Text: Horween leather shoes
27 Article
Horween: Leather from Chicago since 1905
It was 1893 when Ukrainian Isadore Horween emigrated from his homeland, like so many others at the time, to find his fortune in America. Horween, who had already worked as a tanner in his old home, quickly found employment in Chicago, where the concentration of tanneries was particularly high around the turn of the century. There, west of the Chicago River, on the North Elston Avenue known as "Tannery Row," he would make a name for himself in the next twelve years before opening his own tannery on Division Street in 1905. "Horween & Co." began its production with the leather that would become synonymous with it more than 107 years later: Shell Cordovan. This leather dream can only be obtained from a very specific part of the horse, the so-called rump. Unlike horsehide leather, Shell Cordovan is made up of two overlapping muscles that, after tanning, are particularly supple, durable, and shiny, making them highly valued by shoe lovers all over the world.
Horween: Leather for the NFL and the World Market
The son of Isadore, Arnold Horween, made a breakthrough in the 1940s: He was able to convince the Chicago-based sports equipment manufacturer Wilson to collaborate. Arnold, who had previously worked successfully as a player and coach in the North American Football League (NFL) before taking over the company, managed to secure Horween as the official leather supplier for the NFL's game ball. From then on, Horween was present at every kick-off of America's favorite sport.
Newest Innovation from Horween: Chromexcel
Today, nearly 160 employees work for Horween in Chicago, taking care of the tanning process for a wide range of full-grain and embossed leathers - with each step being carried out on site. Approximately 4,000 tanned cowhides leave the production facility every week. However, Horween is world-renowned for its horse leather, where the company essentially holds a monopoly. Any shoe manufacturer looking to offer Cordovan models cannot avoid using leather from Horween. By the way, the raw hides come from France, where they are a by-product of the meat-producing industry.
The tanning of horse leather accounts for about 15 to 20 percent of the company's total revenue. And only about 10 percent of a horse hide makes up the famous Shell Cordovan. While the chrome tanning of cattle hides takes four weeks, the Cordovan Shells require an average of six months until delivery. As demand continues to rise, Nick Horween sometimes has no choice but to turn away new customers. The hand-polished and dyed leather is highly sought after by shoe enthusiasts, and Horween has managed to make his Shell Cordovan synonymous with high-quality, extremely supple and glossy horse leather.
