Company History
The Horween Name

Isadore Horween founded I. Horween and Co. in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois. The city was a natural choice for many tanneries at the time due to its sizable commercial stockyard business which saw large volumes of meatpacking and processing. In 1920 the company moved to its current location on the Chicago River in Chicago’s Bucktown. The company’s name was eventually changed to Horween Leather Company.

Steeped in a tradition of excellence and commitment to quality crossing five generations of Horween’s, Horween Leather Company has become a staple in the leather industry for the product it produces.Founded in 1905, Horween Leather Company is one of the oldest continuously running tanneries in the United States, and the only still located in Chicago, Illinois. We offer an array of tannages utilizing primarily cowhide and horsehide with smaller quantities of calf and bison hides also used. Our leather is used in many products including shoes, sporting goods, bags, belts, and other types of apparel and accessories. We are well known for our production of the finest Genuine Horween® Shell Cordovan, professional football leather, and Chromexcel®, among other leathers.

The Founders
Isadore Horween
"We should take the best of everything; the best hides, the best oils, the best dyes and finishes - then we need to do whatever it takes to make that leather the best. The price goes on last, and if we can't sell it for what it's worth, we shouldn't make that leather."
Isadore Horween
Master Tanner and Founder, 1905 - 1948
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Arnold Horween
"We always felt there was a right way and a wrong way to make fine leather. It takes us six months to make a cordovan shell. Our cordovan could probably be made faster, and people might not even be able to tell the difference... but I can."
Arnold Horween
President, 1949 - 1983
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Arnold Horween, Jr.
"As tanneries go we're not the biggest, the fastest or the cheapest, which means we need to be the best. Our business is built on doing things other people don't, won't or can't."
Arnold Horween Jr.
President, 1983 - 2003
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Current
"Quality must be more than a word. It doesn't belong to one company or one country, it doesn't happen by chance, and it requires constant attention. It's a contract between seller and buyer - an agreement that something is good and worth having. Our greatest enemy is the phrase 'it's good enough.'"
Arnold Horween III
Chairman and President