Imitations plenty, duplicates none! Born in the late 19th century, Wolvering Shoe and Tanning Corporation was originally known as the Hirth Kraus company, from 1883 to 1921. Established by Mr. G.A Krause and uncle Mr. F Hirth in Rockford, Michigan, the family held over two centuries of tannery trade. The iconic Wolverine 1000 Miles boot was seen as the backbone of the American industrial revolution; putting boots on the ground for railroads, sky scrapers and highways. Their expertise with leather, from tanning to shoe manufacture, meant Wolverine could introduce a comfortable, durable and long lasting shoe as early as 1914. Said to give its wearer unrivaled comfort for 1000 miles guaranteed, totally unheard of at the time, today over a hundred years later nothing has changed.
Reintroduced in its honour, the same love, respect and care goes into crafting each pair, with over 300 steps involved. Every operator undergoes 6-12 months of training to become proficient in good year welt construction alone. It takes time, talent and training to perfect the craft of the 1000 Mile boot. With complete domestic manufacture from leather to shoe, expect extra wear, extra comfort, and plenty of it, straight out of Michigan.
Made in the USA: Made in the USA Wolverine products feature the highest quality American materials as well as the extraordinary craftsmanship and commitment of American workers. Fine materials combined with unmatched attention to detail and hand-finishing results in an unmistakable final product. Many of Wolverine's Made in the USA products are manufactured in Wolverine's factory in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Made In The USA from Wolverine on Vimeo.
Goodyear Welt Construction: In the late 1860s, Charles Goodyear Jr. devoloped the Goodyear Welt machine. Since that time, Goodyear Welt has become a mainstay of the footwear industry; it's a classic construction that is high quality, durable and easy to resole. The first Wolverine 1000 Mile boot that was introduced more than 100 years ago featured Goodyear Welt construction, as do the shoes and boots in the Wolverine 1000 Mile collection today, highlighting the timeless quality of the construction method and the remarkable skill of the machine operators who execute the construction today.
Wolverine 1000 Mile | Goodyear Welt Construction from Wolverine on Vimeo.
Horween Leather: The Horween Leather Company has set the standard for the highest quality leathers since 1905, still using many of the same quality tanning techniques today as they did more than 100 years ago. The company offers a range of tannages from the one-of-a-kind vegetable tanned Genuine Shell Cordovan to the unique Horween Chromexcel leather used in the Original 1000 Mile Boot. For more information about Horween's Chromexcel Leather and the 89 separate processes that goes into making the leather, you can read their blog post here. All leather from Horween is processed at the same location in Chicago, Illinois, where the company was founded.
