Black Waxed Deer Wedge Sole Boot

Black deer leather on a wedge — a soft-riding boot with a hide most people have never worn.

The leather is Teton Waxy Stag from Gallun Tannery, made from white-tailed deer local to the Great Lake States and culled annually during the fall hunting season, so the hides do not go to waste. Gallun's proprietary light metal Alum tannage is the base; the hide is then retanned with colour, wax and oils that dye, lubricate and fill the soft, spongy fibres deer leather is known for, which is what makes it full and robust. The tannery buffs the top grain lightly and rolls an emulsified wax over the rest, and this colour has a considerable pull-up effect that brings up the lighter tan base underneath. Buffing reduces the visibility of scars, scratches, tick bites and bullet holes without erasing them. Goodyear welted on the Leo last, full-grain kip leather lining, gunmetal eyelets, vegetable-tanned insole, welt and midsole, cork filler over a steel shank, full-grain leather heel counters, Vibram cavity wedge outsole.

Gunmetal hardware and a wedge bottom keep the whole boot low-key. It is the most comfortable version of this hide and the least demanding to wear.