Our Chukka and Moto Boots are in production right now and will start shipping in the next few weeks. We made a factory visit this week and had a sneak peak at the boots as they were being made.
The Chukka Boot uppers are made from a wheatbuck suede from a British tannery. This has been cut into sections and stamped with the HebTroCo logo. The pieces were being sewn together by the machinists.
The Moto Boots are in a more advanced state. The thick oiled suede uppers, again from a British tannery, have been assembled, sewn and are now waiting for our soles to be put on.
We’ve been wearing our own pairs of boots for the last two months now and they are broken in nicely. It does take a couple of weeks wearing for them to soften up and mould to the shape of your feet. They are made exclusively for us by England’s last traditional heavy work boot maker in Derbyshire.
We’ve done all sorts in our boots so far. We rode bicycles from Manchester to Hebden Bridge in them. Pubs have been visited. The office floor has been paced up and down. There has even been dancing. The Moto Boots have done about 3000 motorcycling miles around Yorkshire and Lancashire, as well as trips to the Highlands of Scotland and the beaches of Cornwall. They are showing a nice patina of wear, especially where the left boot comes into contact with the gear shifter. The boots do not claim to be 100% waterproof, but you will get a good four hours of riding in proper rain before you notice any ingress. Even after a full day of rain, socks were only slightly damp.
Both boots are of a heavy construction and are certainly made to last. If you do manage to wear out the soles you will be reassured to hear that they can be fully resoled. This longevity is sadly lacking in most of today’s disposable fashion.
We designed these boots because we wanted to wear them ourselves and we hope that you will like them too.