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Founded in 2012 by best friends Josh Johnson and Jim Leatherman, who after years of sourcing and designing for other companies saw first hand the importance of domestic manufacturing and decided to do something about it. BROKEN HOMME is a 100% American Made boot collection. The collection partners a contemporary and working class aesthetic to a range of classic silhouettes. By embracing life’s consequences, we proudly stand in our own foot print. Manufactured in Los Angeles, California, we only release products that represent the true character of our identity. We want you to expect nothing but the highest quality product in terms of fit and design.
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After an initial phase of developing, and manufacturing the our collection in a couple large scale operations throughout the US we happened upon a boutique factory located in Los Angeles are who had been producing safety boots for the Union Longshoreman in the Port of Los Angles. We immediately saw potential in this operation as they had been producing top quality footwear since the early 1970’s. We then decided to move our operation to the local factory soon after seeing the superior quality of the boots we were producing here. Two and and a half years later we found ourself in the unique position to acquire this amazing facility and take control of our own operation from the ground up. In order to fulfill this factory element the factory itself needs to be restored to its original glory to in order to maximize its potential as a manufacturer and also pave the way for a next generation of makers. Simply put, we need to put the factory back to work in order to achieve these goals.
To launch our Kickstarter project we have developed an exclusive boot collection that both highlights and represents the nature of the manufacturing and community that surrounds it. We have developed a unique combination of leathers and American Made components solely for this project. We are offering this collection far below retail cost in the hopes to gain long time customers who appreciate the quality and dynamics of our products and appreciate what we are setting out to build as a brand.
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We started this collection by working with our best tanneries from around the United States and our local finishing house here in Los Angeles to use the finest leather assortment available. We then merchandised this unique collection with 2 of our best styles, our factories staple longshoreman boot, and then developed the harness boot and chelsea boot to be both released for the first time to you.
To ensure they are as strong as stylish, each boot is built using goodyear welt construction, metal shanks, and cork filled midsoles. Our boots are comfy out of the box, but will always get better with age.
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BROKEN HOMME boots are all built using only the most quality leathers from multiple U.S. tanneries as well as a finishing house located here in Los Angeles. Every leather in this collection is between 4-5.5oz in thickness to ensure durability and to maintain the shape of the boot for years to come.
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The steel shank is a piece of steel that is about 1” wide and about 4” long that is placed in the boot during the bottoming process in manufacturing. Boots with steel shanks are more rugged and durable than boots with fiberglass or plastic shanks. The shankpiece reinforces the waist of the shoe and prevents it from collapsing or distorting in wear. The contour of the shank is determined by heel height. Shoes with low heels or wedged soles do not require a shank because the torque between the rear and forefoot does not distort the shoe.
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All quality boots are built around a carefully crafted foot shaped model - known as a “last”. It is the last which gives a boot its fit characteristics. We spent years perfecting our fits, and are sure you will love the fit as well. The quality of the lasting, and the time that each upper spends on the last, is crucial in giving all BROKEN HOMME boots their unique shape and fit.
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The Goodyear Welt is traditionally used because it allows for comfort, durability, and the ability to be resoled. The upper part of the shoe is first formed over the last with a midsole of leather enclosing the bottom. A strip of leather know as the welt is sewn to edge of the upper and midsole. Before sewing the final outsole to complete the shoe, the cavity between the outsole and midsole is filled with cork. This cork layer serves as a cushion and a way for the shoe to “breathe”. Because the midsole is made of leather and filled with cork, the foot bed retains the shape of the wearer’s foot, improving fit and comfort. When the sole is eventually worn out, the welt is undone and the new sole is attached back to the welt without disturbing the imprinted leather and cork midsole.
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Every one of our boots is finished with some style of Vibram outsole. Vibram is the world leader in high performance rubber soles, targeted to the outdoor, work, recreation, fashion, repair and military markets. For more than 70 years, the famous yellow octagon that identifies their brand has been synonymous with quality, performance, safety, innovation and design. We use all Vibram outsoles manufactured in the United States from their factory in Brookfield, Massachusetts.
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Our factory is ready to roll now, we are scheduled to start our production run to begin on January 30th, and we aim to start shipping boots to our supporters in April of 2017.
After choosing your reward, we will message you directly on Kickstarter within 24 hours of the campaign closing(January 24th) to get your style/color/size selections. Because we are using a lean production process and manufacturing shoes as they are being ordered, it is important to fill out the selection survey as quickly as possible.
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Five years into this, we have received a decent amount of press, but one really meant a lot to us, in 2015 we were featured in a article by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top five "Cobblers to Watch Out For". This was even before we were running our own factory, so we can't wait to see what the future has in store for us from here on out.
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