Crimson Kudu Cap Toe Service Boot

Crimson Kudu comes from Charles F. Stead's classic kudu line rather than the waxed kudu used elsewhere in this range, and the difference shows in how the colour sits on the hide.

Like its waxed counterpart it carries natural variation and scarring from the animal's life in the African bush; variation is expected here, because this is the antithesis of a cookie-cutter article and no two pairs will match. The pattern is the classic service boot, which developed out of the trench warfare of WWI and has a history of defence rather than display — stable, unyielding protection for the feet. It has a perforated cap toe, a backstay that hugs the heel counter, and an all-eyelet closure, and it is paired with a lug outsole for more robust traction, drawing on that same military history. It is Goodyear welted on the Leo last, the same construction the rest of the range is built on.

Combining those elements produces a boot that is stylish and utilitarian at the same time, which is a harder trick than it sounds. In crimson kudu it is also completely unrepeatable: the pair that arrives at your door is the only one of its kind anywhere.