Yanko plain toe derby black Shell cordovan

A refined interpretation of the classic plain toe blucher, crafted in an exclusive black Shell cordovan. The leather is sourced from the Italian tannery Maryam and is vegetable tanned from the horse’s hindquarter, using the dense membrane beneath the skin that gives cordovan its distinctive character and durability.

Rich in natural oils and waxes, the leather develops a deep lustre and is easy to maintain, surface marks can often be reduced with firm brushing or by using a deer bone. With wear, the material forms its typical soft, rolling waves rather than sharp creases. Maryam, located in Santa Croce along the Arno River, is widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading cordovan tanneries.

The shoe is made on the comfortable W234 last with a rounded toe shape. It features Goodyear welted construction with a storm welt for added water resistance, and is finished with durable Vibram Eton rubber soles that provide reliable grip.

Part of our sturdier Yanko models that go through the factory a bit quicker and the level of finishing is a bit more basic, to keep the price as affordable as possible. But it's surely a lot of shoes for the money, and after all it's footwear that's meant to take a beating.

Construction:
The Goodyear welted construction method is a relatively advanced way of building shoes that requires a high level of craftsmanship, produces durable shoes that easily can be resoled several times.
Learn all about the Goodyear welted shoe construction in this guide.

Below an image that gives an overview of the construction:

All shoes have leather board heel stiffeners (cheaper brands usually use harder plastic heel stiffeners) which adapt to your feet are used for all our shoes, except TLB Mallorca Artista and Midas which have real leather heel stiffeners, which can conform even better.

Leather:
All Goodyear welted shoes we offer use smooth full grain calf leather, quality embossed calf grain leather or fine calf suede from well-renowned European or American tanneries. Most of the leathers are sourced from Annonay, Du Puy, Ilcea, Zonta, Charles F. Stead or Horween.

Sole:
There are three different types of soles used for the Goodyear welted shoes we sell (under the tab Product details and on the photos you see which are used for respective model).

Leather sole - High quality, durable Super Prime soles vegetable tanned in Italy with among other things chestnut bark. Here the sole stitch is hidden inside a closed channel, a more time consuming operation that gives a cleaner look.

Thin rubber sole - A so-called city rubber sole with a slim profile just like a leather sole, with a rubber composition that offers good grip and excellent durability.

Rubber sole - In most cases these are Vibram's praised Eton studded rubber soles, which has a rubber compound that also can handle minus degrees, are comfortable yet highly durable.

Which shoe care products to use:
Use Saphir Medaille d'Or Creme Pommadier shoe cream and Saphir Pate De Luxe wax polish in Dark brown or Havana for regular care. It can be good to use Saphir Renovateur Crème 1-2 times / year for surface cleaning and extra nourishment. For more thorough yet gentle cleaning we recommend Saphir Medaille d'Or Leather Cleanser. We recommend using cedar wood shoe trees to prevent unnecessary creasing and extend the lifespan of your footwear.

Read more about how to use these products on the respective product pages, or in the shoe care guide linked below.

Basic shoe care:
- Don’t use the same pair for two consecutive days
- Brush / wipe the shoes off after use
- Use shoe trees and shoehorn
- Treat regular leather with shoe cream, treat suede and textile with waterproofing spray
Learn more on these steps in this guide.

Further shoe care info:
Read this thorough guide, which also includes video, on how to clean, nourish and shine leather shoes.