The Project show was filled with footwear labels, but the one that impressed me the most was Oak Street Bootmakers.  One of George Vlagos’s, the founder/designers, partners was there to welcome me and give me a brief rundown of the brand.  The key words that stuck to me the most were ‘hand-made’ and ‘Horween leather’, those two combination in one sentence or even on a pair of shoe is incredible!

Horween Chromexcel leather undergoes 89 separate processes taking 28 days and utilizing all five floors of the Horween facility in Chicago. Over the past 100 years very little has changed in the formula. Food-grade beef tallow, cosmetic-grade beeswax, marine oil, chrome salts, tree bark extracts and naturally occurring pigments are combined. The mixture is then applied using heat, steam pressure, the hands of craftsman and time. This ultimately yields the soft, supple and durable leather that is used for your shoes or boots.

What I really loved the most was the craftsmanship, nothing comes close to it and the best part is, everything is handcrafted in the USA!!  My favorite pair would have to be the Vibram Sole Trail Oxford.

Check out some detailed shots below!