The Derby Shoes
Tobacco Suede
269 €
In stock
- Spanish and Italian leather
- Itshide Commando sole & Goodyear welt
- Handmade in Portugal
Tobacco Suede
You gave us four footwear let-downs. Our Derby Shoes stamp them out.
1
Poor-quality leather that stains
2
Don’t pass the comfort test
3
Weak laces
4
The outsoles comes off
It's a shoe-in
FULL-GRAIN, FULL-FLAVOUR
Making a great pair of shoes starts with finding seriously good leather. For both the Black and Cognac Derby Shoes we used super-smooth, full-grain aniline leather from Spain. Full-grain leather comes from the strongest, most hard-wearing part of the hide—why settle for anything less?
SOMETHING A LITTLE SOFTER, SIGNORE?
For our Tobacco Derby we opted for super soft Italian suede, produced by the good folk at Mastrotto in Italy. They did such a great job on our Solid Sneakers and Derby Boots that we went right back to them for these.
LESS IS MORE
In the same way an old Triumph Spitfire doesn’t need a big spoiler on the back, a good pair of Derby Shoes doesn’t need any extra gimmicks. Ours are made from just three pieces of leather, with a plain-toe and a clean shape. Leave the bells and whistles for the Rio carnival.
NO PAIN, ALL GAIN
Some Derbies have a nasty habit of cutting into your ankles. Not ours though. We cut away the leather from the ankle to keep things comfortable and pain-free. No one should have to suffer for a good pair of shoes.
COMFORT IS KING
For even more comfort points, we added a layer of sponge to the insole. A subtle feel, but it should add a bit of spring to your step—and because it runs from heel to toe, it won’t be snagging on your socks every five minutes.
ALL GOOD
You wanted near indestructibility, so we’ve constructed our shoe using a Goodyear Storm Welt. We’re not talking tyres here, or storm protection—a welt is the leather rim that runs round the edge of the ‘upper’ and is attached to the sole. It also makes the shoe sturdier for walking. This is skilled craftsmanship here.
YOUR WISH IS OUR COMMANDO
At the heart of a resilient shoe is a strong, shock-absorbing sole. We chose a 100% rubber Commando sole from Itshide. Not only are these super-grippy, and reassuringly hard-wearing, but if they do eventually wear down, your local cobbler will have no trouble replacing them.
SERIOUS SHOE-STRING
Laces don’t get much credit, but considering the important job they do, they need to be up to the task. We waxed ours for strength and used invisible low-friction eyelets to give them less chance of wearing through. Remember, for the Derby, you normally criss-cross the laces rather than 'bar' lace them—the preferred route isn’t always the straight one.
CRAFTED WITH CARE
The shoes are made in Portugal by Penha. This skilled bunch have been making Goodyear welted footwear since 1967, and are true masters of their craft. Try on their shoes for yourself and you’ll see what all the fuss is about.
It's Derby day
Follow in the footsteps
Here are all the steps travelled from farm to doormat for your Derby Shoes.
Raw material
Farming cooperatives Spain for the smooth leather, India for the Suede.
Tanning and finish
Picusa and Mastrotto Spain and Italy
Cutting
Picusa and Mastrotto Spain and Italy
Production
Penha Portugal
Environmental Impact
Our aim is to always give you as much information as possible on the clothes we make so you can make an informed decision before preordering. This includes the environmental impact of each pair of Derby Shoes we produce expressed in simple terms that we can all easily understand. There’s no point hiding from it:
22 kg
of CO2 emitted
The equivalent of 231 kms (143.5 miles) by car.
0 L
water consumption
The equivalent of growing 11.2kg of potatoes.
177 MJ
energy depletion
The equivalent of 60h of heating (in average flat).
The starting line-up
NO SWEAT!
Delivery costs
We deliver worldwide. For orders in selected European countries* including the UK, we charge a flat fee of 9€ irrespective of how many of the same item you order. For deliveries in the rest of Europe and outside of the EU, the cost is 15€.
Easy to change sizes
If you get the wrong size, fear not, we accept returns and exchanges. For orders in Europe these are free, and for countries, in the rest of the world we ask you to pay the return and we will take care of the cost of sending out an exchange. Just log into your Asphalte account and we’ll get that sorted.
IT’S A RISK-FREE INVESTMENT
Sure, we work hard on our products, but we won’t take it personally if, for whatever reason, you change your mind about the item you’ve preordered. We’re all friends here, you can be honest with us. So long as the item is in its original condition, with tags and packaging intact, you can send it back to us for a full refund. No worries.