Russian reindeer leather is the top-quality leather in the world. It is coveted for its rugged appearance, durability and practicality.
Novgorod shoemakers developed four main kinds of shoes. They had a close relationship with makers and the marketplace was a characteristic of this period. Shoes were broad and symmetrical at the front, and were narrow in heels.
Traditional Russian footwear
The Valenki boots (also called volnushechki or vykhodki) are a heavy wool-filled winter boots that are provided to Russian soldiers and street police. These tough boots which literally translates to “made by felting” are an ancient Russian heritage of the Mongol tribes. They were so expensive that they were worn by tsars and empresses.
Hand-made valenki are extremely long-lasting however they are also very labor-intensive and time-consuming. Craftsmen roll and shape the felt to form an elongated boot shape. They place it in the steam bath, in which it is repeatedly submerged into hot water in order to shrink it. It takes a few hours to create the valenki boot, that can cost hundreds of dollars.
Despite their pricey cost they remain well-liked throughout Russia’s long tradition of winters. In the last two decades they’ve lost their popularity since people have a preference for lightweight, waterproof shoes.
Even so, many young Russians are returning to their love of the old-fashioned shoes. The twins from Moscow Olga and Galina Shantseva, for instance, design birchbark shoes that are painted with Soviet-era artwork and are a hit among young artists. Additionally the Russian-made brand of valenki is growing in popularity abroad. It is yet to be determined whether these boots will be able to gain more fans however, they are seeing a revival of fashion in Russia.
Old Russian leather shoes
The study of archeological, ethnographic and written sources allows us to reconstruct the development of footwear in the early days of Rus’. The large number of footwear made of leather discovered in the excavations of different periods in Novgorod’s history suggests that shoemakers of all categories were involved in making footwear for both the artisanal and noble classes.
Lapti – soft shoes made from small pieces of tree bark, often birch, were worn by ordinary people in the countryside. They were fastened with rawhide laces that were passed through side slits of the sole and wound around feet. Additionally, they were laced over stockings and windings.
The oldest Russian boots are made of reindeer hide. They feature a distinct pattern of hatch grain, hand-embossed. The most desirable Russian reindeer hide is now being tanned with a machine, making it strong and durable. The most luxurious reindeer leather is often compared to it, however it is less stiff and hence more suited to making shoes.
The first felt boots were referred to as valenki. This name derives from the method of making them. The wool was compressed with the help of a special device called “valenka”. It is a wooden block that has a flat bottom as well as many holes where the wool is being rolled. In Russia the method is known as “valyat” which translates to rolling. After a certain period, felt boots were made using other materials too. They could be filled with animal hair or hay to provide additional insulation and strength, and the heel quarter was stiffened by layering lined with stiff leather or Birch bark.
Medieval Russian shoe designs
The medieval Russian leather shoes were based on the peasant’s shoes made of birchbark. They were worn with socks, also known as nogavits and windings [obmotok]. The shoes’ fastening was done through long strings, obory, passing between the laces, and tied around the shoe. The footwear featured a sole made from larch or fir bark. The shoes were very easy to wear and durable.
In order to create a product that was of superior quality, the craftsman had to have a very high level of proficiency. It’s not surprising to find the numerous fragments of the same type of shoe in archeological layers that date back to the 10th-13th century.
The First Novgorod Chronicle states that there were separate groups of shoemakers and leatherworkers at the time. It is proven that only a person who owned an atelier in which they sewed shoes was able to be classified as a shoemaker.
Bakhily, also known as Bredni (also called brodni), butyli (also known as lovchagi, ostashi, and the lovchagi) are men’s hunting and working boots made of soft leather giay tay nam. These were jackboots with high tops which reached to the knees and the thighs. They were extremely durable and could be worn in the woods for long periods of time. They were also worn by hunters and fishermen.
Soviet-era Russian footwear
The Soviet period saw the demise of the traditional Russian shoemaking, since the new generation of craftsmen preferred modern footwear made in Western countries. The decline in traditional Russian shoemaking was a result of a number of factors including a lack of interest among youngsters for hand-crafted goods as well as the increasing availability of factory made shoes and a shift in taste.
The footwear of choice was galoshes. They were constructed of felt and were worn with other shoes to guard against freezing and snow and also to keep the wearer’s feet warm. The leather pieces were placed on top of each other and joined and then sewn using concealed or blind stitching.
The footwear made from bast (birch bark) was also common particularly in the Kazan Khanate (1438-1552), which had inherited Volga Bulgaria’s culture, traditions and crafts after Mongol conquerors. These were similar to normal boots, however they had shorter bootlegs and did not have a lined. They were fastened using long strings called obory that ran through the sides of the lapti and were wound around the legs.
Novgorod leatherworkers were reputed for their specialization in short bootlegs with straight sides. They were referred to as golenishcha or golenicha. Their heights were 17-22 centimeters. Archeological excavations from this time’s layers have revealed the presence of iron adszes [3] that were used to clear the flesh of skin and subcutaneous tissue.
