Yuketen Moccasin Construction, Part II

Some of Yuketen's lighter spring and summer silhouettes, such as the Blucher with Kiltie, are built upon a trimmed foundation but feature the same core interior components as Yuketen's bolder shoes and boots (it's what's on the inside that counts, after all). Yuketen's boat sole is notable for two elements: it's composition of 100% natural rubber and it's inclusion of siping along the bottom of the outsole. Siping, named after its inventor John Sipe, is the implementation of razor-thin slits on a rubber surface to improve traction and grip. The technique was first implemented on automobile tires before becoming a popular feature of rubber outsoles. Yuketen's boat soles are also sewn directly to the vamp leather, allowing the shoes to be resoled and thus increasing the lifespan of the shoes for years of wear. 

The inner workings of the shoe include a vegetable-tanned leather tuck and steel shank in the rear half of the shoe. These two components give the shoe structure where it's needed, but allow the shoe to flex where necessary at the ball of the foot. The curved shape of the tuck and shank also acts as a stable bridge along the arch of the foot, dispersing pressure more evenly across the bottom of the foot and combating fatigue. The foam heel pad provides an additional layer of shock absorption while the full-length vegetable-tanned leather insole gives the wearer a breathable, all-leather footbed. 

The result of such robust components is that even Yuketen's lighter footwear offers the wearer superior comfort and support than the shoes' mass produced counterparts. Yuketen is able to construct thoroughly considered and high quality footwear of all forms by investing heavily in the functional and structural elements of the shoe that matter the most.