SL: From a material standpoint, you’re working with makers based in firm traditions. How do you fuse an interest in keeping to tradition and innovating with a new material?

NB: What’s fun about doing this is rediscovering stuff that’s either been lost or forgotten. If we’re talking about using a material for a shoe, there are a couple materials we’re working on. We’re working with some really modern materials and technologies. Those shoes are a little further along the line, but we are working with them. A lot of the technology that comes into sneaker brands, we’re trying to work that into high-end mens footwear.

At the same time we’re using beautiful high-end leathers in shoes that people haven’t used before. Like, Kudu, and if you don’t know what that is, it is a large African Antelope. Their leather is strong and thick, but also glove soft. There was a tannery that closed down 20 years ago, and the last lot of Kudu leather from there is sitting with our leather dealer. It is still as beautiful as the day it was made. In trying to use innovative material, sometimes its cutting edge technical and other times it’s these beautiful forgotten materials that just don’t exist anymore.

SL: In the antiques trade, there was a lot of excitement over the Russian leather found at sea.

NB: Yes, the Russian reindeer leather.

SL: I know a few people with shoes made out of that find. Obviously, people were over the moon with that discovery.

NB: That’s because you can’t make that leather anymore. For us, its a combination of... well. you’ll rarely find anything as dramatic as sunken treasure in the form of Russian reindeer leather... but, we’ll try. That goes with being consistent with shoe technology and what’s going on around the world.

SL: I wonder how that plays on the factory floor. The interest in innovation, to me, strikes me as something that will either excite or repel those people involved in traditional shoemaking.

NB: I tell you, I’ve been working with my English factory close to 3 years and the Italian factory for a little over a year. I chose to work with them, because for the most part, they are genuinely excited about the projects and crazy ideas. From my experience, 95% of the shoe factories on the planet have no interest in doing anything innovative. It’s expensive, it’s difficult. There are a few and those get really excited by crazy ideas and are trying to improve on things. We’re investing a lot in pattern making. Investing a lot in technology. We’re lucky to have partners that get excited about this. It’s taken 2 and a half years to get there.