The 80th Anniversary

As America was still busy fighting World War II and Jack Kerouac – whose family originated from nearby New England, just less than an hour drive North West of the Sebago Lake – was helplessly knocking on publishers’ doors to get his first novel out, Sebago was busy laying the foundations to its trailblazing history. The Beat Generation wasn’t a thing yet, but hip students and intellectuals indeed had a thing for high-waist, straight-legged chinos. They were in luck that Sebago would soon start to cater for their sartorial needs, by crafting loafers the old-school way: by hand. It was a hit. By 1952, the production of the now legendary design SebagoMoc peaked at 2,000 pairs a day. This called for a dedicated Maine factory to keep up with demand.

However, this is not a nostalgic escapade down memory lane, but a story made of driving through the woods and the highways, sourcing material and chasing expertise, striving for excellence among some of the last-surviving Maine shoemakers, like those at the renowned Rancour factory. There, since 1967, three generations have been hand-sewing shoes using time-honoured techniques. Every hole is individually sliced into the leather, for that flexible feel and flawless fit that only old-fashioned handiwork (absolutely no pre-punching) can deliver. The upper is cut from oiled leather sourced from Milwaukee’s storied Seidel Tannery, softening and aging gracefully with every wear and developing a rich patina that tells its own unique story over time. This is a shoe crafted with integrity, not speed. The words “SEBAGO MADE IN USA”, glimmering in gold leaf on the insole, work as a reminder of this philosophy.

Docksides® soon became a quiet yet defining symbol of laid-back East Coast style and preppy fashion: authentically American, unmistakably Sebago. This before crossing the pond and establishing an enduring legacy in the old continent too, where in the 1980s they became an urban staple, for British casuals as much as for the rampant Italian paninari.