Bulwark, Trek Boot - Cognac | Hand Welted Stout Boots

I recently ordered a pair of Bulwark hiking style boots from Sandeep and Pradeep at BlkBrd Shoemakers and I have to say it was a thoroughly rewarding experience. First of all I supplied them with accurate measurements of my feet (they send you a link and all you need is a piece of paper, a tape measure and a pencil) I particularly wanted an inexpensive pull up leather so I could give them (and their interpretation of my measurements) a try before I started to get stuck into ordering more expensive leathers such Shell Cordovan, Chromexcel, hatchgrain etc. In just over 2 weeks the package arrived by DHL and inside were the beautifully made boots with boot bags and tissue, rugged cotton laces and a nice pair of "spare" leather laces. They fit like a glove, apparently they use a standard last and make tweaks during manufacture (by hand) to take account of individual foot measurements. It works like a dream. I guess the analogy I would use is just like a made to measure suit where they take a standard design / last and tweak it for the customers own choices of leather, sizes etc. I subsequently did the same on a pair of their Romain X butterfly loafers choosing my own leather / suede combination and again they fitted perfectly and looked amazing, the quality is easily up there with Crockett & Jones, Cheaney and the like. Not quite Lobb, Green or G & G but literally a fraction of the cost. I have just added to my collection with an order for 9 more pairs of various loafers, shoes and boots in everything from Horween Shell Cordovan to Stead's Reverse Kudu suede. I only did this just after Christmas and we have agreed on a 3 week lead time for dispatch (DHL takes another 2-4 days) because of the qty I ordered. The final step will be to have my own lasts made that will remain at the factory and be used for any future orders; ordinarily this would involve a visit to their factory but they exhibit in London in May so I will be visiting them for a proper measure up. I am a bit of a geek when it comes to shoes and whilst I have always bought high quality Goodyear welted the cost to have shoes bespoke made I found hard to justify, until now.
The two brothers are hardworking and happily share their time and advice on WhatsApp. Cant wait for my next order to arrive, I am particularly looking forward to receiving a pair of spiral double buckle monk shoes that are manufactured from a single piece of museum calf with just one continuous seam, a real work of art and only really possible on hand made shoes. I am so glad I came across them just by accident reading an American shoe blog. Oh and the real Horn shoe horn is a really nice touch

great quality, they handle the rain great!

They keep amazing me. These are my 3rd from them and each fits better. And the quality is remarkable

I’m very satisfied with this pair of boots. I find them very attractive and from the start they fit me well. They did not make the boots till I sent them my feet measurements- I guess they fit me so well and feel so comfortable.

Just received these within the last few weeks and am blown away by the quality of construction and attention to detail.

They will require some breaking in but that’s always the case with hand-welted boots. Durability is the positive trade-off.

I was a little worried about ordering the “base leather,” but these were going to be worn casually (and perhaps brutally over time), so I figured upgrading was unnecessary, particularly because this was my first order.

My initial take is the leather is of quite high quality. Maybe not Horween level but really quite good.

I look forward to making future orders.