The brand name Shinola is a Zinzin favorite. In fact, we think Shinola is one of the best invented names in the American lexicon.

Let’s face it — if we didn’t have strong opinions about these things, you could say we don’t know shit from Shinola…and we simply can’t have that.

In this post, we set out to explore Shinola in all its storied history and renewed glory.

Original Shinol’a (shoe polish, born late 1800s)

Shinola is the brand name for an American shoe polish. Its story begins in Rochester, New York in 1877.

George Melancthon Wetmore (August 31, 1858 – June 10, 1923) was born in Gates, New York and, after attending military school, got a degree at the Rochester Business Institute. At age 18, he went to work for the American Chemical Manufacturing and Mining Company, which was founded in Rochester, New York (near Brown’s Race) in 1877. The company was primarily focused on carpet cleaning, but sold several specialty products, including boot and shoe polish. Wetmore found that the polish was cheaply made, did not hold or bond well, and 95% of it was dyed black using lamp black. Wetmore designed a replacement and initially called it SHINOL′A. In 1886, Wetmore was promoted to vice president, and a few years later, to president of the company.¹

Originally named Shinol’a, this eventual neologism came from a combination of the word shine (shoeshine) and the popular commercial suffix -ola.

Sources say that a growing fascination with scientific progress in the early 20th century also inspired this particular coinage.²

Shinola (shoe polish, early to mid 20th century)

By 1909, Shinola was in high demand at home and abroad. This demand grew, especially among military personnel, as the U.S. entered World War I.

The product’s popularity among soldiers continued into World War II, as Shinola was a staple in the barracks and even in the trenches.

In fact, stories say soldiers during World War II popularized the saying, “You don’t know shit from Shinola,” a humorous or sarcastic way to imply ignorance or stupidity.

To break down the idiom further, the comparison comes from the way brown Shinola is indistinguishable from the other, namely when smeared.

For example, another story says the expression originated earlier, during WWI, “when a disgruntled young soldier was said to have shined his commander’s boots with feces. The rumor led to the popular colloquialism, ‘You don’t know sh*t from Shinola.'”³

While brown Shinola stole the spotlight, so to speak, the shoe polish actually came in many colors: black, white, oxblood, red, tan, and brown.

After the 1940s, The Shinola Company was sold and the product became part of a series of mergers and acquisitions, until production ended in 1960.

Shinola (American lifestyle brand, founded 2011)

Five decades after Shinola, the shoe polish, ends, Shinola, the American lifestyle brand, begins.

This brand name re-emerged into our collective, cultural consciousness under a new founder, owner, and home: Detroit, Michigan.

Today’s Shinola tells its story like this:

Founded in 2011 with the belief that products should be made well and made to last, Shinola began with a simple idea: to bring watchmaking back to the United States. What started in Detroit has grown into a multi-category brand rooted in craftsmanship, design, and a deep commitment to quality—creating enduring goods that are purpose-built to be passed down and lived with.

How the brand name re-emerged, as told by Forbes:

After one of [the managers of the founder’s investment company] made the crack [to know shit from Shinola] to an office colleague, the joke turned to a serious discussion about restoring the long-idled Shinola brand, whose trademark, it turned out, was available.

Along with the Shinola retail company, Detroit is also home to the Shinola Hotel, opened in 2019 under the same luxury design brand.

Parting Thoughts

Invented Naming Done Right

Shinola is an invented brand name Zinzin loves with a fascinating history, thriving present, and interesting future.

Coined in 1887 for shoe polish, it later inspired a popular expression among American soldiers who used the product frequently. Then the company and product disappeared, but the expression it inspired lived on in the American lexicon.

The staying power of that expression (to know — or not know — shit from Shinola) is the very reason Shinola re-emerged in 2011 as an American lifestyle brand. Furthermore, it evolved into an all-encompassing luxury design brand.

It’s a Name with Creative Friction

The modern Shinola brand illustrates how words can be infused with new meaning. Hypothetically, many clients may have thought—that name is too old-fashioned; we’re a forward-thinking brand. Or, that name is too tied to an old expression with the word “shit” in it—that’s just too risky and might be off-putting for our brand.

Instead, the founder of Shinola saw the value in this name—a name infused with American history and pride. It’s a name that mapped to innovation, brand loyalty (soldiers), and quality.

The modern Shinola brand is all about speaking to consumers who appreciate high-quality products with an emphasis on design and craftsmanship.

Cheeky Namers

We love thoughtful, strategic re-invention. And we love that the brand name, Shinola, is still out there in the world. It’s a great name, and it’s ok if you don’t agree. At least you now know what expression we might have in mind for you.

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Sources:

¹ Wikipedia, Shinola (shoe polish)

² Etymonline, etymology of “Shinola”

³ Forbes, “In Bankrupt Detroit, Shinola Puts Its Faith In American Manufacturing,” by Joann Muller, July 26, 2013.

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Naming made-up, coined, invented brand names