Welcome back to the best roundup of boot drops on the internet. This week I found a pleasant mix of new heritage releases from the US, Mexico, Spain, and China: even a rare Valentine’s Day moc toe and a bespoke boot named The Chosen One.
Are you excited yet?
Red Wing Heritage
Red Wing Heritage is feeling the love this year and dropping a Valentine’s Day special: a limited edition pink moc toe. Now that is a bold leather choice if I’ve ever seen one.
In a limited release run, the Classic Mocs are being made with a roughout leather called Dusty Rose Abilene. You can expect the leather’s properties to be similar to their Hawthorne line of leathers, with a short nap and a firm hand out of the box.
By the looks of it, I would expect nothing less than Red Wing’s standard Classic Moc construction, with a leather insole, cork filling, 360 degree Goodyear welt, and Traction Tread wedge outsole.
I’m curious to see if this is a style that will return annually and if it will gain popularity amongst boot enthusiasts. Surely it will pique the interest of hardcore collectors.
For many, this can be a statement piece in a wardrobe: one that conveys confidence and boldness. If I were to style the Dusty Rose Abilene, I would stick to solid colors. Dark indigo selvedge paired with a solid black top would go well, most likely gaining you more compliments than expected.
JK Boots
JK Boots is producing a new take on their already popular O.T. Boot: an eight inch work boot that’s designed to be flexible, comfortable, and get you through those long overtime hours.
The uppers are made from an American-sourced 8-9 oz oil tanned, shrunken bison leather. Shrinking the hide allows for a tighter grain structure, strengthening it while still retaining its flexibility. You can expect a high amount of pull-up and color variation, with a rocky texture that’s similar to The Thing from The Fantastic Four.
JK Boots builds their O.T. in true Pacific Northwest work boot fashion: with beefy vegetable tanned internals and a 270 degree Stitchdown construction.
There’s one specific feature that makes this model suitable for long hours at work: the Lineman’s Shank. This is essentially a midsole that spans from the heel to the waist that allows for greater flexibility and a slightly reduced weight.
The O.T. comes built on a Vibram V-100 lug sole in Honey. This is a variation of the V-100 made from a slightly softer compound, with enhanced grip.
If you’re looking for a solid work boot that looks unique, is fully recraftable, and will go the distance, look no further.
Sobreiro Boots
A good, solid pair of brown boots will never go out of style. That’s why I was excited to be introduced to the Sobreiro Boots latest release, the Chapparo.
First things first, we need to get a little background on the brand itself. It’s owned and operated by skilled artisan bootmaker and orthopedic specialist, David Parent. Some of you may remember the brand starting off under the name Atelier Buck. David has since moved operations to Portugal, Spain, where he continues to make footwear in the same fashion.
As with all of his boots, the Chapparo is made entirely by hand with hand tools in classic heritage fashion. The Chapparo is built on the 1545 last, featuring a rounded bump toe, a cap toe with three rows of stitching, a 270 degree Goodyear welt, and seven eyelets.
The Chapparo uses Horween’s Brown Chromexcel as its upper, and is fully leather lined with oak tanned leather. It’s built using all vegetable tanned construction components. Its shaft height measures five and a half inches, its collar is cuffed and rolled, and the boot is built upon a Dr. Sole Super Grip half sole.
As with many small bootmakers, Sobreiro conducts all of its business and transactions exclusively through social media. This may seem unorthodox to many new collectors, but it’s legit. I personally love it because it’s a great way to connect with the people behind your boot.
Iron Boots
From the popular and upcoming Chinese boot brand, Iron Boots, comes a new release with an endearing spin. Known as The Chosen One or Ticho’s Roughout, the brand pays its respect and appreciation to the well known collector and enthusiast, Ticho Blanco.
Iron Boots is a small outfit with a big heart, consisting of lead bootmaker, Kai, and five close teammates working out of a small studio in Guangzhou, China. All of their products are made entirely by hand, using hand tools.
The Chosen One is built on the TCO Last, which originally was a dress shoe last but was modified to include a wider toebox and improved heel grip and arch support. The leather used on the upper is said to be one of Ticho’s favorites: a deep brown roughout with burnt orange undertones from Red Wing’s SB Foot Tannery.
Ticho’s Roughout is constructed using a 270 degree, double row stitchdown buildout, with optional cap toe and toe structure. Iron Boots uses vegetable tanned construction components throughout, like a leather insole, midsole, counter, toe puff, and heel stack. The brand also uses felt instead of cork as its filler, and leather instead of steel for its shank. Truly top-notch stuff.
You can expect a three to four month lead time, which isn’t uncommon when purchasing footwear of such high quality.
Drew’s Boots
Drew’s Boots are produced in Leon, Mexico that’s making Pacific Northwest style boots at a price that’s both attractive and practical.
Up until recently, the brand was only offering boots with an eight inch or greater shaft height, intended for those who need a durable and rugged work boot. Fortunately this is no longer the case, with the release of their new Contractor boot built on the beloved 55 last and a six inch height.
Drew’s remains true to the tradition of Pacific Northwest bootmaking, building their boots in a 270 degree Stitchdown construction and using all vegetable tanned components. This is an impressive display at an incredible value.
One other features that makes Drew’s stand out is their pre-molded insoles that are kept on the last for a longer period of time allowing them to better conform. Drew’s has been the first in the industry to provide this, and the result is a more comfortable fit out of the box and a far easier break in.
The uppers are made of a 6-7 oz full grain leather called Rowdy Smooth. This is a combination of tanned, pull-up leather that’s produced in Leon, Mexico at the Lefarc Tannery. The brand describes it to be similar to Horween’s Chromexcel or Seidel’s Double Shot leather.
Best of all, the Contractor is pre-made and can be ready to ship in as little as two to three days. Not only that, but a pair of Drew’s can be yours for nearly half of what you’d expect to pay for the majority of American made brands producing similar products.
This makes boots like the Contractor a great way for this style to be introduced into your daily wear with minimal fuss.
Caswell Boot Co
One of Caswell Boot Co newer releases, The Shaw, is getting a new leather option.
I personally find The Shaw to be a very attractive design. It’s a classic service boot design that doesn’t disappoint, sporting a six inch height, seven antique brass eyelets, a plain toe, one piece backstay, and 360 degree Goodyear welt.
The Shaw is also built with all the key leather components, like a vegetable tanned insole, leatherboard counter, along with a full leather midsole and heel stack. For its sole, the brand went with Vibram’s Londra sole, one that’s very similar to the popular Dainite Ridgeway.
To source the leather for this Shaw’s upper, the brand turned to the world famous American tannery, Horween. The Chicago based business provided them with this unique tannage called Walnut Shrunken Shoulder, which is just as it sounds: the shoulder portion of a hide that has been shrunken down.
The tanning process yields a leather that has a remarkable amount of grain character, similar to what you might expect from a Bison leather. The result is a leather that’s tough and malleable, with pronounced details and a stunning amount of highs and lows.
It’s unique, eye-catching and a sure conversation starter.
Hiroshi Kato
If any of you have been following our New Releases articles, you might be thinking “more Sashiko??”… and to a degree, you’d be correct. There have been several Sashiko fabric releases over the past several weeks, though this one stands out.
Hiroshi Kato is offering the Vise Sashiko in not only its standard indigo, but also in Ivory, and this pleasant shade of light blue that they call French Blue.
The jacket draws inspiration from the French workwear jackets of the 19th century, making its color even more appropriate for the style. Most of us are familiar with this design, and many brands label it a Chore Jacket.
The Vise Jacket is 100% cotton, 10oz Sashiko fabric, and assembled in America. The jacket features Cats Eye buttons, durable triple-stitching, a chest pocket, hidden pocket, and a feature the brand calls Luxury Lining.
Although this style of jacket was originally produced in the 19th century for railroad workers, its timeless appeal continues to live on.
See You Next Week
It’s been an interesting week, with brands from around the world working to bring us new and exciting products. I look forward to seeing what the upcoming weeks will have to offer us, and as always – thank you for reading.
Hey, man! Awesome list, and thank you for all the time you put into these. Very helpful for the community for sure!
Yeah, I love what Mike is doing with these!