Blogs

Hello Clarks Footwear Fans! Annalisa Delcane and I, Amy Oselkin, are presenting our Ashland Spin slip-on shoe TSV today! Many of you already love our Ashland bottom, and now, we’ve jazzed it up with a fun, flirty, Mary-Jane inspired upper. We’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how we burnish our tan and cherry Ashland Spin BY HAND!

Burnishing is the distressed, naturally worn-in look given to leather and it’s a HUGE footwear trend for 2013. Our Director of Product Development at Clarks, John Kovach, explains burnishing requires very specific leather and tools. “We use vegetable re-tanned leather, which is leather that has been treated with leaves and tree bark,” says John, adding, “The entire process is done on a rotating cotton or horse hair wheel that spins 400-600 RPM’s!”

To kick off the VIP treatment, John starts by applying a burnishing wax to the rotating wheel, which helps release oils and waxes locked in the leather.

Then, he holds the toe and heel of the shoe against the wheel for only a few seconds at a time. The wheel creates heat and friction, which darkens and shines the leather creating a beautiful, lived-in look.

Voila! Now, that’s what we call, fancy footwork! We’d love to hear what you think about our TSV and our leather burnishing process. For more Clarks scoop, “like” us on facebook at facebook.com/clarksforqvc

Amy & Annalisa