Hide Library

A Guide to the Fine Hides Behind Great Shoes

From French calf to English suede, here’s what makes each leather special—and why it matters

In this guide we'll outline the defining characteristics of each leather or suede we use in our shoes. We're extremely proud of the quality of these hides, and would love you to know more about each one.

Janus Calf

Product example : Penny Loafer

Origin: C.F. Stead England
Type: Full-grain calf suede
Tannage: Chrome-tanned with proprietary finishing
Colors we offer: New Tan, Alden Snuff, Dark Brown

Janus Calf is regarded as one of the finest calf suedes in the world. Produced by C.F. Stead, a tannery with over a century of expertise in luxury suedes. Janus Calf stands out for its dense fiber structure, buttery softness, and elegant nap.

Unlike split suede, Janus Calf is crafted from the full-grain of calfskin, preserving both strength and flexibility.

Regency Calf

Product example : Oxford

Origin: C.F. Stead England
Type: Full-grain waxed calf
Tannage: Vegetable tanned with wax impregnation, hand-finished antiquing
Colors we offer: Dark Brown Snuff

Regency Calf represents a modern take on waxed leather, merging the traditional hand of English calf with a slightly waxed surface finish. It offers depth of color and tonal variation that gives the leather more diversity within your wardrobe, allowing brighter colors to pull more of the lighter shades of brown out of the leather.

Regency Calf has a firm temper and a lightly waxed surface that adds visual richness and water resistance. It doesn’t show pull-up like Chromexcel but has a slight sheen and natural patina that develops with wear. The finish resists superficial scuffing while still allowing for polish and conditioning.

Waxy Commander Original

Product example : Chelsea Boot

Origin: C.F. Stead England
Type: Full-grain waxed suede
Tannage: Chrome-tanned with heavy wax finish
Colors we offer: Snuff

Waxy Commander is a rugged, wax-impregnated suede that features a tough, weather-resistant alternative to traditional suede. The “Original” designation refers to the tannery’s classic, deeply saturated wax formula and color palette.

It requires minimal maintenance and is exceptionally well-suited to hard-wearing environments. Over time, it develops a worn-in patina where the wax disperses as it reacts to movement and friction, creating a beautiful patina unique to each pair.

The other unique aspect of Waxy Commander involves shrinking the hide during the tanning process to tighten its fiber structure, making it less porous.

Chromexcel

Product example : Classic Boot

Origin: Horween Chicago, USA
Type: Combination-tanned pull-up leather
Tannage: Chrome & Vegetable tanned
Colors we offer: Natural, Brown, Black

Chromexcel is Horween’s flagship leather, celebrated for its rich finish, heavy oil content, and signature pull-up effect. It is soft, pliable, and highly durable.

It is a combination-tanned leather, which means it's chrome-tanned, then re-tanned with a vegetable (tree bark) solution.
It is also one of the few leathers in the world still produced using a hot-stuffing method—where a proprietary blend of oils and waxes is infused into the hide. Hot-stuffing also provides the leather with additional softness and water resistance.

It then gets hand-coated with aniline dyes (except for the Natural color), and then finished with neatsfoot oil.

Chateaubriand

Product example : Derby

Origin: Tannery Du Puy France
Type: Full-grain box calf
Tannage: Chrome-tanned with premium finish
Colors we offer: Black

Chateaubriand is Du Puy’s signature high-grade calfskin. It features an exceptionally smooth finish, tight grain, and a deep black coloration. As a division of Hermès, Tannery Du Puy maintains some of the highest quality control standards in the leather industry, often working with hides sourced from specific French cattle breeds.

This leather holds its color extremely well and takes a mirror shine brilliantly. Join us trying the mirror shine technique from the World Championship of Shoe Shining for the first time.