Colorful Sheepskin for Cozy New Colorways
First things first—I'm the one to blame as to why we haven't had any other color of sheepskin except for Stonytip in a very long time. I'm sorry! I know people loved the all-black and all-chocolate Phoenix boots, and people keep asking us for more.
Here's why I gave them the axe...
Excess Waste & Scrap
Every hide of sheepskin we get has a little waste associated with it. Some hides have a lot of waste associated with it! The "waste" is usually a part of the hide that was close to the armpits or belly. We as humans can get a little soft in those areas, and it turns out that animals do too. Those parts of the hide can tear easily or just look a little lumpy and unsightly—not something that looks good on a boot cuff or a beautifully cozy Fireside.
Some hides have lots of scars and pockmarks, too many for us to work our patterns around, and the utilization gets really bad. Good material utilization is one of the key elements that our clickers (the hydraulic presses used to cut out shoe parts and pieces) strive for.
Repurposing Leftover Material
So, back to why we haven't had any black or brown sheepskin recently. With our Stonytip sheepskin, we can repurpose the scrap and make it into sheepskin insoles or moccasin soles. The Stonytip sheepskin is a light color that will not dye a person's foot if they happen to, *ahem*, sweat a wee bit. The dark brown and black sheepskin was a different matter. The amount of scrap mounding up because we didn't know what to do with it was a big issue and one that I did not like. There are only so many cat toys we could make. Dog toys?... We tried that. My dog went through one in about 10 minutes. So, I asked if we could give it the axe. I'm sorry.
Here is the great news! I found some sheepskin that's absolutely gorgeous in a smokey grey for a limited edition Fireside, and a stunning dark mottled brown for a limited Phoenix Boot.
What I love about these colors is that the sheep is a lighter hue that won't dye your feet. If you peek inside your next pair of moccasins or get yourself some nice new sheepskin insoles, you might notice a new color hiding out. Just know, that is the product of the Elves trying to keep in step with our motto of Walking Lightly on the Earth, and it's not just because one Elf got grumpy about too many options!
Hava Terry is a 15 year veteran of Softstar who truly embodies Softstar values with her amiable nature, empathy, and leadership. She has an amazing laugh, which radiates through the shop, bringing joy to everyone even on the most stressful days, As our Sustainability Coordinator, Hava has a personal passion for sustainability in her personal life, her community and at Softstar. She bikes everywhere around town and was one of the first to invest in an electric car. She supports local community youth programs, reuse/recycling programs, rescues dogs, and is an organic gardener who on many occasions has been found planting blueberry and tomato plants in our employee garden for us to enjoy on breaks.