The Great Escape (Kudu Special Edition)

About Bootmaker

All Iron Boots are fully handmade by our bootmaker Kai and 5 teammates together in a small studio at Guangzhou. They are built in handwelt or hand stitchdown, with channelled insole construction, which are stronger and last longer than normal Goodyear welted shoes/boots made by machines. Each pair is 100% hand welted, hand last, hand bottomed, and also hand-sewn outsole stitch.

About Leather

Kudu is an African antelope, known for its soft, yet durable hide, and it is notable for its unique texture and quality. The reverse side of the leather also exhibits a slightly napped, velvety finish, which is both visually appealing and pleasant to the touch.

Loden Kudu Reverse is made by C.F. Stead in UK. The suede side is particularly soft to the touch, a result of C.F. Stead's specialized "Janus" tannage process, which also ensures the material's strength. Loden Kudu Reverse leather is celebrated for its soft, supple texture, making it extremely comfortable for wear. 

About Boots:

• Inspired by those military boots in WWII, especially the pair from movie The Great Escape. That's why we name the boot after it.
  
• Last is original designed with inspiration from heritage lasts. We name it M43 to remind where this style is coming from. This last features wide toe box just like our 5515 last (but slightly lower volume), with mild arch support.
• All come with unstructed toe & handwelt construction
• All The Great Escape(TGE) will be fully unlined, even for the vamp. This is based on the feedback we have collected from our lovely customers!
• High spi (depends on construction, usually 7-10)
• Using felt as filler (instead of cork)
• Using leather shank (instead of steel)
• Using leather as stiffener for the heel (unstructed toe)
• Note: Rivet is included, but it's only in brass color, no matter what eyelet color you pick. We only have brass Riviet.

Lead Time:

Typically within 5 months (orders from Mar. - Oct.)

Due to Lunar New Year holiday break and end of year surge, orders from Nov. - Feb. can take around 6-9 months to finish.

Size:

• Pick the same size as your Red Wing Heritage, Alden (Barrie), or Whites.
• Half size down your Brannock size.
• Half to a full size down from most sneakers.

For any question or request regarding sizing or customization, feel free to email us at info@iron-boots.com, or DM our Instagram ironboots_usa.

Before Order:

• Check this post to get more insights of all those leather options we offer.
• Please check our MTO polices here before making the order