Thiele Tanning has operated out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin since 1934. And while things rarely stay the same in tanning—Thiele has made everything from bowling shoe leather, to baseball glove leather, to some actually VERY good patent leather—for decades its wheelhouse has been lining leather. If you’ve got a pair of shoes or boots you truly love from a historic manufacturer, there’s a solid chance it’s Thiele lining touching your feet.
In this chat with Thiele’s Jordan Proefrock, we get into that lining leather of course, how Thiele tans end-to-end right in one building (a rarity!), how they’re leveraging AI to manage internal processes (without losing their souls to it), what to expect from Thiele at Stitchdown Expo 2026 Chicago, and plenty more.
And check out the extensive Shoecast archives right here
Or watch the episodes—and plenty of other wonderful stuff—that we’ve also put on our YouTube channel
Stitchdown Premium subscribers get access to bonus Shoecast episodes, our private (and excellent) Discord server, and entry to the Stitchdown Patina Thunderdome.
