I’ve Made My Own (All Weather) Sneakers.

Summary

Michael introduces the Samaras - the first collaboration between The Iron Snail and Goral Footwear. The shoe is designed to look dapper in town while being capable of hiking a mountain or slogging through gross terrain. The video presents this as “iteration one of their first thoughtware research project.”

The Samaras feature premium materials including leather from Charles F. Stead tannery (known for producing the highest quality suede in the world), specifically their Waxy Commander leather which has a shrunken fiber structure stuffed with waxes for water resistance. A special edition version uses 22oz Buffalo Plaid wool woven by American Woolen in Connecticut - the same mill that produces fabric for the Mammoth jacket. The outsoles are Vibram Ice Trek with Arctic Grip for slip resistance on ice, and include a thermochromatic lug that turns blue when temperatures fall below freezing.

Highlights

”Desire to hike a mountain at any moment”

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“Goral emphasizes minimalism, comfort, and town-wearable footwear, while The Iron Snail’s focus is on the desire to be able to hike a mountain or slog through gross terrain at any moment.” — Narrator, 1:01

”Thermochromatic lug turns blue when freezing”

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“The outsoles are Vibram’s Ice Trek with Arctic Grip… These also come with a thermochromatic lug that turns blue when temperatures fall below freezing.” — Narrator, 3:05

”A Samara is a seed dispersal system”

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“A Samara in nature is a dry fruit. Its general purpose is to be a seed dispersal system for the maple family of trees. According to Wikipedia, they are also commonly referred to as wing nuts, helicopters, whirly birds, whirly gigs, or in the north of England, a spinning jenny.” — Narrator, 3:43

”We both got ‘most creative’ in high school”

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“Thank you Robin for the animations - they look awesome. We both got the ‘most creative’ superlative in high school. We were in the picture together, but she’s Emmy nominated, so…” — Michael, 4:06

Key Points

• First Iron Snail x Goral Collaboration (0:00) - Project Samara, Edition Zero; Michael Christie and Dominic Goral as authors
• Goral’s Philosophy (0:31) - Focus on top-level craftable and minimalist designs, prioritizing highest quality materials and longevity
• Iron Snail x Goral Ideology Blend (1:01) - Goral emphasizes town-wearable comfort, Iron Snail adds desire to hike a mountain at any moment
• Charles F. Stead Leather (1:16) - Famous tannery known for producing highest quality suede; located just 61km from the factory
• Waxy Commander Leather (1:28) - Leather with shrunken fiber structure stuffed with wax blend; highly water resistant, prevents stretching during lasting
• Reverse Side Usage (1:40) - Side, back, and top panels form a cage using reverse side of Waxy Commander to hide scratches and increase abrasion resistance
• American Woolen Buffalo Plaid (1:59) - Special edition uses 22oz fine micron buffalo plaid woven in Connecticut; tribute to Michael’s New England birthplace
• Mammoth Jacket Connection (2:08) - Same mill produces fabric for both Samaras and Mammoth jacket
• Mammoth V2 Announcement (2:24) - New Mammoth versions including Lifeline Mammoth - slightly lighter with fewer bells and whistles
• Vibram Ice Trek Outsoles (3:05) - Highest performing sole on dry ice
• Arctic Grip Technology (3:08) - Increases slip resistance on wet ice
• Thermochromatic Lug (3:13) - Turns blue when temperatures fall below freezing
• Toe Reinforcement (3:36) - Three stitches added to toe to further secure outsole and prevent flapping
• Samara Name Origin (3:43) - Named after the maple seed dispersal system; also called wing nuts, helicopters, whirly birds, or spinning jenny in Northern England

Mentions

Companies

• The Iron Snail (0:00) - Michael Christie’s clothing company; collaboration partner
• Goral Footwear (0:14) - UK-based shoe manufacturer; focus on craftable and minimalist designs
• Charles F. Stead (1:19) - Famous tannery producing highest quality suede in the world
• American Woolen (2:06) - Connecticut-based mill producing 22oz buffalo plaid wool; same mill as Mammoth fabric
• Vibram (3:05) - Italian sole manufacturer; provides Ice Trek and Arctic Grip technology

Products & Technologies

• Samaras (0:10) - The collaboration shoe being introduced
• Waxy Commander Leather (1:28) - Wax-stuffed leather with shrunken fiber structure for water resistance
• 22oz Buffalo Plaid (2:02) - Fine micron wool used in special edition Samara
• Mammoth Jacket (2:11) - Iron Snail’s flagship wool jacket; V2 now available
• Lifeline Mammoth (2:31) - Lighter Mammoth version without some bells and whistles; still has map pocket
• Vibram Ice Trek (3:05) - Highest performing sole on dry ice
• Arctic Grip (3:08) - Technology for increased slip resistance on wet ice
• Thermochromatic Lug (3:13) - Temperature-indicating sole feature; turns blue in freezing temps

People

• Michael Christie (0:12) - Author from The Iron Snail
• Dominic Goral (0:14) - Author from Goral Footwear
• Robin (4:06) - Created animations for the video; Emmy-nominated; shared “most creative superlative” with Michael in high school

Surprising Quotes

“Goral emphasizes minimalism, comfort, and town-wearable footwear, while The Iron Snail’s focus is on the desire to be able to hike a mountain or slog through gross terrain at any moment.” — 1:01

“A Samara in nature is a dry fruit. Its general purpose is to be a seed dispersal system for the maple family of trees. According to Wikipedia, they are also commonly referred to as wing nuts, helicopters, whirly birds, whirly gigs, or in the north of England, a spinning jenny.” — 3:43

“Thank you Robin for the animations - they look awesome. We both got the ‘most creative’ superlative in high school. We were in the picture together, but she’s Emmy nominated, so…” — 4:06

Transcript

0:00 The Iron Snail Collaborations and Outreach Team would like to formally introduce you to iteration one of their first thoughtware research project. Project title: Samara, Edition Zero. Authors: Michael Christie of The Iron Snail and Dominic Goral of Goral.

0:31 The Samaras are the first collaboration between The Iron Snail and Goral Footwear. Goral’s focus is on top-level craftable and minimalist designs. They utilize the highest quality materials available and prioritize longevity.

1:01 The Samaras are a combination of Goral and The Iron Snail’s ideology. Goral emphasizes minimalism, comfort, and town-wearable footwear, while The Iron Snail’s focus is on the desire to be able to hike a mountain or slog through gross terrain at any moment.

1:16 We’ve selected leather from the famous tannery of Charles F. Stead, known for producing the highest quality suede in the world and located just 61km from our factory.

1:26 The Samaras utilize Stead’s Waxy Commander - a leather with a shrunken fiber structure that is stuffed with a blend of waxes. This leather is highly water resistant and prevents stretching during the lasting process.

1:40 The side, back, and top panels of the Samara form a cage and use the reverse side of Waxy Commander to better hide scratches and to increase abrasion resistance while protecting our cemented leather or wool.

1:55 Our special edition Samara is highly breathable and a tribute to my place of birth, New England. This is a 22oz fine micron buffalo plaid woven by American Woolen in Connecticut - the same mill that produces the fabric for the Mammoth.

2:16 Which, by the way, the Mammoths are now currently on theironsnail.us in new colors and in new wool types, which is very exciting. But obviously the OG color is here as well. Also, this is the Mammoth V2, so there’s a lot of new updates that are on the site that you’ll have to read about.

2:28 But also there’s another Mammoth - the Lifeline Mammoth, which is this one right here. The Lifeline Mammoth is cut right next to the Primordial Mammoth in the same factory. It uses wool from the exact same manufacturer - insane quality. It’s just a tiny bit lighter, goes without a few bells and whistles, but is the big daddy competitor to most other wool jackets on the market. It has basically everything you could ever want in a wool jacket, including the ever-so-famous map pocket.

2:52 If you’re at all interested, you should go to theironsnail.us and sign up for the email list, cuz I’m sending an email out tomorrow Monday. They’ll be going live on December 27th, 2024, and they’ll be shipping out shortly after that.

3:02 Okie dokie, thank you. Back to Samaras.

3:04 The outsoles are Vibram’s Ice Trek with Arctic Grip. Arctic Grip is meant to increase slip resistance on wet ice, while Ice Trek is their highest performing sole on dry ice. These also come with a thermochromatic lug that turns blue when temperatures fall below freezing.

3:36 We’ve added three stitches to the toe to further secure the outsole and prevent any form of flapping.

3:43 A Samara in nature is a dry fruit. Its general purpose is to be a seed dispersal system for the maple family of trees. According to Wikipedia, they are also commonly referred to as wing nuts, helicopters, whirly birds, whirly gigs, or in the north of England, a spinning jenny.

3:59 Our spinning jenny whirly bird is now ready for you to fly. They’ll be released on December 26, 2024. Sign up for early access on Goral’s site.

4:06 Thank you. Goodbye. Thank you Robin for the animations - they look awesome. We both got the “most creative” superlative in high school. We were in the picture together, but she’s Emmy nominated, so which one of us…