Kirza (russian: кирза) is a type of

artificial leather Artificial leather, also called synthetic leather, is a material intended to substitute for leather in upholstery, clothing, footwear, and other uses where a leather-like finish is desired but the actual material is cost prohibitive or unsuitab ...

based on the multi-layer textile fabric, modified by membrane-like substances, produced mainly in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. The surface of kirza imitates

pig leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs ...

. The material is mainly used in production of military boots, where it is a cheap and effective replacement for natural leather. It is also used in production of the belts for machinery and automobiles. While some English dictionaries translate ''кирза'' as ''kersey,'' this is incorrect, as kersey is a material of natural origin known since the Middle Ages. However, kersey was used in the production of the first kirza. According to a popular legend, the name ''kirza'' is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

for ''Kirovskiy zavod'' (''Kirov factory''), a factory producing artificial leather located near Kirov. However, the actual name of the factory was ''Iskozh'' (an acronym for "iskusstvennaya kozha" - artificial leather),В. И. Шмакова Комбинат «Искож» // Энциклопедия земли Вятской / отв. В. Ситников. — Киров: «О-Краткое», 2008. — Т. 10. Книга вторая. Промышленность. Энергетика. Строительство. Транспорт. and the legend is simply an example of

folk etymology Folk etymology (also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis, morphological reanalysis or etymological reinterpretation) is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more famili ...

. The original leather substitute was invented in 1904 by

Mikhail Pomortsev Mikhail Mikhaylovich Pomortsev (July 24, 1851, Vasilyevshchina – July 2, 1916, all n.s.) was a Russian military officer, meteorologist and engineer. He invented a Nephoscope in 1894. A lunar crater Pomortsev is named after him. One of ...

, who used a mixture of egg yolk, rosin and paraffin wax to impregnate kersey. The new material received several awards in Russia and abroad, but was not used due to lobbying by leather boot manufacturers. Despite being much-needed in the

Red army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

following the

Russian revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

, it remained expensive for the

until the invention of synthetic latex in the early 1930s replaced the initial impregnating mixture used. Aleksandr Khomutov, chief engineer of ''Kozhimit'' synthetic leather factory in Moscow, and his fellow engineer

Ivan Plotnikov Ivan Vasilyevich Plotnikov (russian: Иван Васильевич Плотников) (1902–1995) was a Soviet engineer and inventor of kirza, a type of artificial leather based on the multi-layer textile fabric, modified by membrana-like subst ...

developed a new material in 1939 named ''Kirza SK''. Mass production of this new material began during the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

between the

and

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The material initially proved unfit for winter conditions, and production was halted. However, the technology was quickly improved and mass production resumed in the autumn and winter of 1941 to meet demand for army boots during the German invasion of Soviet Union. Aleksandr Khomutov, Ivan Plotnikov and seven other specialists were awarded the 2nd Degree

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

on 10 April 1942 for their invention of the new kirza production technology. The basic technology used to produce kirza has not seen any major change since 1941. However, kirza has remained in production in the

, modern

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, and in several other countries. About 85% of the kirza produced in Russia is used in military boots (including modern

combat boot Combat boots are military boots designed to be worn by soldiers during combat or combat training, as opposed to during parades and other ceremonial duties. Modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, an ...

s). Most modern kirza boots are produced from a combination of 85% kirza and 15% of specially prepared natural leather (the so-called ''yuft'' or ''

Russia leather Russia leather is a particular form of bark-tanned cow leather. It is distinguished from other types of leather by a processing step that takes place after tanning, where birch oil is worked into the rear face of the leather. This produces a leather ...

''). About 150 million pairs of kirza footwear have been produced up to the present day.

References

{{reflist Footwear Technical fabrics Artificial leather Soviet Army Soviet inventions

See also

References