Heritage Craftsmanship: Red Wing Shoes Video Series

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Mar 28th 2011 at 2:01PM

For over 100 years, the Minnesota-based Red Wing Shoe Company has been carefully crafting premium quality footwear made for specific work environments. Designed for duty on factory floors, construction sites, refineries and railroads, their rugged style has also been adopted by many who do nothing more perilous than cross a Brooklyn subway platform at rush hour. These days you can even find them at J. Crew.

The Red Wing Heritage collection pays homage to the company's history of hardcore work boots with some styles designed for the Range Rover set as well. We are, admittedly, in the latter camp. Regardless of which style suits you, the boots and shoes are still crafted with skill and treated like fine tools for the wearer. Premium Red Wing Shoes leather, tanned at the company's own S.B Foot Tanning Company, is triple stitched with waxed thread for quality. The video above shows the process in action.

Charles Beckman, a Red Wing, Minnesota merchant who saw a need for durable and comfortable work boots, founded the firm in 1905. Today, a third generation of employees, located just down the road from the original factory, continues the tradition he established by using the same craftsmanship and attention to detail. The tannery video is one in a series showing all facets of Red Wing's time-honored operation. You can check them all out here.

Tags: American clothing, boots, heritage clothing, leather, mens clothing, mens shoes, mens style, Minnesota, Range Rover, Red Wing, Red Wing boots, Red Wing Shoe Company, Red Wing shoes, shoes, video

Filed under: Apparel, Shoes, Men's Style, Video

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

zang63 Mar 28th 2011 2:54PM

REDWING Pottery is also on the same river strip...

jrplowerlevel Mar 28th 2011 9:37PM

love the american made story of good old craftmanship!
I own two pairs, loggers & engineers both fitted at the local RW store
best fitting boots I have ever owned they also have the best foot bed of any
thing I've had on my feet. I have never suffered from foot fatigue, old age yes
tired feet NO. My wife purchased them as gifts for valentines day, so I could
shovel snow and assorted other chores better, year round!