How Thiele Tanning's Jordan Proefrock Makes the World's Best Shoe Lining Leather

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 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.

Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membershiphttps://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/

We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events.https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/A website. We have one.https://www.stitchdown.com/