They say no man is an island and, while Northampton-based shoemaker Crockett & Jones may have its craft down to a fine art, when it comes to sourcing the materials for its range of fine derbys, brogues, boots and loafers, this great craftsman was never going to be let down by its tools. Thankfully, you don’t make high-quality, long-lasting footwear for nearly 150 years without making some connections along the way. Enter the Horween Leather Co. and its world-class Shell Cordovan.

The Horween Leather Co. was founded in 1905 and has been developing top-quality leather in Chicago ever since. Its signature Shell Cordovan comes from the hindquarters of the horse, providing a very tight fibre structure which is then oiled by hand, aged for 90 days, and finally tanned, hung-dried and hand-waxed and glazed. This painstaking, manual process creates a distinctive sheen on the leather which, over the years, has resulted in some of Crockett & Jones most recognisable designs.

Just like Crockett & Jones, the Horween Leather Co. remains a family-run business committed to quality and timelessness above all else. “It’s about doing it the right way, and the right way is not necessarily the cheap way, or the fast way,” explains Nick Horween, great-grandson of founder Isadore Horween. “Working with Crockett & Jones has been a great partnership in the truest sense of the word since then. At Horween, we try and make a product that we can be proud of, and Crockett make a product we can be proud of.”

Right on time for the autumn leaves and blustery season, Crockett & Jones has created a new collection to celebrate its long-standing relationship with the world’s greatest tanners of Shell Cordovan.

Crockett & Jones Shell Cordovan Harlech

Crockett & Jones Cavendish tassle loafers

The Shell Cordovan collection offers some of the brand’s more iconic shoes and boots made with this most durable of leathers. Take, for example, the Harlech Derby boots made from Horween’s whisky shell cordovan with double leather soles for longevity, or the smart Lanark 5 derby shoe with Horween’s hatch grain Cordovan and rubber soles. There’s also the elegant Cavendish tassel loafer: a classic design made from Horween’s finest burgundy shell Cordovan with single leather soles. We reckon these are shoes you can be proud of too.

Shop the full Crockett & Jones Horween Shell Cordovan collection at crockettandjones.com