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ICE CREAM

The 2 Monkeys Sportif Black Calf [TM72924]

The 2 Monkeys Sportif Black Calf [TM72924]

€837,40 EUR
€837,40 EUR
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"Sportif" moccasin-style boots with a French vintage feel

(English follows / You can also watch the video at the bottom of the page)

The 2 Monkeys' Sportif boots are designed based on the boots worn for hunting and outdoor activities in France around the 1920s and 30s. However, they are not a reproduction of an actual old boot. They use the style that was mainly found in European boots at the time, and incorporate the moccasin-type toe(*) design that was popular in America at the same time.

The leather is French calfskin, which is soft and conforms to your feet. The leather is hill-dyed black, and the brown core that appears as you wear it highlights the changes that occur over time.

The sole in particular has a taste of the era. The tread area is made with the Goodyear welt method, and the waist to heel is made with the McKay method, recreating the style of a spade sole with a beveled (**) waist that is greatly narrowed. If you look at the sole from the bottom, you can clearly see how narrow the waist is.

The top and bottom of the heel are S-shaped. The soft leather faithfully reproduces the shape of the wooden last, and the pitch (***) on the small heel accentuates the curve. The curves are combined on the front, back, left and right sides of the shoe, creating an elegant style that is in line with traditional European aesthetics.

The toe is fitted with a thin leather toe cap that is easy to wear. As you wear the shoes, you can enjoy the change in the toes as they flatten and sink, and the leather will become more comfortable all the way to your toes.

The sole has a 3mm thick rubber sheet on the tread area. The heel top lift is made of rubber and is 10mm thick. These rubbers on the contact surface grip the road firmly, preventing slipping and reducing wear on the sole.

The comfort is light and soft. This is due to the combination of the leather's characteristics, unique manufacturing process, and a well-curved sole (single leather sole). If you are used to wearing work boots, you will be surprised at how light they are and how comfortable they feel from the moment you put them on.

The E-width sportif last is designed to fit a standard foot a little loosely, but even people with narrower feet can tighten the laces to get a good fit. This is thanks to the softness of the leather. People with high insteps and wide feet can choose a size slightly larger than their foot length without losing much of the fit. The sole width is narrowed at the arch, which is an advantage of the soft leather that sits on the foot.

Not only do they have an elegant style and the joy of aging, but they also incorporate the comfort of leather shoes from the 1920s and 30s. (****)

From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, a number of European shoemakers traveled to America to learn about mass production. It was during this period that Europe, with its long traditions, and America, which was quick to establish a mass production system in response to the rapid expansion of population due to immigration and economic development, influenced and improved each other in the field of shoemaking.

The 2 Monkeys' Sportif boots are modeled after boots common to Europe and America at that time, and are a rare breed of boots that suit both American and European styles.


[footnote]

(*) Moccasin-style toe

Moccasins and France have a historical connection. In the late 18th century, shortly after the United States' independence, what is now the American Midwest was French territory. This vast inland area stretched from Minnesota in the north to Louisiana in the south, and westward through Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Numerous French people worked here for fur hunting, trade, and missionary work. However, this region was uncharted territory at the time, and it was impossible to enter without the cooperation of the indigenous people (American Indians). The French interacted with the indigenous people, living through barter and other means, and it is said that they traded in the shoes they brought with them from France for Native American moccasins. At the time, the French may have been the white people who wore moccasins the most. Perhaps due to this history, even today, leading French leather shoe manufacturers still use moccasin-stitched toes in their signature models. There is a strong affinity between French and moccasin-style shoe design.

(**) Bevel

To emphasize the waistline, the outstitch of the waist of the sole, which is attached using the Goodyear method, is covered with leather from the welt to create a "bevel". This technique is still occasionally used for bespoke shoes today. At Sportif, we express this "beveled waist" style by using the Mackay method on the back half of the shoe.

(***) Pitched heel

The heel is designed with a linear taper from the sole to the heel, a detail commonly seen in European shoes of the time.

(****) The comfort of leather shoes from the 1920s and 30s

In the 1920s and 30s, there were many "soft leather shoes" made from materials such as kangaroo leather and goat leather (kid). In later times, as sneakers became more popular, leather shoes became specialized for the formal beauty required for business and the durability required for work and the outdoors, and soft shoes seemed to become less common. Sportifs, which have the comfortable feel of the soft leather shoes of the past, are shoes that allow you to experience another quality of leather shoes that has been lost over time.



Key details of Sportif
The single leather sole is light and well-curved. The rounded waist accentuates the contrast with the tread area. Together with the lightly pitched heel, it expresses the style of the early 20th century. The combination of this sole, calf leather, and manufacturing method makes these boots surprisingly light.
The narrow waist gives off a vintage vibe. The upper is sewn onto a single piece of leather using the McKay method, so the feel on the arch and the comfort of the boots themselves are very soft.
American model from the 1920s to 30s
While most of the Kasin-type boots were "decorative moccasins" with stitching on the round toe vamp, "Sportif" adopted moccasins with two pieces of leather sewn together on the side and top. The toe, which has a thin leather toe cap, becomes comfortable and sinks in as you wear it.

Material: French calf (DuPuy)
US6 (24cm) to US10.0 (28cm) 9 sizes in total
Goodyear welt construction (footwear) + McKay construction (waist to heel) Leather (with non-slip rubber)


The 2 Monkeys boot, the Sportif, is designed with the idea of ​​1920's- 1930's French Hunting and Outdoor boots in mind. This is not, however, a like for like reproduction.

While packed with lots of details found in Vintage French Workboots, the moccasin toe design is borrowed from American designs of the same time, this shape is also connected historically to France. We opted for a French calf leather that is comfortable right away. Dyed with a layer of black dye on the outside and a brown tea core, that will age and show through with wear.

The front part of the sole is Goodyear welted to the boot, whilst the heel is attached with the McKay/ Blake method. The style of sole pad, slimmer shank and bevel is authentically reproduced from pair of the time as is the combination of slightly curled up toe and pitched heel. Although a sturdy work boot, the Sportif is surprisingly light due to the single leather sole. Reminiscent of Native American handcrafts, the moccasin toe stitching is sewn by hand.

From the end of the 19th century, many European workers and makers traveled to the US to learn the process of mass producing shoes.

 In the latter half of the 18th century, when the United States became independent, the Midwestern United States was settled in by the remaining French. From Minnesota to the North, to Louisiana in the South, the vast inland area spanned Montana, Wyoming and Colorado to the West. There were only a few French settlers to remain active in the Hunting and Trade industries and these undeveloped spans of land were difficult to navigate, it is said that they cooperated with Native American peoples. Through their interactions and bartering of goods such as the French styles of shoes they wore for Native American Moccasins, perhaps this is why French shoe makers have such an affinity for the Moccasin style. Even to this day, the most popular French made shoe brands produce Moccasin style shoes and boots. 

Details of the Sportif:

 A lightweight sole with an arched instep. The slim waist emphasizes the rounder front toe shape. The lightly pitched heels represent styles of the first half of the 20th Century. The combination of this sole, calf leather and the manufacturing method makes the boot surprisingly light.

 The bevel, which is greatly slimmed down, gives the boots an atmosphere of the time. The upper is sewn on a single leather sole using the McKay method, so it feels very soft against the arch of the foot.

 American moccasin boots around the 20's and 30's were mainly "decorative moccasins" with the round toe bumps stitched, but our Sportif Boot is made the traditional way, with two bits of leather for the side and top of the boot.

 
Please watch for reference when choosing your size.




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