy, for example, there are Rocado, Maryam and Shell Cordovan (an Italian/Slovakian company), in Japan Shinki and Ogawa (who, however, buy crust hides from Shinki and finish them themselves) and in Argentina Lis Royal, among others.