Dacks and other Canadian shoe brands

[MATTHEW DACK]

All sizes are Canadian, and F is our standard fit.
MD

 

[jaihoo]

MD

Welcome to SF and gud luck with this new endeavor.


J

 

[tonylamer]

I found a pair of what I believe are Dack's camelskin oxfords a couple of days ago. They're a 14, and I'm a 10.5, but they were only a few bucks so I picked them up anyway. If anyone on this thread's interested, I'd let them go for almost nothing. I have a couple of pairs in bison and oxhide, and they're my favourite shoes.

 

[MyOtherLife]



I found a pair of what I believe are Dack's camelskin oxfords a couple of days ago. They're a 14, and I'm a 10.5, but they were only a few bucks so I picked them up anyway. If anyone on this thread's interested, I'd let them go for almost nothing. I have a couple of pairs in bison and oxhide, and they're my favourite shoes.

Those shoes have a very beautiful and robust grain. Personally I am unfamiliar with camel hide. Narrowing it down, I would say unstretched leather of either camel, bison, water buffalo or possibly antelope.

 

[daxman]

This pair is Camel Skin . I sold countless pairs of them in my days with Dack Shoes. That rather unique 4 eyelet plain toe styling was one we used with very few other leathers . Perhaps only oxhide had that combination and that leather featured a much smaller and closer grain than Camel. Regards from Daxman.

 

[Rampart]

Good to see the brand back!

What's the relation between the new line of shoes & the name? Was the name purchased by another manufacturer or are they the same owners involved as before?

 

[MATTHEW DACK]

As you know, Matthew Dack founded the brand in 1834. We acquired the rights to the Dack trademark, brand etc. Dack's Shoes Limited is bankrupt since 2009. Thought the brand needed more personality, so we're using both Matthew and Dack. But the shoes and the quality are the same.

MD

 

[Rampart]

I like the name, although prefer the older font. The hand written style I thought gave it a more classic look.

The first thing that came to mind when I saw the new Matthew Dack font/logo was that it kinda looked like a Liberal party election poster type ad. Not bad, but the hand written font is what most people will always remember Dack's as..

Can any models be purchased at stores in Canada?

 

[MATTHEW DACK]

The shoes are only available online. No plans for retail distribution just yet.
MD

 

[MyOtherLife]

I have just procured a pair of Camel skin wingtips but by the other Canadian brand of Hartt.
I am cleaning them up and will post photos soon.
It is interesting that my camel wingtips by Hartt are identical to Ramparts pair by Dack's, I mean stitch for stich and the design is identical.
Now a question to Matthew...
Did Hartt and Dack's share the same factory in New Brunswick?
Were they one and the same company?

 

[MATTHEW DACK]

Hartt's is where Dacks were made until the end of the nineties. Dack's Shoes Limited owned Hartt.

MD

 

[Rampart]

Here's an example of a pair of Dack's golf shoes:

 

[daxman]

Dack Shoes were in the market to expand their manufacturing base and in 1957 they purchased the Hartt Shoe factory in Fredericton N.B.They held on to the Hartt name and did all their wholesale business throught that name.The shoes were identical but in an area where there was no Dack store they marketed shoes to small independent retailers--under the Hartt name . This was particularly effective in the Eastern provinces where the Hartt name had already established a loyal customer base.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I contacted the new(?) company the other day asking about lasts and sizes but the person who responded provided no useful information, only saying the sizes were North American and the lasts "Canadian". Anyway, looking over the new website it's obvious their shoes are made by Cheaney and the current lineup appears to be almost identical to what they offered before the bankruptcy. Dufferin, Turner II, and Stormont are obviously on the Cheaney 2003 last, which I know well, and I can probably match up some of the other models if anyone is super keen. I will be ordering the Dufferin in both scotch grain finishes, as I have two already and they are simply a superb shoe.

 

[daxman]

When I saw the "new" Dack offering , I thought of Cheaney right away.The Dack affiliation with them goes back some decades and the 2 brands used to borrow ideas and lasts from each other , when it suited them. The new lines should be very solidly built although maybe lacking just and little bit in suppleness and flexibility. Furthermore, the English made lines are usually made just a little generously, per size. This means that the F width from Engalnd may an F+ width according to the way older Canadian lasts used to fit. Daxman.