Sun’s out, Spring’s here, and new boots are flowing like the ancient rivers of Babylon.
In personal news: I just turned 34 years old, and in a great celebration, I received a new pair of Heritage boots and a new pair of selvedge denim! I’ll talk more on what I unwrapped at the end of this article.
In boot news: Whether you’re in the market for a fancy boot, a work boot, an affordable boot or a top shelf stunner, this week has got you covered on so many levels.
Let’s get right into it.
Division Road x Viberg
Viberg puts out some of the best boots out there. Division Road only does fire collaborations. Their baby is even better than I imagined.
The Division Road x Viberg Chelsea Boot and Slipper collaborations are exceptional from the inside out.
This Chelsea is a masterclass in fashion: where sleek style meets outdoor wearability. The boot is constructed from a single piece of Chestnut Phoenix Leather from the renowned C.F. Stead Tannery.
The premium assembly features a Goodyear welt, and the boot’s bottom is made up of a rugged Commando outsole.
The Noix Eco Grain Slipper is just as impressive.
This is a new take on a vintage travel shoe, again with an upper made from the C.F. Stead Tannery. It has a single piece of leather cut exactly to shape, a slight dovetail heel and a smooth natural leather sole.
Division Road says this is more than footwear. It’s a “lifetime piece”, and it’s not hard to see why.
Wolverine
Wolverine is putting out a new work boot called the Reforce. It’s not the most beautiful foot cover, but it’s rugged, priced competitively and definitely worth a look if you’re in need of what my Canadian friend calls “shit kickers”.
The boot is geared towards people who work out in the elements: whether it be dirt, mud, construction or oily mechanic shops.
The Wolverine Reforce is built from what appears to be a lot of small pieces of full grain waterproof leather, a mesh lining, and some sort of proprietary foam cushioning system. They’re calling their midsole cushioning “EnergyBound” and it features “Durashock dual suspension pads”. Those are definitely the kind of made-up buzzwords you get when you have too many people working in your marketing department.
They can call it what they want, but at the end of a long day on my feet, having luxuriously soft padding can be a lifesaver.
This boot is priced around $150. Honestly looks a lot like what the company Brunt is doing with their work boots.
The main difference? Wolverine is building these with an actual Goodyear welt construction. Brunt uses a less durable cemented construction.
If I was Brunt right now, I’d be worried.
R.M. Williams
We’re finally out of the winter, meaning more Chelsea boots are coming out of storage and into the daily rotation of boot-wearers everywhere.
Australian company R.M. Williams is offering a new pair for your consideration.
The Armadale Boots are handcrafted with a single piece of masterfully cut leather. It’s constructed using a Goodyear welt.
This is purely a city boot with a simple yet sophisticated design that’s sure to catch attention. It’s made up of leather from New Zealand, a Vibram city rubber outsole, and an almond rounded toe.
The word classy comes to mind.
Thursday Boot Co.
Thursday continues to build boots, gain fans, and stock up on new leather colors.
This time, they’re adding to their already popular Commander Boot lineup with new leather options in Tobacco and Jasper.
The Commander Boot takes its design inspiration from alpine boots you’ll typically find in Europe.
Those European boots are usually campy and fun. The Thursday Commander is quite the opposite: bold, dark, and fashionable.
This brings the overall options for the Commander to three colors: all of them dark, with a Goodyear Welt, and sure to be a conversation starter.
Brave Star
These jeans haven’t been released yet, but I know they’re going to go fast.
Brave Star continues to put out spectacularly built raw denim pants at reasonable prices. The catch is, you gotta grab your size before they run out of stock.
Their latest drop: 14oz selvedge denim jeans from Vidalia Mills textile plant in Louisiana.
There’s a deep history to American denim. A lot of the renowned roots and storylines go back to a plant that shut down a few decades ago called Cone Mills in North Carolina.
Cone Mills was stripped of its parts over the years, and apparently some of their sacred looms made their way down the Mississippi River to Vidalia Mills.
That’s where Brave Star comes in. They’ve commissioned these looms to fire up in Louisiana on their latest creation.
These puppies will come in Delta Black and Bayou Blue, but unfortunately won’t ship until April or May. Without doubt, these jeans would be an exciting package to get in the mail.
Naked & Famous Denim
Week after week, Naked and Famous is taking creativity in raw denim production to new heights.
This time, they’re dropping a Spring Garden Selvedge: a pair of pants inspired by the world-famous impressionist painter Monet.
These jeans have everything you’d want in a pair of summer pants: a breezy 12.5oz weight of Japanese selvedge denim and a classic inky indigo tone… but it’s true beauty will bloom only when it fades.
These jeans feature an underlying multi-color weft that features the same colors as a masterpiece hanging in a famous museum in Paris, The Artist’s Garden at Giverny by Monet.
I’m really interested to see how these wear-in. Just know though if you do get these jeans, you really gotta feel out the conversation before blabbing on about how the inside fabric of your pants are a work of art.
I mean, I think it’s cool, but I can’t speak for everyone.
Check them out at Revolvr.
See You Next Week
The new boots I’m rocking this week: a pair of forest green Cap Toe Boots from Grant Stone. These are rock-solid and I can already tell these are going to be my go-to boots for most occasions this Spring. Got them just in time for St. Patrick’s Day too.
The new denim: Regular Taper 14.75oz ’Redline’ Japan Selvage Denim from Brave Star. After trying these on for the first time, I was immediately impressed by the quality of stitching. Brave Star is definitely earning my business.
I’ll be sure to write a full review on both of these on BootSpy once I’ve worn them in for a month or two. I’ll keep you posted.