Well-Worn Paths: Leather Selection and Material Choices

How the journey begins, at the skin of every shoe

Before a pair of shoes ever takes its first step down a city street or forest trail, its story begins with something far more elemental: the hide. At Rancourt & Co., the leather we choose is not just a surface. It is the foundation of how a shoe will feel, age, and eventually tell its own story through wear.

In the first chapter of our Well-Worn Paths series, we introduced you to the heart of our workshop in Lewiston, Maine, where three generations of shoemaking heritage live in every bench, tool, and pattern cut by hand. Now, we turn our attention to the very materials that make these shoes ready for a lifetime of miles.

Where Leather Lives, and Why It Matters

Leather is never chosen simply for color or cost. It is chosen for character, durability, and the way it responds to life in motion. At Rancourt, we source hides from respected tanneries, many of them family-owned, many with histories as storied as our own. These partners practice time-honored tanning methods that allow the hide to breathe, bend, and develop a patina that is uniquely yours.

That early choice, the kind of leather, how it is tanned, how thick or supple it is, shapes everything that follows. It influences how a shoe feels the first time you slip it on, how it softens with wear, and how it ages over time.

Full-Grain Leather: The Canvas for Everyday Stories

For many of our classic styles, including our handsewn moccasins and everyday boots, we turn to full-grain leather. These hides retain the natural surface of the skin, preserving its strength and resilience. Often unlined or minimally lined, they are chosen so the leather can mold to your foot, flexing with every step and developing a memory unique to the way you move.

Leathers like Heritage Brown are selected for their balance of durability, comfort, and ease of care. They are water-resistant, long-wearing, and built to handle both city sidewalks and winding back roads. Over time, they darken, soften, and take on the subtle markings of daily life.

Special Leathers: Depth, Texture, and Character

Some of the materials we work with offer an even deeper sense of individuality.

Chromexcel leathers, crafted through a complex combination of chrome and vegetable tanning, are infused with rich oils that create natural variation in tone and a beautiful pull-up effect. They shift and evolve as they are worn, revealing lighter and darker areas that reflect how the shoe is used.

Bison leathers bring a different kind of presence. Heavier in weight and naturally textured, they offer remarkable durability along with a rugged visual depth that becomes more pronounced with age.

We also work with select leathers from some of America’s most respected tanneries, chosen for their consistency, ethical sourcing, and long-standing commitment to craft. Each hide is evaluated not only for how it looks on the cutting table, but for how it will live years down the line.

These materials are chosen for who they will become, not just for how they appear on day one.

Leather That Lives With You

Selecting leather is as intentional as choosing the last, the stitching method, or the sole. It marks the beginning of a relationship between material and wearer, one that grows more personal with every mile. The hides we bring into our workshop are chosen to become shoes that do not simply fit, but adapt, respond, and evolve.

In the chapters ahead, we will continue tracing the Well-Worn Path through our workshop, from cutting and shaping to stitching and finishing. Because it is not just where a shoe is made that matters. It is how it is made, and the materials that make it worth wearing.

From our hands, to the paths you take.