Ten years ago, Chris Woodford made a decision in a Tokyo store that changed everything for Crown. We told that story in our last blog. This is the second part. D16, our 16th limited sneaker drop, is a celebration of the voice that that decision gave us, made with a Red Japanese Shell Cordovan created just for us by Shinki Hikaku, the only Cordovan tannery in Japan. Two years in the making, a Japanese red unlike any other. This is the story of how it came to be, and why we are honoured to be the only shoemaker presenting it.
A common thread: how Shinki and Crown Northampton work
Our quest is to craft with the finest leathers in the world, but more than that, we want to understand them. Where we are from is at the heart of how we work. We employ local people who make every sneaker from start to finish, here in our Northampton factory. When we reach out to work with others, we look for the same way of thinking.
What we have noticed over time is a common thread among the people who make the best they can. They put people first. They understand that the craftsmen and craftswomen are the value, not the marketing, not the price point. It is the talent of the local community that does the work.
Shinki Hikaku is the same. The CEO, Mr Tsuneki Nitta, developed the technology of Cordovan tanning nearly 50 years ago. In a translated interview with the Shinki team, he said: "It is important for the workers to find it enjoyable to be at this company, to see a future here. We value the materials, and so the products we create become something consumers will cherish. Business thrives when these shared convictions align."
We could not have put it better ourselves.
The leather: Red Japanese Cordovan made for Crown
Not many shoemakers can ask Shinki Hikaku to make them a leather. The tannery has spent nearly 50 years building its reputation, and they choose carefully who gets to work with their Cordovan. They look for makers who will treat the leather with the same care they put into making it. Crown has been working with the Japanese footwear world for decades, with relationships that go back to before our move to direct to consumer. When we approached Shinki with the idea of a Japanese red made just for us, we knew the privilege of being able to ask.
The colour took two years to develop. We ran sample after sample with the Shinki team, adjusting the tone, the depth, the warmth of the red, until we both agreed. What we ended up with is a Japanese red unlike any other Cordovan we have seen. Striking and warm. Classic at first glance, and hopefully you can feel the celebration we have put into it on a second look.
What makes Shinki Cordovan distinctive
Shell Cordovan is not like other leather. It is made from the membrane found in the rump of a horse, and Shinki Hikaku is one of only two places in the world that still does the slow, traditional process. The leather is tanned in pits for months. Dyes are applied to tone the membrane, then the surface is finished by hand with oils that give the shell its softness and its pull-up character.
Shinki produces two finishes. One is a glazed Cordovan, with a firm, high-shine surface that suits formal shoes. The other is an oiled Cordovan, softer to the touch, with a natural pull-up that lights up as the leather flexes with wear. For the D16, we chose the oiled finish. It suits a sneaker, and it suits a bright colour. The dye is taken right through the leather, so the red is not sitting on the surface, it is part of the shell itself.
We have worked with Shinki stock colours in previous drops. Each time has strengthened the relationship and our love for the leather. This time, with the Japanese red made just for us, the oiled finish gives the colour the depth and character it deserves.
What we have made: the sneaker, the belt, and the card holder
The Harlestone Hand Stitch sneaker
D16 is made on our Harlestone silhouette, a classic derby and our most popular sneaker. It carries the hand-stitched details and build quality Crown Northampton is known for. Inside, it is built with the same Northampton-trained materials we use across the workshop: an oak bark stiffener and counter for structure, a cork-filled footbed that shapes to the foot, and a Lactae Hevea sole, our most luxurious sole, made from natural rubber milk poured and baked over weeks of production. Each pair is made to order and built by hand in our Northampton factory.
The belt
A matching Shinki Cordovan belt, hand stitched by the same makers who build the sneakers. Each belt is made from a single shell, so the joins will vary depending on the size of the shell it comes from. The belt works with the sneakers as a matched set, or on its own to bring something different to an outfit.
The card holder
A small leather good in our most tactile leather to date. A single piece of Shinki Cordovan folded to hold five bank cards, with curved edges and the same double hand-stitched pocket detail as the sneaker. Even a small piece of this beautiful red stands out as a luxury product. The Cordovan suits a card holder. The pull-up character develops a patina with daily handling, so it gets better the more you use it.
How limited is the D16?
We secured 70 shells from Shinki, in the colour made just for us. As with all Cordovan, the size of a shell varies from one to two and a half feet, so the exact number of pieces we can make depends on size and shape. Roughly 25 pairs of sneakers, 15 belts, and 15 card holders. Once they are gone, they are gone. The Red Japanese Cordovan made for the D16 is not going to be repeated.
How Shinki Cordovan wears over time
Cordovan is renowned for its durability, and Shinki Cordovan lives up to it. The membrane is dense, tightly packed, and behaves differently from any other leather. It does not crease. Instead, where a lesser leather would fold and hold the crease as a permanent line, Cordovan rolls with the shape of the foot it has been fitted to.
We see this most when a pair comes back for a resole. The upper leather has developed its own patina, the colour has deepened, and the shape of the shoe carries the shape of the wearer. No two aged Cordovan shoes look the same, which is a big part of why we love working with it.
For a Japanese red Cordovan, the wearing story is going to be beautiful. The oiled finish will develop a soft glow with wear. The red will deepen as the leather ages. Each pair will look different in a year's time, and different again the year after.
The rarest of the rare
Being one of the last Northampton factories still making by hand is not a small thing. So few of us are left. Our heritage is what makes us who we are, and our job is to listen to it, to the town, to the makers before us, to the craft itself, and to present it in a way worthy of where it comes from.
D16 is the clearest example we can give you. A leather made just for us by a tannery who value the craft the way we do. A hand-stitched Derby built pair by pair in our Northampton factory. A colour that carries two years of work and a decade of direct-to-consumer decisions behind it. Ten years ago, in a Tokyo store, Chris realised the makers were disappearing behind the shoe on the shelf. D16 is the opposite. Every hand that touched this shoe, every choice, every skill, is here for you to see.
We are not chasing volume. We are making for the individual. Every sneaker is passed from one skilled hand to the next by people who live the craft. There is no automation in our factory, and there never will be. As long as there are people who understand and value what handmade means, we will be here, in Northampton, making one pair at a time.
There is a quote from Shinki that we love, from a Japanese article about their craft. It sums up how we feel about the D16.
"When you come across a Cordovan product, We hope you will see it not as expensive, but as a work filled with Japan's advanced technology and passion, and recognise it as having a fair price."
Ready to secure your pair?
D16 goes live on 31 July. Roughly 20 pairs of sneakers, 20 belts, and 20 card holders will be made. Once they are gone, they are gone.
Any questions before you order, get in touch. We are here to help with sizing, fit, or anything else you would like to know about the shoes. This is your pair, and we want to get it right for you.
