In 1973, divers off England's Plymouth Sound found the wreck of the Catharina von Flensburg, an eighteenth century brigantine that sank in 1786 with a cargo of reindeer hides. They had been cured in baths of rye or oat flour and yeast, hand embossed before being soaked in wood liquor and finally hand curried and soaked in seal oil and birch tan oil. The result is a unique finish that cannot be replicated.
Though covered with mud for centuries, the hides proved to be water resistant and still very serviceable. Bundles have been periodically brought to the surface and sold by the divers who discovered them. They are dried, cleaned and sorted in a small workshop in Cornwall where some are made into attaché cases, belts and other leathergoods on the spot. Others are sent to London to be made into shoes in London by bespoke shoemakers G. J. Cleverley .
There is some question as to how long the supplies of hide will be available. I have heard it estimated that half of them still lie in the mud of the seabed, but the diver who was given rights to them has retired and there is no successor in sight. For now, Cleverley continues to deliver a small supply of products from two hundred year old Russian leather.
Photos: G. J. Cleverley
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9 comments:
One shudders to think of the price!
New and Longwood sells them too and not very expensive either, if you dont mind the style.
Aside from the great snob value what are the other benefits of this leather?
New and Lingwood may not be heart-stoppingly expensive to some but in US$ those shoes come out to almost $1800. That's shudder-ish to me.
Of course there is a great deal of snob appeal in them but unless one could actually touch and smell the leather, that question is impossible to answer.
It has a nice rustic look that is completely authentic. That suffices for men who buy it for the pleasure of having it.
I'd love to invest in some more diving equipment and have a go. There's no shortage of people with more money than sense who'll pay through the nose for objects that are perceived to set them apart from everyone else.
And while I'm at it, perhaps an attaché case for the secret snob in me...
The article mentions that some of the leather is used to produce products in Cornwall, where it's salvaged from the sea--what are the products? Any link to the manufacturer? I may not be able to afford shoes made from the stuff, but, if there were something small-ish, it might make for a cool conversation piece.
Cleverley uses it for small leather goods including key cases, card holders, Filofax covers and the like.
New and Lingwood offer them ready made also and they are not out of sight pricewise. They are a bit of a specialised taste like alligator but if this is what floats your boat.
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