The Best Made-in-USA Loafer Toughens Up With a Distinctively American Leather

A handful of brands in and around one city in Maine make the best American-made loafers and camp mocs.

You can’t go wrong with Quoddy, Yuketen and Easymoc, but Rancourt stands out for its refinement and attention to detail.

Rancourt & Co.

Rancourt is a family-owned and operated shoemaker in Lewiston, Maine. Founded in 1967, it proudly keeps the local tradition of hand-sewn moccasin construction alive under the second and third generations of the Rancourt family.

The Maine shoemaker produces an extensive catalog of casual shoes, dress shoes and boots. Every pair uses top-grade leather and is constructed with the hand-sewn moccasin or Blake methods.

Rancourt is best known for its collection of camp mocs and loafers. The Belgrade Camp Loafer is a hybrid between the two styles, allowing it to be worn formally and casually.

Rancourt & Co.

The tough-as-nails, all-purpose shoe is now available in cognac bison leather. Bison hide has a unique pebble grain texture, resembling a blend of cow hide and alligator.

It is a perfect fit for a shoe built using a method that goes back centuries in New England.

A proper moc

Rancourt and its fellow Mainer brands are among the last companies in the world to use traditional hand-sewn moccasin construction. The defining feature is not the moc toe but the full wrap-around leather vamp.

The bulk of the upper is made from a single piece of leather that wraps under the foot and is connected via a top panel with the tell-tale moc toe stitching.

Rancourt & Co.

For all shoes that aren’t standard moccasins, a leather midsole is sewn to the bottom of the vamp, and the outsole is then stitched to the midsole. The shoe is unlined, but Rancourt inserts a leather insole to cover the stitching.

This method eliminates the vulnerability of stitching at the midsole level, resulting in a more water-resistant shoe. The upper also molds to the owner’s foot like a glove, creating a perfect fit over time.

Another technique Rancourt utilizes to achieve a better fit is punching the holes for the moc stitching by hand as the toe box is sewn. Most brands machine-punch the holes as the leather panels are cut.

America’s leather

Bison leather is tougher per density than cow leather, allowing Rancourt to use a more supple leather to achieve the quality it maintains. This will result in a smoother feel out of the box and a quicker break-in period.

Rancourt & Co.

Rancourt sources all of its leather for casual shoes and boots from Horween in Chicago, America’s most respected tannery. It also uses solid brass eyelets and rawhide laces on every moc.

The Belgrade Camp loafer’s rubber lug outsole is from Reltex, a French manufacturer that produces 100 percent natural latex rubber. This is the only non-domestically sourced part of the shoe.

The outsole is painted dark brown around the outside to avoid the discoloration that would normally happen with ordinary wear.

Rancourt & Co.

Rancourt’s camp mocs and loafers are icons of American footwear, and the Belgrade Camp Loafer in bison leather is the most American iteration available.

Availability and price

The Rancourt Belgrade Camp Loafer is available now from Rancourt for $318.

The stitched sole construction allows it to be resoled multiple times, drastically extending the life of the upper. Any local cobbler can do it, but Rancourt offers a resole and refurbish service where you can even change the outsole type.

Rancourt & Co.

Rancourt Belgrade Camp Loafer in Cognac Bison

• $318 at Rancourt

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