Russian reindeer leather is among the most luxurious leather in the world. It is coveted for its rugged look durable and functional.
Novgorod shoemakers created four major kinds of shoes. A close connection between these makers and the market was characteristic of this period. The shoes were wide and symmetrical in front, and they had narrow heels.
Traditional Russian shoes
The Valenki boots (also known as volnushechki or vykhodki) are a heavy, wool-filled winter boot that are provided to Russian street police and soldiers. The rugged boots, which literally translate to “made through felting”, are a Russian heritage of the Mongol tribes. They were once so expensive that they covered the feet of the Tsars.
Valenki made by hand are extremely durable, but also extremely labor-intensive and time-consuming. The felt is formed and rolled into a boot-like shape by the craftsmen, they then put it in a steam bath and allow it to shrink. It can take several hours to create an apron of valenki that can cost hundreds of dollars.
The traditional Russian boots despite their price they have been a favorite for the longest time during the Russian winters. In the past two decades they’ve lost their popularity since people have a preference for lighter, more waterproof footwear.
Many young Russians have rediscovered their love for the traditional shoes. Olga Shantseva and Galina Shantzeva, twins living in Moscow are creating birchbark footwear that is painted with Soviet-era art, making these shoes very popular with young artists. A Russian brand called valenki also has gained a lot of traction in other countries. The boots are experiencing an influx of popularity in Russia.
Ancient Russian leather shoes
A thorough study of archeological, ethnographic and written evidence helps to trace the development of shoe styles in the early Rus’. The large quantity of shoes made from leather discovered during excavations from different periods of Novgorod life suggests that various types of shoemakers were involved in making footwear for craftsmen, princes and other classes (craftsmen as well as princes, boysars and craftsmen) as well as for the nobles.
In the countryside the people would wear Lapti, comfortable shoes made of the thin bark from trees. Birch was a popular option. Rawhide laces were used for fastening them. They wrapped around the foot and passed through the side slits in the sole. Also, they were worn over windings and stockings.
The oldest Russian boots are made from reindeer hide. They have a distinctive pattern of the hatch grain, hand-embossed. The finest Russian reindeer hide is processed by a machine to make it strong and durable. The leather is frequently compared with the best horsehide, however unlike horsehide, it’s not stiff, making it suitable for shoemaking.
The first shoes made of felt were known as valenki. The name derives from their method of manufacture. Felt was compressed with the help of a special tool called “valenka”. It’s a block of wood with a flat top and several holes on which wool is rolling. In Russia the process is known as “valyat” which translates to rolling. After a while, felt boots could be made with other materials. For extra insulation, they could be filled with hay or animal hair. The heel quarter could then be stiffened using layers of leather or birch-bark lining.
Medieval Russian shoe designs
The medieval Russian leather shoes were based off of the birchbark peasant’s shoe. They were worn over socks, also known as nogavits and windings [obmotok]. The shoes’ fastening was done through long strings, called obory, passed through the sides of the lapti, and wound around them. The footwear had a sole made of the larch or fir bark. The footwear was extremely comfortable for walking, and also very durable.
To produce a product of high quality, the craftsman had be extremely skilled. level of skill. It’s not a surprise to find the numerous fragments of the same type of shoe in archeological layers that date back to the 10th to 13th century.
The First Novgorod Chronicle states that there were separate groups of shoemakers and leatherworkers at the time. This is confirmed through the fact that a person could only be considered a shoemaker if he had a workshop where he was sewing shoes.
One of the most well-known varieties of Russian leather giay luoi nam was bakhily (also called brodni, bredni and ostashi) – men’s working and hunting boots constructed from soft leather. They were jackboots that had high tops that reached to the knees or thighs. They were extremely durable and were worn by people in the forest for long durations of time. The footwear was also used by fishermen and hunters.
Soviet-era Russian footwear
The Soviet era saw the decline of the traditional Russian shoemaking, because the younger generation of craftsmen preferred modern footwear from Western countries. This was a result of a variety of factors, including the lack of interest in handmade products among young people as well as the increase in production of factory-made footwear, and a shift in the taste.
In this time, the most popular footwear was the galoshes. They were made of felt and wore over other footwear for protection against snow and ice, as well as to keep the feet of the wearer warm. The leather pieces were positioned on top of each other and joined and then sewn using concealed or blind stitching.
Footwear crafted from bast (birch bark) was also popular and was particularly prevalent during the Kazan Khanate (1438-1552), which had inherited the Volga Bulgarian culture, customs and customs following the Mongol victory. They were like normal boots, however they had shorter bootlegs. There were no linings. Shoes were secured with long strings called obory that ran through the back of the lapti, and tied around the legs.
In the 14th century, Novgorod’s leatherworkers were specialized in shoes with shorter, straight-sided bootlegs. They were referred to as golenishcha or golenicha. Their heights were 17-22 centimeters. Iron adzes were found within the layers of the period. They were used to remove the subcutaneous tissue and flesh out of leather.