Vaudeville Boot - Black Shinki Horsehide

The leather for these boots was deliberately selected to preference more wrinkled and imperfect cuts. The less dense grade of horsehide used is also prone to aggressive creasing throughout — this too is an intention design choice and not a defect or error.

Designed and produced in collaboration between Yohei Goto (owner of Japanese clothing label Jelado) and Suzuki Michiya (the former long time representative of Red Wing Japan) - The 2 Monkeys brand is a special collaborative label launched in 2022, taking inspiration from European and American workwear during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Uniting the taste and expertise of both men, the styles they produce are historically informed but never strict reproductions, reimagining garments that did exist into ones that could have existed if only someone had thought to make them.

The Vaudeville Boots are loosely based on antique performer boots - taking inspiration from traveling vaudeville entertainers, with a tasteful blend of smart details and practical design. They've got a vintage design, borrowing some ideas from French and American workwear circa 1910, with a perforated cap toe, tall back heel, slender profile, and a unique upper paneling configuration.

They're made from a lightweight black front-quarter horsehide from Shinki Tannery in Japan. The leather was selected for both its lack of stiffness and its "natural" finish, which includes scars, marks, and blemishes from before tanning. Additionally, this leather creases both easily and dramatically, and was chosen due to this extreme wear pattern in order to better replicate footwear from the early 20th century.

It's a black tea-core leather, meaning only the surface holds pigment, while the majority of the hide remains an undyed brown color. Over time, the black outer layer will wear away, particularly in areas under repeated stress, as well as anywhere that the leather uppers regularly make contact with other surfaces. This is by design, with the lightweight tea core leather chosen specifically for its handsome and dramatic patina.

They've got a classic heritage boot fit, with a slim waist and arched instep that emphasize the rounded toe and tapered heel. The uppers attach to the midsole using a goodyear welt construction that allows them to be rebuilt or re-soled by any trusted cobbler, while the heel features a lighter weight Blake construction (also easily repairable when things wear down).

The finishing details bear mentioning as well: from the slimmed-down bevel through the midsole that give the Sportif boots a remarkably sleek silhouette, to the tonal powder-coated hardware that will chip and wear away overtime, patinating alongside the leather uppers. They close up with flat waxed cotton laces for a slightly more elevated and dressy vibe.

See size chart for fit information. Need help with sizing? Contact us.

• HIGHLY IRREGULAR GRAIN LEATHER PRONE TO CREASING
• Black tea core front quarter horsehide leather
• Perforated cap toe
• 6" height
• Leather-lined interior
• One piece curved heel counter
• Goodyear welt construction
• Thin bevel midsole
• Powder-coated eyelets & speed hooks
• Flat waxed cotton laces
• Lightweight outsole and heel
• Woven pull tab
• Made in Japan