This pair of The Flat Head Horsehide Oxford Shoes (Brown Tea-core) belongs to CORLECTION’s Lee, who shares:
“Talking about leather products from The Flat Head, I own quite a few, but these are one of my favourite pairs of horsehide shoes from TFH. I’ve been wearing them for over a decade, and they’ve walked with me through many different cities and countries.
They’ve been with me through countless journeys, and after all these years, I’d like to call them my ‘Head Fella.’"
"This pair of horsehide Oxford shoes is constructed from horse neck hide, with a thickness of approximately 0.6–0.7mm. If you’re a big fan of Made-in-Japan horsehide boots, you might know that most Japanese brands typically choose horsehide from the back or rear section of the horse, which is usually around 1–1.3mm thick.
However, because this particular horsehide is sourced from the neck, it’s noticeably thinner than the usual horsehide used for boots. As a result, this pair only took me around 2–3 hours to break in. For a guy like me, who owns quite a few pairs of horsehide boots that require longer break-in period, this is such a great gift to myself. (Laughs~)"
" People who know me know that I’m Mr Can-I-Kick-It. (Laughs~) Usually, the toes of my shoes tend to age faster than any other part. After just the first year of wear, I started to notice some reddish-brown and light-tan tones coming through from beneath the surface.
That, in my opinion, is the beauty of the tea-core horsehide ageing process."
“During the first five years of wear, I began to notice something quite unusual developing across the leather — a network of extremely fine creases that almost looked like micro-veins beneath the surface. To me, this is one of the most distinctive ageing characteristics of horsehide taken from the neck area.
I had worn horsebutt boots before, but I had never experienced this kind of ageing — these tiny, vein-like patterns slowly emerging and spreading across the leather.”
“Of course, everything comes with both good and bad. As I mentioned earlier, this is a relatively thin, 0.6–0.7mm horsehide taken from the neck area. After around eight or nine years of wear, I began to notice these tiny cracks developing across the surface. But the leather wasn’t worn through.
They felt more like scars — the kind a veteran carries home from the battlefield.”
"This pair of Oxford shoes originally came with waxed cotton shoelaces. However, the original laces were worn out years ago, so I replaced them with a pair of brown tea-core cowhide shoelaces. As you can see, they’ve aged together quite nicely~"
“Today, after more than a decade of wear, I think they’ve truly earned the title of ‘Tough Guy.’ Through all these years of wear and tear, the leather has never truly given way. Even today, I still haven’t replaced the original soles.
To me, they’re like an old samurai slowly ageing with time — scarred and weathered, yet still carrying his pride and honour within.”