Chromexcel

Shell cordovan is made from the fibrous membrane — the “shell” — found beneath the hide on the rump of a horse. There are only two shells per animal, which makes it scarce and costly. Unlike cow leather it does not crease: it ripples and rolls as it flexes, and takes a deep, glassy shine.

Horween Shell Cordovan is the benchmark the industry measures shell against, and effectively impossible to mass-produce. It is tanned by hand to a centuries-old, in-house recipe: pure vegetable tanning in pits with tree-bark extract over at least six months.

Each shell is then hand-shaved to thickness, hand-dyed, hot-stuffed and hand-glazed with glass rods rolled across the surface to compact the fibres. The result is exceptionally durable, and only improves with wear.