MD David Sleigh said: "The incredible strength of their hides has been one of the best-kept secret in the business…until now. The fact that it’s three times stronger that ordinary leather means that it’s perfect for performance shoes."

ECCO’s performance division director Marc Estor takes up the story: "Because it’s so much stronger, we can reduce the thickness of the leather, and thereby the weight, by up to 50 per cent, still keeping the same strength as in ordinary cow leather."

To reflect this incredible discovery, ECCO has developed a range of technologically-accomplished high performance shoes…with the help of the domestic yak.

The famous ECCO X-Factor and X-Plorer designs have both been enhanced by the use of this tough, versatile new material creating a boot that has already crossed the Himalayas.

Both shoes are built on the platform of the ECCO Sirius survival boot, which was designed specifically for the Sirius 2000 expedition team that crossed a 3.500 km stretch of Greenland, parts of which had not yet been explored.

ECCO has also developed a men’s casual range called Natural Sneaker and Walkathon. The shoes have a natural, authentic look and will be available during the Autumn/Winter 2007 season.

To refine the hides, ECCO tanning specialists had to develop a new way of handling the leather - with some amazing results.

Group tanning director Panos Mytaros said: "It is perhaps difficult to understand why ECCO is the first major shoe brand to use yak leather.

"The explanation however is simple. As local tanners in China do not regard yak as valuable because of the skin’s small defects caused by the Himalayas’ harsh climate and living conditions, they have never promoted it.

"Therefore only a few shoe companies have ever seen a piece of yak leather."

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