Behind the Design: The Casco Bay Boat Moc

Behind The Design: The Casco Bay Boat Moc

Join us at L.L.Bean headquarters for an insider’s look at how we improve on 100 years of heritage craftsmanship.

SPEECH)

[00:00:00.12] Even after 100 years, we're still finding ways to make a better boat shoe.

[00:00:04.34] [MUSIC PLAYING]

[00:00:07.17]

[00:00:09.04] Hi, I'm Sami, I'm a footwear merchant at L.L.Bean. And today, I'm excited to talk to you about the new and improved Casco Bay boat shoe.

[00:00:16.06] What do I love about footwear? Pretty much everything. I really enjoy the ideation stage of creating footwear, when you get to sit around with your coworkers and think, what products would be new and different? How can we make our current products better?

[00:00:29.76] Before we get into the details of the Casco Bay Boat Moc, I just want to show you our first ever catalog that our genuine hand zones are mentioned, dating all the way back to 1926.

[00:00:39.56] When we thought about the redesign, we really wanted to stay true to our heritage, true to our roots. So we took everything that our customers know and love about our Casco Bay Boat Moc, and just made them even better.

[00:00:50.28] Let's break down the classic construction of Casco Bay boat shoe. First up, you have the iconic hand-stitched mock toe seam at the front of the shoe. The rawhide laces. Classic two eye closure at the top. The laces wrap fully around the collar of the shoe. We have extremely skilled craftspeople, and we've been working with the same factory for decades.

[00:01:11.02] We have a beautiful leather footbed here. It's super breathable, super comfortable, and forms to your foot over time. And last but not least, you have the all important siped rubber outsole. This provides extra traction and durability on wet surfaces, and it's also non-marking.

[00:01:27.28] One of the first improvements that we made in this new redesign is we softened the durometer underfoot. So what a durometer is is how soft or hard a material is. Now you just have that immediate step in comfort right out of the box.

[00:01:39.76] For the second part of our redesign, we wanted to look at the insole or the sock underfoot. So here, we wanted to make it a little bit more flexible, add some additional foam, and also add a nice leather sock liner. The beauty of the leather sock liner is it really will mold to your foot over time.

[00:01:55.80] Last but not least, we wanted to improve the leathers that we use in all of our hand zones. This one here features a really luxurious suede. It feels super soft and buttery. I own these, and I absolutely love them. These hand zones are truly made to last.

[00:02:10.50] When it comes to styling, personally, I love to pair mine with our L.L.Bean field coat. It just feels like two classic mashups of New England styles.

[00:02:19.90] Thank you for watching another behind the design video. If you want to see more videos like this, please hit the Like and Subscribe button down below.

[00:02:27.34] [MUSIC PLAYING]

Celebrating 100 Years of Handsewn Heritage

In his spring 1926 catalog, Leon Leonwood Bean wrote of his new handsewn moccasins, “If you are coming to Maine this summer you will make no mistake in adding a pair of Moccasins to your outfit.” It’s a statement that holds true today—for a style that’s still well-loved by comfort-seekers and trendsetters alike. And while many footwear factories have turned to machines, our legacy of making “strictly hand made” mocs means they’ll only get better with time.

Overhead view of assorted L L Bean boat shoes in various colors arranged in a circular pattern.

The Need: Preserve Our Handsewn Heritage for Today's Comfort-Seekers

How do you go about redesigning a classic? For Sami and her product design counterparts, it came down to remembering that icons require an evolutionary touch—not a revolutionary one. By seeking new materials and technologies, while still using extremely skilled craftspeople as a means of production, we took everything our customers know and love about the handsewn Casco Bay Boat Moc and updated it for a new generation of comfort-seekers.

“It’s not a disposable process—and this is not a disposable product. These handsewns are truly made to last.”

Sami, Footwear Merchant

Brown suede L L boat shoes with white laces displayed side by side on a wooden surface.

The Solve: Don't Reinvent a Classic. Just Make It Better.

Rather than reinventing the wheel—or shoe, as it were—Sami and her team focused on key elements to improve upon. They added a more flexible insole and upgraded the foam underfoot for immediate comfort right out of the box. A new leather sock liner molds to your foot over time for custom comfort and a barefoot feel. And finally, they looked at sources for even higher-quality leather. Casco Bays are now available in soft, buttery suede, Nubuck, and full-grain leather.

Boat shoes were never broken, so we didn’t try to fix them. Everything you love about that classic look is still there, now with more comfort and style than ever before.

“We ask ourselves if this is the best we can put forward; if the answer is no, then how can we make it better?"

Sami, Footwear Merchant

It’s All in the Details

The things that make a boat shoe, a boat shoe, haven’t changed much since we started selling them a century ago. And there’s a good reason for that. There are few styles more timeless. It’s what our designers do with the materials—and the build—that make this the perfect pair for modern life.