Trench Oxford

As part of Oak Street Bootmakers' commitment to preserving American shoemaking traditions, the Trench Oxford represents their approach to transforming military heritage footwear into contemporary dress shoes while maintaining traditional construction methods. The shoe is fully recraftable and made in the United States.

The Trench Oxford draws its design inspiration from the WWI US Army M1918 Boot, reimagining the military heritage in oxford shoe form. Oak Street Bootmakers was founded in 2010 by George Vlagos with the mission to help preserve the tradition of American shoemaking.

The company was established after Vlagos, whose father was a Greek immigrant cobbler who worked in Chicago, recognized the decline of American footwear manufacturing and sought to revitalize the craft through high-quality production methods.

The Trench Oxford employs True Goodyear Welt construction with a Barbour® welt. This construction method uses a 360-degree Goodyear welt, which is utilized across all Trench models in the Oak Street Bootmakers lineup. The Goodyear welting process creates a durable, water-resistant bond between the upper and sole while allowing the shoe to be fully recraftable.

The recraftable construction enables the shoe to be re-soled multiple times, extending its lifespan significantly. Resoling services are available from Oak Street Bootmakers, with costs ranging from $120 for a leather sole to $150 for Dainite or Wedge sole replacements.

The upper of the Trench Oxford is constructed from Natural Horween Chromexcel Leather, sourced from the Horween facility in Chicago. Chromexcel undergoes an extensive production process involving 89 separate processes taking 28 working days to complete. The leather is combination tanned using chrome salts and vegetable retannage, then hot stuffed with a proprietary blend of natural oils, waxes, and greases.

This treatment process results in leather characterized by a rich pull-up effect in full aniline, hand-rubbed finish that develops a unique patina over time. The interior features a calfskin vamp lining with a partially-structured toe for comfort and shape retention.

Hardware components include brass eyelets paired with rawhide laces. The shoe is available with multiple sole options, including Dainite rubber sole and Vibram 2060 sole configurations to suit different wear preferences and conditions.

Oak Street Bootmakers handcrafts all footwear in the United States using the finest leathers available. Following the company's acquisition of the Highland Shoe factory in Maine in 2017, manufacturing operations take place in the former Highland Shoe facility. This acquisition allowed Oak Street Bootmakers to maintain domestic production and preserve American shoemaking expertise.

The manufacturing process emphasizes traditional American craftsmanship techniques while utilizing modern equipment and quality control standards. All footwear undergoes comprehensive handcrafting processes that reflect the company's commitment to preserving heritage manufacturing methods.