Crafted from unique black Shinki Horsebutt leather, these seasonally-returning engineer boots feature a sleek silhouette with a flat welt, enhancing their dressy profile. The varying grain texture adds a one-of-a-kind charm as it ages beautifully, revealing a rich brown core beneath the black dye. With premium Japanese craftsmanship, including solid nickel hardware and a Goodyear welt, these boots combine durability with timeless style, perfect for any wardrobe.
From the brand: The grain texture of Shinki Horsebutt is highly variable, and will differ immensely from boot to boot. We cannot ensure your boots will have more or less grain than what is photographed as all pairs will be entirely unique. Caveat emptor.
John Lofgren Engineer Boots have been among our very favorites since we first laid eyes on them. Originally debuted in 2012, a substantial number of our staff have at least one pair, with a few folks sitting on a considerable stash of different styles from over the years... Made start to finish at one of the best bootmaking factories in Japan, no expense was spared — from development, to fit, to materials, everything is simply the best, without compromise.
Every great pair of footwear begins with a good last, and these start from a custom-made last designed by John to give a 1950's silhouette to the boot (no toe bump, with a nice taper to the shape). Wrapped around that last is black Shinki horsebutt, produced at the Shinki Tannery in Japan and selected for the most handsome and prominent grain texture.
These are a seasonally-returning edition of John Lofgren's iconic engineer boots, made from a thick black tea core Shinki Horsebutt.
Being a tea core leather, the black dye at applied to the hides does not fully penetrate the surface of the hides, leaving the flesh underneath undyed - over time, the black dye will wear and scuff off,
revealing the brown core beneath. We've attached some pictures of Gen's pair, worn for a few years, as an example of how this leather ages.
Unlike other John Lofgren Engineer boots, these are finished with a flat welt (instead of the usual storm welt) giving them a slightly sleeker and more dressy profile, & with a black edge stain as opposed to brown or natural.
The rest of the construction details are on par with that fantastic leather — Japanese steel shanks, British Goodyear welting, and steel buckles made in Tokyo. Even the labels are made on shuttle looms. All of this goodness is pulled together and turned into boots at one of the best footwear factories in Japan.
If you want to go really in-depth —
check out what John at Vintage Engineer Boot's has to say about them
.
Choose 0.5 size smaller than your Brannock device size.
Highly variable leather, texture may differ from what is photographed here
Built on the John Lofgren 110 Last
Black Shinki horsebutt
USA-made Vibram 705 sole and 700 heel
Solid nickel hardware from Japan
Black edge stain
Goodyear welted construction
Approx. 12.5" height
Choose 0.5 size smaller than your Brannock device size.
Made in Japan
