• Shoe Repair
• Birkenstock Shoe Repair
• Military Boot Repair
• Western Boot Repair
• Shoe Repair

Few items of clothing are as much a part of Americana as the classic cowboy boot, even historians say it has its roots in Spain. Like the six shooter, the cowboy boot is a symbol of the Old Wild West days of our country’s youth.

Cowboys as the name suggests, were most often involved in tending and herding cattle, when they were legally employed that is. So it is only fitting that cowboy boots were, for the most part, made from cow leather. Today, of course, you can find cowboy boots made from any number of animal skin. Alligator, snake, eel, and even ostrich skins are used, but many of these materials are used by fashion conscious would-be cowboys. Out on the range, you’ll mostly find good old fashioned cow leather boots.

Good boots were a necessity, back in the day. They were designed to slide into and out of the stirrup easily to allow quick mounting and safe dismounting. The high tops reached halfway to the knee to protect the lower leg while riding through tall brush or sawgrass that would otherwise leave the shin raw and bleeding.

Good cowboy boots have always been a fairly expensive item, though. In the wildest days of the Old West, you might see victims of a gunfight buried without their boots which had been quickly pilfered after his demise. Even today, good cowboy boots can cost a pretty penny.

Even worse than the cost of new boots, though, is the breaking in period. Breaking in a new pair of tough leather cowboy boots can take weeks, weeks full of blister and skin rubbed raw by chafing. Those experienced with this painful process often turn to shoe repair companies to renew old boots instead of buying new ones. Not only will this save them money, but it eliminates the breaking in process entirely. Companies that handle western boot repair can resole them and rebuild the entire upper part of the boot restoring them to like new condition. Often, they’ll handle everything by mail order. While it may be hard to find a good cobbler out on the range, chances are there’s regular mail service. Boot repair takes two to three weeks between the time they are mailed out and the time they arrive back in the mailbox says online shoe repair specialist NuShoe.com.

While two to three weeks without your favorite boos might seem like a long time, it sure beats going through the trouble of breaking in a new pair which can take longer than that. Cowboy boots used to be worn so much that they would be difficult to take off and often required a boot jack or an assistant to pull them off at the end of the ride. Now that’s a good fit.

• Leather Handbags
• Leather Briefcase
• Leather Document Case
• Leather Wallets
• Leather Purses
• Leather Handbags
• Leather Shoulder Bags
• Ladies Leather Briefcase
• Leather Backpacks
• Leather Attache Cases

Leather handbags are popular accessories for women who want to project an image of success and poise. Leather bags come in all sizes and colors (thanks to artificial dyes) and even in all budgets. There is however, a huge divide when talking about quality leather handbags versus mass-produced, artificially marked and colored cheap leather.

Quality leather handbags have been manufactured by hand for almost two hundred years, most notably in Italy where tanning is an art passed down from grandfather to father to son. Care is taken in selecting the perfect hides and gently tanning them using traditional methods, not the fast-acting and harsh chemicals commonly used today.

Maxwell Scott Handbags is an example of a manufacturer who understands the importance of the skill and craft involved in producing soft supple leather that will last beautifully for a lifetime. Maxwell Scott consists of traditional Italian craftsmen who have worked with leather most of their lives. While the craftsmanship of Maxwell Scott’s bags comes from the workshop, the quality of the material is ensured by the hand-selection of hides from the Italian Vegetable-tanned Leather Consortium (or Vera Pelle Italiana Conciata Al Vegetale in Italian).

The Consortium began in the heart of leather country- Tuscany- in 1994. Tuscan craftsmen have produced leather accessories for centuries and it is considered the center of the finest leather anywhere. Where there is leather production, there also must be tanners. The Consortium formed when eleven traditional tanners banded together to help promote Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather. Today, the Consortium consists of 26 tanners and has been able to promote its leathers worldwide.

One of the main jobs of the Consortium is developing and promoting the brand. All leather tanned by the consortium bears their mark, much like certain Italian cheeses and French wines. Consumers can know for certain whether their bags and suitcases have been made with Consortium leather following their traditional standards. Not only is the quality important to many consumers but the environmental benefits of using a traditional plant-based tannin over chemicals is a consideration for those trying to reduce their carbon footprints on the Earth.

While animal hides can be tanned using chemical means, truly soft and long-lasting leather is tanned using tannins from chestnut or quebracho trees. Although the process takes much longer than quick methods, it produces a supple leather that ages gracefully over time and whose scent is pleasant and not chemical. Producing leather through these age-old means takes a total of 40 days, but like fine wines and cheeses, fine leather takes time to realize its potential.

Maxwell Scott Handbags uses only Consortium leathers for its bags. They handpick each piece with a trained eye and can produce a matching luggage set without the use of unnatural colorants and dyes.

Thanks to the Consortium, leather tanning will live on to be passed down to new generations. Traditional skills are being kept alive while the finest leather handbags are being produced.