Russian reindeer leather is top-quality leather in the world. It is coveted for its tough appearance durable and functional.
Novgorod shoemakers created four major types of footwear. During this time, there was a close connection between the craftsmen and their market. Shoes were wide and symmetrical at the front, and had narrow heels.
Traditional Russian shoes
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 boots that are rugged that literally mean “made by felting” are an ancient Russian heritage of the Mongol tribes. They were so costly that they covered the feet of the tsars and empresses.
Valenkis created by hand are very durable but they also require lots of time and effort. The felt is molded and rolled into a boot-shaped shape by craftsmen which is then placed in a steam bath and allow it to shrink. It takes a few hours to create a pair of valenki, which can run into the hundreds.
The traditional Russian boots, despite their high price are popular throughout the long history of the winters in Russia. Over the past two decades, they have lost popularity, as people prefer lighter, more waterproof footwear.
However, a lot of young Russians are finding a way to revive their passion for old-fashioned shoes. Olga Shantseva and Galina Shantzeva, twins who reside in Moscow make birchbark shoes which is decorated with Soviet-era artwork, which makes them very popular among young artists. A Russian brand of valenki also has gained a lot of traction internationally. It is yet to be determined whether the boots will garner an international following, but they are certainly experiencing a revival in fashion in Russia.
Ancient Russian leather shoes
A thorough study of archeological evidence, ethnographic and written documents can help reconstruct the evolution of the forms of footwear in early Rus’. The large quantity of leather shoes obtained during excavations during different phases of Novgorod existence suggests that distinct kinds of shoemakers worked in the production of footwear for artisanal classes (craftsmen as well as princes, boysars and craftsmen) and also for the nobles.
In the countryside, people wore Lapti, soft shoes made from thin pieces of bark from trees. Birch was a common option. They were secured with rawhide laces passed through side slits of the sole and wound around feet. They were also worn over stockings and windings.
The oldest Russian boots are made from reindeer hide, with their distinctive pattern of hatch grain, hand-embossed. The most desirable Russian reindeer hide is now tanned by machine to make it durable and hardwearing. The finest reindeer leather is often used to compare with it, but it is less stiff and hence more suited to making shoes.
The very first felt boots were called valenki, a name that derives from the method to make them. The felt was compressed by an instrument called “valenka”. It is a wooden block that has a flat bottom as well as several holes on which wool is then rolled. The process is referred to as “valyat” in Russia which means rolling. After a while felt boots can be made using different materials. They could be filled with animal hair or hay to add durability and insulation, and the heel quarter was stiffened by adding layers of lined with stiff leather or Birch bark.
Medieval Russian shoe designs
The medieval Russian leather giay luoi nam were based off of the peasant’s birchbark shoe. They were worn over stockings, or nogavits, and windings, or obmotok. The shoe’s fastening was accomplished by means of long strings called obory that passed through the sides of the lapti and wrapped around the shoe. The footwear also had a sole of larch bark or the fir. The footwear was extremely comfortable to walk in, and also very durable.
The artisan who worked on the shoe needed to be exceptionally skilled to create a high-quality product. It’s not surprising that so many fragments of this kind of shoe were discovered in archeological layers from the 10th-13th centuries.
The First Novgorod Chronicle states that there were separate groups for shoemakers and leatherworkers at the time. It is proven that only a person with an atelier at which they made footwear was able to be classified as a shoemaker.
Bakhily, sometimes referred to as bredni (also known as brodni) or butyli (also known as lovechagi, ostashi and lovchagi) are work and hunting boots made of soft leather. These were jackboots, with high tops that reached the knees or thighs. The boots were constructed of durable materials and could be used for a long period of time in the woods. The footwear was also used by fishermen and hunters.
Soviet-era Russian footwear
The Soviet period saw the demise of the traditional Russian shoe craftsmanship since the new generation of crafters preferred modern shoes from Western countries. The decline in traditional Russian shoe making was a result of various factors like the lack of interest among young people for handmade products and the increased supply of shoes made by factories and a change in the preference.
The footwear of choice was galoshes. They were constructed of felt and were worn on top of other footwear to shield against freezing temperatures and snow, and to keep feet warm. They were sewed together with either hidden or blind stitches, made of leather laid face-to-face, and abutting each other.
The Kazan Khanate, which inherited the culture, traditions, and customs of Volga Bulgaria and arts and crafts from the Mongol conquest and also had footwear constructed of bast. These were like normal boots, however they were shorter in length and did not have an inner liner. Shoes were secured with long strings, called obory. They were passed through the sides of the lapti, then was wrapped around the legs.
Novgorod leatherworkers were known for their specialization in bootlegs that were short and straight sides. The height of the bootlegs was 17-22 centimeters. They were also known as golenicha or golenishcha. Archeological excavations of this period’s layers have revealed the presence of iron Adzes [3] which were that were used to rid the leather of flesh and subcutaneous tissue.
