We’re excited to release this upcoming Viberg Horsehide Service Boot in a dark brown Col. 1071 leather. Built on a healthy stack of leather mid and outer soles, antique brass eyelets, and some French Binding for a slightly elevated look, this Service Boot featuring Maryam’s horsehide will be a classic that you’ll love turning to for its dark brown and grainy texture.
The Viberg Horsehide Service Boot (Col. 1071) will release on Friday, April 5th at Noon EST.
- Available in sizes 6.5-13
- Viberg for Withered Fig Exclusive
- Col. 1071 Washed Horsehide (Maryam, Italy)
- 1035 Last (E)
- Leather Sole w/ Dr. Sole #1102 Raw Cord Heel
- Tan Kip Lining
- Standard Set-in Tongue
- Self-Tongue (Col. 1071 Horsehide)
- 8x AA Antique Brass Eyelets
- Partially Structured Toe (Leather Toe-Puff)
- Natural Midsole
- Stitchdown Construction
- Includes a pair of Rawhide Laces and Brown Flat Waxed Laces
- Includes Viberg Dust Bags
Though a brand new make-up, the Viberg Horsehide Service Boot ( Col. 1071) is a pair that already has a bit of history to it, albeit tangentially. We selected this Maryam washed horsehide leather by taking inspiration from Richard’s first pair of Viberg Sample Sale pick-ups. Back at the 2017 Viberg Sample Sale in New York City, Richard combed through a bunch of size 9 and 9.5 boots and eventually settled on the Grey Kangaroo Service Boot. The Grey Kangaroo leather Service Boot started out as a lighter grey, but after much loving wear, it ended up much darker and with a brown cast. See below for the Col. 1071 Washed Kangaroo pair on the top, and Richard’s Grey Kangaroo pair on the bottom.
As the exact grey kangaroo leather wasn’t available for us to use, we decided to deviate from the idea of a re-creation to just taking inspiration from (or as we like to say in this small niche/industry – reinterpreting). So, we decided to tweak it a little for our own tastes.
The worn-in pair of Grey Kangaroos reminded us of a greyish-brown leather, which the Col. 1071 leathers often look like. Side-by-side, the Grey Kangaroo is notably lighter, but still in the same vein of that greyish-brown look. Interestingly enough, both the Grey Kangaroo and this washed horsehide leather exhibit a similar grain, texture, and effect in the leather. Up close, they show a very tight pebbled look due to the natural skin pores and structure. Although relative to the Grey Kangaroo leather, this Maryam does have noticeably more stretch-marks and some of that lightning/honeycomb structure throughout, which always adds a nice effect to a pair.
From there, we scratched the Dainite Soles on the original kangaroo pair, and opted for some French Binding and a French Oak Bark Tan Leather for the outsole, for that slight refinement. We thought this was an excellent complement to this soft and malleable washed horsehide leather, as it’s a little easier break-in from the start, and will feel even better with wear. We added some AA Antique Brass eyelets to bulk up the appearance and smooth out some of the proportions, and capped it off with Viberg’s Stitchdown construction, instead of the original Goodyear welt.
We love this pair as a solid tweener between a super dressy and elegant dark brown pair, and a slightly elevated pair that you’d wear with some nicer outfits. Plus, the dark brown color pairs incredibly well with everything you throw at it, so you know you’ll get good wear out of these.
Sizing: Shockingly, it’s been a while since we’ve done a 1035 last SMU. That said, though sizing on Viberg lasts have changed throughout the years, we find this 1035 last Service Boot to size similarly to their 2030 last Service Boots. Our general recommendation is to take one size down from your Brannock size. If you already own a pair of well-fitting Viberg Service Boots in 2030 Last, then you’ll probably want to stick with that same size (i.e. if you take 0.5 down from Brannock). The 1035 last does have a slightly wider toebox compared to the 2030, so if your size in 2030 feels a little narrow, but the length is solid, then taking the same size here will likely fit much better. As always, if you need to double-check sizing with us, please email us with some reference sizes.
The Viberg for Withered Fig Col. 1071 Horsehide Service Boot will be available Friday, April 5th at Noon EST on Withered Fig. The Service Boot will retail for $940. Shop our entire Viberg Collection here.
