Video summary
The video offers an in-depth look at Urban Wolf Club, a small artisanal boot manufacturer based in León, Mexico, through the eyes of host Rudy Hurtado and his guide, Fernando Medina, the brand's founder. The narrative begins with an exploration of the leather sourcing process, highlighting the challenges inherent in working with independent tanneries. While some experimental batches result in leathers that do not meet the specific standards for natural finishes required by their heritage-focused clients, other suppliers consistently deliver high-quality full-grain hides. This segment underscores the reality of running a craft business where mistakes cannot be refunded, necessitating creative solutions to utilize imperfect materials or switching providers when necessary.
Inside the factory, viewers are introduced to the skilled artisans who bring these boots to life, starting with Jose, known as "El Guero," an expert with forty years of experience in mounting uppers onto lasts by hand. A distinctive feature of their León-based craftsmanship is the use of wire and nails instead of glue alone to secure the sole structure, a technique that ensures durability and prevents separation over time. The process continues with Francisco, the professional stitcher who meticulously attaches the welt using specialized machinery from Canada, followed by a secondary stitching pass to guarantee absolute strength against wear and tear. This rigorous attention to detail allows for easy resoling later in life while maintaining the boot's structural integrity.
The final stages of production involve filling gaps between layers with cork inserts reinforced by steel shanks and vegetable-tanned leather pieces at the heel, followed by sanding and painting processes that give the soles a refined shine. Beyond the physical construction, the video emphasizes the thoughtful business strategy behind Urban Wolf Club, which includes designing specific product lines like "Panther Power Boots" for local markets while maintaining their primary focus on high-end Americana-style heritage work boots for international audiences. The visit concludes with an appreciation of how these artisans balance traditional methods with modern adaptations to create durable, long-lasting footwear that honors the rich boot-making legacy of León without relying solely on mass-production techniques found elsewhere in the world.
Read the full video transcript
If you've been following me for some
time, you'll know that I love supporting
these small artisanal
boot making brands. So, here's a deep
dive into this particular small
artisanal boot making brand.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Hey, good day. Welcome back to Boot
Losophy.
If we haven't met before, my name is
Tech. I'm working on Wadjat Country,
Kalikole Wadjat Nungena Budja.
So, as you know, I have been supporting
these small artisanal
boot making brands. I think it's really
important to support these crafts and
these craftsmen who, you know, some of
them are highly experienced, but um
they haven't been passing on their craft
or if if so,
it's been in a in a in a very sort of
fragmented manner. So, it's really good
to be able to find and support artisanal
brands.
This brand is called Urban Wolf Club.
Now, it's new to me and I don't have a
pair of their boots, but I have seen
lots of videos from producer friends
and they're very interesting, you know?
And so, my friend Rudy Hurtado uh
that I interviewed, he's a Leon native
and you can go and see the interview I
did with him. Very very fascinating
introduction into the real world of Leon
in Mexico.
Uh so, Rudy was telling me that he was
actually going home to Leon. He lives in
Canada now. Um and uh
he asked me if it would be useful if he
went to visit the Urban Wolf Club
factory. So, I grabbed at the chance.
And so, this video is my roving reporter
Rudy Hurtado going off to meet Urban
Wolf Club.
Enjoy.
>> Hello. my name is Rudy Hurtado and I'm
here in Leon, Mexico.
>> Hey.
>> Um because I was traveling
to visit some family as I'm from this
town.
And uh I contacted Fernando Medina,
which is the owner
and
uh
founder of the Urban Wolf Club
bootmaker.
And so he accepted my idea of
uh going through his uh factory and see
how the boots are made.
And so we're going to go in and meet him
first and
uh he's going to show us the whole
process. So please come with me and
hopefully he can
uh describe everything for us. Thank you
so much.
Fernando.
>> Hello, Rodolfo.
>> How are you?
>> Great. Very good. Thank you. And you?
>> Not too bad. Thank you so much. Thank
you for
uh having us here.
>> Of course.
>> It's a pleasure.
>> Is it okay if you show us how the
process is?
>> Please do come in.
>> Thank you so much.
>> Please please come in. You're welcome.
You're welcome.
>> This way.
>> Mi casa su casa. Por favor.
>> Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for uh having us here.
I was just telling the audience that I'm
doing this for Take O from the uh
uh channel
Boot Philosophy on YouTube.
>> Of course.
>> And so uh you know, it would be nice to
for us to know how you make your boots
because
uh a lot of people have been talking
about them and you know, having a lot of
uh
uh videos about your
product. So it would be nice to see the
the whole process.
>> Of course, it will be a pleasure to show
you and
the
people
who follow
Teiko and Teiko
>> Mhm.
>> how we do
our work, our boots. So,
>> Perfect.
>> come in, let's let's start.
>> Let's see.
>> [laughter]
>> Here we have our our friend Andres
making a sewing stitching
parts of the upper.
This This is what we call a
uh máquina de poste, like a
I don't know how to say it in English.
>> Well, in English this that part is the
lacing
lacing.
>> Yeah, it's for the laces to go in.
>> But I'm talking about the machine that
this machine if you see
is like a
>> Yeah, you have the
little post.
>> Yeah.
This is made so that he can stitch
certain parts of the boot.
>> Oh, perfect.
>> As you can see, other machines are
uh don't have the post and and he will
stitch in a
uh plane.
>> Yes, like in a Yeah, like in a table,
right?
>> Yeah.
So, the post here allows him to stitch
certain
uh
areas of the boot.
>> Okay. Okay.
>> So,
there are there are machines that have
this post, very big
for cowboy boots, for example.
>> Right.
>> Or other types of boots.
>> Question for you, what what what type of
leather is this? And where is it coming
from?
>> This is this
is
um
we call it here at Tonal.
>> Okay.
>> This is a
from a local
uh, tannery.
>> Okay. It's not the park, is it?
>> This is not the park.
This is actually a leather that was uh
kind of an experiment.
>> Okay.
>> Sometimes I work with the with the with
the leather makers, the the tanneries. I
I work with um
individual
makers or producers of leather.
>> Okay.
>> And we make sometimes some experiments.
Sometimes they work, sometimes they
don't.
>> Right.
>> This is some kind of a
uh,
end result that was not um, what I was
looking for. So, this was some kind of
an
>> An accident. It was an an accident.
>> It's not a bad leather, but this is not
what For example, I don't use this for
Urban Wolf
because
>> Oh.
>> the customers, the clients in Urban
Wolf, likes
they they want very natural finishes.
>> Right.
>> So, in the process of this leather
it was applied the what we call some
kind of a paste.
>> I think they're called corrected grain.
>> It is not corrected. It is full grain,
but
you can apply like some kind of a paste
on the leather on the full grain leather
or corrected grain.
And this gives you a feel that is not as
natural.
>> Mhm.
>> So, I I use this on other
>> So, it's not full grain.
>> No, it is a full grain, but in the
process
they put like a paste of material that
on top of the full grain.
And this
>> Is it a plastic or is it just like a
Like a dye?
>> It's like a dye.
>> Okay.
>> Like a pigment.
>> A pigment, yeah.
>> But, it's a kind of pigment that gives
you
not a natural not as a natural finish as
other type of materials.
This was
done
um
like a accidentally like we sometimes
you work with this with the with the
leather producer and sometimes you can
have misunderstandings or the person or
the place changes the materials or mix
something different and
they don't give you what you you want.
>> Yeah.
>> Exactly.
>> It is it is
working with these independent leather
makers
sometimes is
gives you a bad quality result.
If
someone in the process
didn't comply to the standard that you
were searching for.
>> Oh, I see.
>> Okay.
>> And
I have then to search for another
provider.
>> Okay.
>> So
I can
>> So you have a few providers?
>> I have three.
>> Three, okay.
>> Sometimes one makes me a
great leather.
>> specific type of leather.
>> Yeah, sometimes he understands what I
want sometimes he don't and I have to go
to the other one.
>> Oh, I see. Okay.
>> And the other one understands what I
want.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah, it is it is some kind of a trouble
some sometime because I do want to
achieve greatest quality.
>> Yes.
>> And
but
my providers can fail me.
>> Right.
>> And
this ones this was not as like a
complete fail but this will not
pass for durable.
So
>> Okay.
>> I bought the leather
and
he will not receive it back
because I didn't want the leather.
But
this is some of the
things that happens sometimes and
you have to turn it around and see it's
not a bad leather.
>> Right.
>> But, I know that
the the heritage market will not
>> Maybe uh
>> like it very much.
>> Yes. Yes.
>> So, I have to make give it a another
use.
>> Yeah, exactly.
>> You know?
>> You have another brand as well for local
market.
>> Yeah, it's actually this one that
>> And it's called
>> Panther power boots. [clears throat]
>> Okay, Panther power boots. Okay, and you
have a a website for it?
>> Yeah, I have a uh
>> Okay, so maybe people might
uh take a look and if
and if they order in Europe, can they be
sent over there?
>> Yeah.
>> Yes. Okay.
>> Yeah.
Here we have our
our main cobbler
and friend, Jose.
El Guero.
>> El Guero.
>> He's the one in charge of uh
mounting the uppers to the last
by hand.
He's nailing the insole
to the last.
>> [snorts]
>> This is how we
>> Yes, this is glue or cement.
>> Let it dry for a bit.
This is a new one, okay.
>> This is how how he's bending also you
what will be the gaming.
So, that
he has he has to bend it, right?
So that
then works as a
>> Exactly.
>> gaming.
>> What kind of leather this is? You know,
what which what do you call this one?
>> This is our or amber leather.
>> Amber, okay.
>> You say a full grain.
>> Do you work anything
else besides
uh bovine leather?
>> Yeah, we can work with
with anything, but at the moment our
main is bovine.
>> Okay.
>> We
we have make some uh
exotic.
>> Oh, yeah?
>> Like
>> what? Like shark?
>> Like uh shark not yet, but um crocodile.
>> Crocodile, okay.
>> Um
lizard.
>> Oh, nice.
>> Mhm.
And [clears throat] uh
snake.
>> Nice.
>> Yeah, we can work with any kind of
leather.
>> Okay.
>> We have we recently made a
um
bison leather.
>> Oh, nice. Nice.
>> Yeah.
>> Do you use uh for the uh toe puffs?
For the uh leather do you have the
stiffener?
>> Yeah.
>> for the toe?
>> Yeah.
>> Is that leather or you use elastic?
>> We use elastic.
>> Elastic.
>> But we can use leather as
>> Okay.
>> as you as
as you may know
if our client asks for leather or no toe
stiffener, we can make it.
>> Right, okay.
>> So we adapt to whatever the client
wants.
>> Does that increase increase the price or
>> No, it's the same.
>> It's the same price.
>> Okay, all right.
>> Usually what what does elevate the price
is making modifications to the
to the
>> the uppers
or making a new upper from scratch.
That will do increase the cost.
>> pattern.
>> Yeah, exactly.
>> How long do you leave
the uppers on the last before you bottom
it?
>> If we make it the proper way 24 hours
will be good enough.
>> Yes.
>> Okay.
>> But sometimes
we may have to
to hurry it up.
>> Okay.
>> So
>> be less.
>> Because our stitcher
is has a lot of experience
he can
stitch the world
with the uppers somewhat fresh.
>> Okay.
But you see this process is very
unique to Leon
using the wire.
>> Oh, yeah?
>> Right? Cuz I don't I don't think they
use that or do it in many other places.
>> Really?
>> No.
Maybe I've seen that in
China maybe.
>> Okay.
>> But not many people do or use the the
wire.
>> Normally they nail it.
>> Yes.
>> Completely, right?
>> Yeah.
>> And and a hammer
>> Exactly.
>> Nail nail and hammer.
>> Correct.
>> I think that's very unique to Leon cuz
>> I didn't knew that.
>> Yeah. All all the boots like cowboy
boots, they do the same thing.
>> Okay.
>> With the wire.
>> A lot of nails and hammering.
Yeah, but they use the wire.
>> Ah, okay.
>> Here in Leon.
>> Here in Leon, yes.
He makes it look really easy.
But he is a machine.
>> [laughter]
>> He has a lot of experience.
>> You can You can tell right away.
How long has been, Jose?
40 years of experience.
You can tell.
Yes.
And what is What's this
last called?
>> That's That's That is our Thompson last.
>> Thompson. Okay.
>> Yes.
>> That's beautiful.
May I
It's heavy.
It's beautiful.
Very nice.
>> There are a lot of There are certain
things to to be taken into account.
For example,
no wrinkles.
>> Exactly.
>> Made
to fit to
stretch it to the perfect shape of the
last.
>> Correct.
>> Leave no gap here.
>> That is very important.
>> That is very important because a
a cobbler with no experience may leave a
gap here.
>> Right.
>> And then when you when you use the boot,
you walk, you will feel that
>> Yes.
>> the boot comes up from the heel.
>> Right.
>> This doesn't happen with
>> one is perfect then. Yeah, I can see
that.
Thank you so much.
Here we have our our friend
the stitcher, Francisco.
He's the professional stitcher that
works with us.
He's in charge of stitching the welt
of all the boots we make.
Perfect.
You can see
>> And then you will straighten out
this part right here.
Yeah, just straighten it.
>> This then
must
be bent.
But you can see
as I was showing you earlier
>> All right.
>> the the sheet of leather we put under
the the insole
>> That's right.
>> how it works as the gaming
>> Yes.
>> As this is where the welt is stitched.
Perfect.
And that is durable.
Very durable.
>> Okay. Okay.
>> It will not break.
>> It will not come apart either.
>> No. No way.
>> Very thick.
>> Very thick. It's You can
grab it.
>> Yeah, it's it's
>> Wow.
>> It's tough.
>> It is.
>> So it is a very strong machine.
>> And this one comes from Canada, you
>> [music]
>> said.
>> Yeah. This this machine is
it's called the Montreal
from Canada.
We We we are
um
applying this technique.
This is a recent
application that we're making.
Normally when when you
This is what many
uh
producers do. They stitch the boot,
then the cobbler
will cut this and and make it even.
But you will have
like a one or two
little bit loose stitches from the welt.
All right? So, what we do
is that
we
the
the stitcher gives the boot to the
cobbler.
He then
does the
the cutting of the welt and the gluing
of the welt,
and then gives it back to the to the
stitcher again, so that he puts another
stitches
to completely close
>> Oh, I see.
>> very strongly the
>> Right.
>> the welt. So, you will have no
loose
>> It will not come apart.
>> It will not
because
in the other system, if we don't do
this, when when the the the stitch
when the stitch of the when you're
stitching the the welt to the sole,
it is also strong machine, so it can be
common
that
it will if you can see, this can get
separated. Right? So,
if we don't do what we're going to do,
this is kind of loose, as you can see.
Right?
And then the the stitch
to the of the welt to the sole
is a strong uh machine nail that is
stitching, so it can also separate it
when when it comes through here.
>> Okay.
>> So,
what we are doing now is that we are we
are
giving another
uh couple of stitches.
And this will make it super strong and
it will not
>> separate. Yeah.
>> have no gap or no separation.
So, you will have
>> Nice.
>> very strong uh stitch of the welt.
>> happens if
uh I need a resole?
Because you don't have a gemming.
Can a cobbler change the uh welt?
>> Yeah, of course. If you want to resole,
>> Right.
>> he has to change the welts.
>> Yeah.
>> But he he can use the insole we have
to stitch it again.
>> You mean the little
gemming part that you left over
>> Yes.
>> He can reuse that.
>> Yes.
>> To stitch the new welt
>> Yes.
>> and then resole. Okay.
>> Yes.
>> That's very good.
>> Yeah.
As you can see here, he now added
another couple of stitches.
>> Correct.
>> And now
>> This is not going anywhere.
>> Yeah, it
>> It's not going to come apart.
>> No no separation at all.
>> Yeah.
>> When the when the stitch the stitcher
comes through, it will not uh separate
the welt uh the the little tail ending
of the welt will not separate
whatsoever.
>> And this is the
the cork
filler.
>> Yeah.
>> Right between
what is the uh
the insole
or footbed
with all the gemming, sorry, the uh
yeah, the gemming with the
the welt.
This is the the gap that we have and
it's filled with cork.
And then you have a steel shank, which
is a great thing.
>> Yeah. And then a little a little bit of
veg tan for the heel.
>> Cork?
>> This is cork?
>> No, this is veg tan leather.
>> Oh, I see. Oh, veg veg tan.
>> This is to to
This is a little piece of veg tan.
>> Yeah, that's pretty good.
Very good.
>> To make it uh
to reinforce the the heel.
So, the cork doesn't go all the way up
here.
>> Very good.
>> Yeah, that's how we do it.
>> Perfect.
>> So, this is the sanding of the sole
process.
Part of the process because
here we have to take it to the next step
that that is
we call it apomasar.
That you make it even uh finer.
>> Smoother.
And then you paint it.
And you brush it, so you make the
>> You have a little shine.
>> Yeah.
>> The shine on the stain of the of the
sole.
>> Perfect.
Looks nice.
>> All right.
>> So, I hope you like that. I thought it
was a fascinating experience when I went
through the video and as I as I was
editing it. I think there are some very
important principles
about how they source their leather, for
example, and what it takes to run a
business where, you know, you're you're
buying materials and you can't get
refunds if it's wrong, so you have to
use them in a different way. And the the
intentional thinking behind how they
design different brands of boots to suit
different markets.
It was to me not only a fascinating
glimpse into how the boots are made in
the factory in an artisanal factory, but
also the thinking behind the business
thinking behind a boot brand.
Now, I will leave a link to their
website below. I have no affiliate link
whatsoever.
And there are some interesting articles
in their brand.
And if I get the chance, I might just do
a b-roll. I'll flash it through here.
But if you look through it, there are
some great Americana-type work boot
heritage boot styles that they produce
at Urban Wolf Club.
So, I'm very impressed by that. I won't
take too much of your time except to ask
you to like, comment, and subscribe.
I'll see you next week when I bring out
another video. Take care out there.
>> [music]