Why wont this story die?

Zombie thread revival!  Andyland has a thread on this nonsense again.  I don't get the hype and I'm getting to think the myth is meaningless and the cross-hatching and maybe the dopey root beer smell is the only tangible quality of any worth.

This Russian Reindeer leather product is one of the most laughably & cynical attempts to fool the credible 'luxury goods' buyer for a long time. It's the only stuff around so it MUST be special and expensive even though on examination its unattractive & boring stuff. It's supposed properties of strength & durability seem dubious as well.

Its interesting to note who jumped on this bandwagon of bullshit though, (1) obviously the salvage crew who expended enormous costs in recovery of a trunk full of leather, instead of the gold coins they were hoping for (2) gj cleverley who bought a lot of it up to make into bespoke shoes. Unsurprising, as they are perhaps the most untrustworthy shoe maker in London, who openly denigrate their competition, lie about their standard and Anthony Cleverley RTW production, which sends the iGent community into endless debates trying to solve a poirot style shoe manufacture mystery .. who on earth makes them? (3) Who else but my own favourite blogger, Will Boehlke from Suitable (but dull as dishwater) Wardrobe. Not only does he blog about the stuff, promoting its mythical qualities but he sells various accessories from the aforementioned Cleverley who have made some of it into Filofaxes (who the hell uses these in 2014?), wallets and so on. Apparantly there are not as many gullible bespoke shoe buyers as they may have imagined. This is why I called Will Boehlke out on here, as he is a fraud, regardless of his bumbling nice old American gentleman routine. He is one of the chief proponents of a lot of the sartorial bullshit we are all tierd of hearing about on various forums & a cheap snake oil salesman.

Last edited by dryplum (2014-01-14 18:06:19)

l have been trying for years to find an excuse to wear Russian calf shoes, but so far l cannot find one. A nice pair of country reverse welted brogues would be nice from Cleverley, but l don't wanna folk out around 7K for shoes l would only wear occasionally. Better off sticking to vintage Florshiem or Trickers for my country shoes, they serve the purpose well.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2014-01-15 00:59:12)

I've read up a bit on this and there are repeated mentions that the birch-tanning and cross-hatching were for bookbinding leather. 
It's as if I found some old unhung wallpaper and decided to use it as luxury stationery.

exactly, the hype claims the following;

"In the late 1700s, Russian leather was sought after for not only being exceptionally beautiful, supple and water resistant, but for its aroma so rich it could repel insects"

well beautiful is of course in the eye of the beholder, personally I find it looks ok but nothing special at all, rustic looking leather but basically not dissimilar to a tan calf leather if it had been scored. supple .. well we know that isn't true .. its stiff as a board. water resistant .. perhaps it was .. but is it still after being underwater for several hundred years?

The story goes on ...

"The hides were pulled up in bundles, and amazingly a remarkable number were found to be almost perfectly preserved, protected by a combination of water pressure and sediment – and miraculous good luck. Although early attempts at restoring the hides were disappointing, Snelson eventually perfected his technique, and the original beauty and magic reappeared almost flawlessly"

So basically this stuff wasn't even sealed off in any way .. it was actually submerged in water and mud. they had to restore it, in a way which sounds quite experimental, but the properties are likely changed which is why it cracks and dries easily. Who wants to buy leather which has basically been waterlogged .. and at a price higher than exotic skins as well! What a joke. Perhaps Cleverley will branch out into 'rare' tulip bulbs as well in the future?

http://www.centurion-magazine.com/home/style/womens-fashion/sunken-leather.html

Last edited by dryplum (2014-01-15 11:16:32)

well you've got comps seal of approval on the stuff!

http://www.permanentstyle.co.uk/2010/02/reindeer-bag-from-1786.html#.UtcqTTiYaP4

Last edited by dryplum (2014-01-15 17:46:16)

The history aspect is appealing.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2014-01-16 06:55:34)