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The Stitchdown Shoecast

Stitchdown

Exploring the wonderful world of quality footwear, how it’s made, and all the things we love about it. Check out Stitchdown.com for shoe and boot reviews, interviews with industry titans, profiles, release info, and more.

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22 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 18 min
English

Episodes 22

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S19 · E13
Tuesday · 1 hr 47 min
Custom Cowboy Bootmaker Lee Miller of Texas Traditions
There are custom bootmakers—and then there's Texas Traditions. Opened in 1977 by “The Picasso of cowboy boots” Charlie Dunn, Texas Traditions has been run by Charlie’s apprentice Lee Miller since 1986. In one of the great Shoecast interviews we’ll ever have the pleasure of publishing, Lee gets deep into the shop’s history, Charlie’s uniquely mystical approach to cowboy bootmaking, the Mexican bootmakers who shared their knowledge with Lee, what makes a truly great toe and heel shape, how to fit a custom boot, contending with people that you can’t do something, and the impossible, beautiful toil of making boots by hand. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S18 · E8
August 5 · 1 hr 11 min
Edgy Albert on Which Shoes are Good and Not Good—and a Tribute to Denim Legend Roy Slaper
If you know Albert Muzquiz, it’s almost definitely as Edgy Albert, his highly accurate internet alter-ego. Albert’s not just another menswearfluencer come-lately—he was also the first writer for Stitchdown.com, worked at LA’s iconic Self Edge, and wrote his college thesis on denim. Of course we get Albert’s view on what kind of shoes people are wearing in LA, and play a typically opinionated little “GOOD OR NOT GOOD” rapid-fire game with his takes on brands and footwear styles. And then there’s denim legend Roy Slaper, who unfortunately passed away last month. I didn’t know Roy Slaper. I didn’t even know OF Roy Slaper until I watched Albert’s fantastic YouTube video about Roy and fellow handmade denim maker Tilden Yamamoto. I was taken with Roy immediately—his dedication to his craft, his knowledge of ancient machines, his desire to teach and share. I wondered why he stopped making jeans. In this episode—which we recorded about two months before Roy’s passing—Albert went deep into his Montana trip to visit the two denim savants. What resulted is a truly lovely portrait of a slice of Roy’s denim-making life. Hopefully it can stand as a tiny little memorial to someone who cared about craft and its history as much as one can. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S18 · E7
July 21 · 1 hr 24 min
Keeping Maine Shoemaking Alive: The Rancourt & Co. Story
At one point, it was tough to find someone in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine that wasn't personally connected to the handsewn moccasin shoe industry. Today, few Maine shoemaking operations remain—but those twin cities on the Androscoggin River continue to house legitimately remarkable footwear manufacturing. For 59 years, the Rancourt family has been a stalwart, crafting handsewn shoes in Lewiston—moccasins, camp mocs, beefroll penny loafers, and other iconic styles. Mike Rancourt came on the Shoecast to dig deep into Maine's shoemaking genesis and lineage, the process and beauty of handsewn shoes, leather selection and cutting, sizing, and the ups and downs of a business and true community that was nearly decimated by offshore manufacturing and corporate takeovers—but thanks to operations like Rancourt, persists to this day. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S18 · E6
July 7 · 43 min
How Can Wolverine Revive its Iconic 1000 Mile Brand? Justin Cupps Has Ideas.
Wolverine Worldwide is a footwear empire much bigger than just Wolverine 1000 Mile. Justin Cupps is six months into his role as President of the Work Group, which includes Merrell Work, Bates, HYTEST, CAT Footwear, Harley-Davidson Boots, Wolverine, AND Wolverine 1000 Mile. Yes separating out those last two is essential, especially in the eyes of Justin—who sees huge opportunity with 1000 Mile as a distinct brand in every imaginable way. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S18 · E5
June 30 · 1 hr 32 min
The (Mostly) Complete History of Cowboy Boots, with Bata Shoe Museum Director Elizabeth Semmelhack
Last time Elizabeth Semmelhack—Director and Senior Curator of the Toronto's exceptional Bata Shoe Museum—was on the Shoecast, she ran down a (mostly) complete history of boots, overall. It was excellent. This time Elizabeth is back to focus purely on cowboy boots—which is exactly what she's been doing for years while writing Rough & Ready: a History of Cowboy Boots, the most recent in a hugely rich (if far too truncated) pantheon of exceptional cowboy boot books. Where did cowboy boots emerge from? The heels, the tops, the toe shapes—when did those come into play? What do we all have totally wrong about cowboy boots and the culture surrounding them, from the 1800s until the modern era? It's all right there in the book—and on this episode. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S18 · E4
June 23 · 1 hr 22 min
ACL's Michael Williams on Misguided Shoe Recs & The "Disappearing Middle" of Quality Footwear
Michael Williams is sometimes a “marketer who hates marketing,” who has helped many of the great US manufacturing brands, up to and including Red Wing. Other times he he’s writing his often menswear focused newsletter, the quietly massively influential A Continuous Lean. A while back he pre-invented the idea now used by every single temporary market you now see everywhere, with his Pop Up Flea concept. More often than seems possible, he’s doing something or other with the bon vivant they call David Coggins, whether that’s recording their Central Division podcast, or putting together their new newspaper dubbed The Print Edition. I’ve been bugging Mike to come on the Shoecast for years now, and every time I saw him he said the same thing: “I don’t know enough about shoes”. Well this episode now exists to prove that Michael Williams knows plenty about shoes. And also the best stores that sell them worldwide, the quickly disappearing middle ground between cheap garbage and high luxury, travel shoe selection strategies, and how to see deep into someone’s soul, just from looking at what’s on their feet. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S18 · E3
June 16 · 1 hr 26 min
Carmina Shoemaker's Carmina Albaladejo on Family Tradition, Global Retail, and Custom Shoes
Carmina Albaladejo heads US operations for the exquisite Spanish shoemaker with the exact same (first) name as her. In this Stitchdown Shoecast episode we discuss how six generations of family history led to the founding of the Carmina brand, manufacturing in Spain, Carmina's growing US and global retail strategy (and the crucial importance of physical shoe stores), the brand's top-flight online customizer tool, the new leveled-up Albaladejo Collection, and plenty more. https://www.carminashoemaker.com/ Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S18 · E2
June 9 · 1 hr 21 min
The New Thing in Footwear Leather? 145-Year-Old Veg-Tanner Hermann Oak.
Hermann Oak has been tanning leather in St. Louis since 1881, and they pretty much still do it the same way—one way, which of course is veg-tanning. Traditionally a major player in the equestrian leather world, Hermann Oak is edging into the quality footwear space in a hugely exciting way. So I chatted with Hermann Oak President Drew Gulick about the tanner's deep history, how making footwear leather is different from equestrian or tooling leather, and of course their core bridle, harness, and latigo products. Come see Hermann Oak and PLENTY of other tanneries, shoe-/bootmakers, and more at Stitchdown Expo 2026 Chicago this Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events! https://www.hermannoakleather.com/ https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S18 · E1
June 1 · 1 hr 26 min
Nathan Florsheim is Proudly Working Slower Than Ever
Back in 2021, I got a great email from a young bootmaker named Nathan Florsheim who wanted to chat. Boy am I glad I took that call. About a year later I had Nathan—great great great grandson of Milton Florsheim, yes, THAT Florsheim—on the Shoecast. Four years and 130 handmade pairs later, Nathan is absolutely rolling as a custom bootmaker who has truly seemed to find his own space, one that so many clients want to inhabit as well. So along with the man they call Ticho, we caught up about what’s changed in that time with his technical and ordering process, why slow is actually really good, how he finally set up a workshop that really works for him, the tallest man in the world’s Florsheim boots, and obviously, plenty more. Also Nathan just so happened to open his order books right when this episode dropped, but it’s not THAT easy to get onto his client list. So of course we made a second bonus episode for subscribers in which Nathan shares the best ways to have success putting in for an order. That one’s available on our Premium Subscribers feed—check out Stichdown.com to learn more about Stitchdown Premium, our very excellent private discord, and how to get access to that episode. https://nfbootmaker.com/ https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S17 · E7
March 25 · 1 hr 16 min
Goods & Services' Rory Fortune on Red Wing Collabs and When to Pull Back on Customization
This week on the Shoecast we’re bringing back Rory Fortune, founder of Los Angeles-based Goods & Services, which continues to be one of the most interesting footwear operations out there. We had Rory on back in 2024, and with the Goods & Services business and product range expanding like crazy, it seemed high time to get a closer look at exactly how Rory and team convert sneakers to a resoleable welted construction—yes the video version of this episode is up on Youtube—and catch up on plenty more. How is the role of the modern footwear designer misunderstood? What’s going on in a rapidly shifting sneaker culture? How’d a collaboration with Red Wing lead to rethinking the Postman shoe? When does a workshop founded on customization need to pull back on it—and does that hinder creativity? How do you find and train the people needed to grow that workshop? And why won’t Rory customize your Birkenstocks, right now? https://shopgoodsandservices.com/ Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S17 · E6
March 17 · 1 hr 14 min
Bespoke Cowboy Bootmaker Zephan Parker's Formula to Keep Craft Alive
How do we keep craft alive in an over-technological society? Is it via the individual maker? Or more of a collective workshop approach? Houston-based bespoke cowboy bootmaker Zephan Parker has plenty of thoughts on all of it. Zephan used to write graffiti and listen to hip hop while wearing Ralph Lauren. Now he runs a custom bespoke cowboy boot workshop in Houston, Texas. All those things, it turns out, are very connected. I swear. Zephan and I get into plenty on this one, including their entire range of offerings, how the absence of design leads to the magnification of character, how Parker Boot Company is nailing the fit on $20k custom gator skin boots via remote measuring, regional differences in Texas cowboy boots, just how incredibly different running a business is from making things, and plenty more. https://zephanparker.com/ Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S17 · E5
March 12 · 1 hr 11 min
The Artistically Twisting Journey of Brooklyn's Bespoke Shoemaker, Anne Marika Verploegh Chassé
My chat this week is with Brooklyn -based bespoke shoemaker, educator, and artist Anne Marika Verploegh Chassé, aka STIEFELwerk. Two decades ago, Marika came at shoemaking from a fine arts background, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s seen her work. After years learning the craft under many of the great shoe and bookmaking teachers, today Marika focuses on the use of veg-tan leather—often from the wholly unique Hudson Valley tannery Pergamena—to create hugely intriguing and distinctive custom, filly handmade footwear from her Brooklyn apartment-turned-workshop. In the chat, we get into Marika showing up at her first-ever shoemaking with her entire arm in a cast; the critical importance of the shoemaking community exchanging knowledge that ISN’T written in books; her own teaching at RISD, Parson, and FIT and why it’s allowed her to keep making shoes; the joy of carving her own lasts; and the importance of always saying yes, even when it really feels like you should say no. Here’s Marika, on the Shoecast. https://www.stiefelwerk.nyc/ Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S17 · E4
March 3 · 1 hr 12 min
Vintage Boot Wishlists and Reconsidering Tassel Loafers: It's Ticho on the Shoebag!
It's Shoebag time for Shoecast season 17. Which means it's time for a serious dose of Ticho, who joins me to unpack all the biggest listener questions. Why are we both suddenly wearing the same barefoot-style shoes nonstop? Which iconic footwear figure from the past (aka, dead) would we love to spend a weekend in a deeply isolated cabin with? Why do we have so much ennui generated by hiker-derived fashionshoes? How in the world does someone size up a leather jacket properly? Who's this JohnnyWorks guy and what's going on in his workshop? Is Ben actually turning into a suburban cowboy or is it all just a clever ruse? What are our favorite Aldens that are STILL our favorite Aldens? And did we maybe, juuuuuuust maybe, get tassel loafers all wrong? Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S17 · E3
February 25 · 1 hr 29 min
Why Making Things By Hand Has Never Been More Important, w/ Cowboy Bootmaker Emily Boksenbaum
When I met Emily Boksenbaum at our Maker’s Day 2025 conference in Chicago, I knew I had to get her on the Shoecast. Emily’s always made stuff. First it was art growing up, which led to a focus on fiber material studies in art school. Next came leather tooling, prop-making and other “creative odd jobs,” before going into corporate footwear design. That didn’t quite hit for her, which meant it was finally time to figure out how to make some cowboy boots. After training under some of the great makers and teachers in the space, she moved to Boulder, Colorado to open a custom boot shop dubbed Underhill Leather out of her garage, which she shares with one of our favorite former Shoecast guests, fellow cowboy bootmaker Holly Henry. This one goes ALL sorts of places, as Emily gets deep into navigating different materials, machinery, and mindsets; the emotional and dare we say metaphysical layers of creation; that time she woke up to flood of DMs from eager customers thanks to a bass guitarist who loved her boots; and what it means to be a maker in a world that’s forgotten how to make things. Oh and Zagnuts! Of course we got into Zagnuts. Here’s Emily Boksenbaum, on the Shoecast Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S17 · E2
February 18 · 1 hr 29 min
Why It’s Harder Than Ever to Start a Shoe Brand, w/ the Shoe Snob Justin FitzPatrick
Justin FitzPatrick aka the Shoe Snob on fiery times in the comments section, what a dress shoe customer even looks like in 2026, button boots (obviously), and why it’s never been harder to start a shoe brand than right now. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S17 · E1
February 10 · 52 min
Skip Horween & Nicks Boots' Shuyler Mowe—Live from Boot Camp Chicago 2025
In November 2025, we did a thing. Stitchdown’s Boot Camp 2025 Chicago was a quality footwear mega-expo, a materials trade show, a crossroads of the industry we love, and one big ol’ multi-day party with my favorite community in the world. As part of that weekend in Chicago, I sat down with Shuyler Mowe of Nicks Boots and the one and only Skip Horween for a live Shoecast taping at the excellent Hoste distillery. Skip and Shuyler are both multi-generational leaders in their spaces, and getting them to open up about how they work together to develop products, challenges the overlapping industries are facing, and some fun stories from the tannery was about as enjoyable as way to spend a night as I could imagine. So here’s our chat, with some attendees questions as the end. Also! We’re coming back to Chicago in 2026! Mark your calendar for November 6th and 7th for Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the same event but EVEN BETTER with a slight rebrand thrown in—at Artifact Events. Can’t wait to see you there. Here’s Skip and Shuyler, on the Shoecast. https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/ Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S16 · E9
Dec 16, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
Franklin & Poe's Andrew Li on Where Retail's Going, Malls, and The Perfect White Tee
My chat this week is with Andrew Li of Philadelphia’s Franklin & Poe, one of the best shops in the US for serious quality footwear, denim, and more. I got to know Andrew over the last few years the old fashioned way—seeing him in person, sitting down, and chatting entirely too deeply about some boots and shoes and denim. Which is pretty much exactly what Andrew and team have done every day since 2016 with customers in Philly’s Fishtown neighborhood, both at their original location and the new shop they had opened only days before we taped this episode. On the episode, Andrew and I chatted about that dedication not just to customer service but also creating a place for enthusiasts to find a real community, how to build out a top notch footwear brand list, the quest for a perfect white t-shirt, where brick & mortar retail is going and how it might thrive again, and his three pairs he’d keep forever if it came down to it. Oh and malls. We talk a lot about malls. Also sandwiches. Philly does good sandwiches. https://franklinandpoe.com/ Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S16 · E8
Dec 10, 2025 · 1 hr 27 min
Thursday Boot Co.'s Nolan Walsh on Their Own León Factory, Last Obsessiveness, and The Comfort Question
The joke has always been that Thursday Boot Company’s Connor Wilson keeps his co-founder Nolan Walsh trapped in a factory working on the product. Turns out that joke actually true—except Nolan is the one very eagerly choosing to imprison himself. That certainly hasn’t lessened since Thursday opened its own in-house manufacturing facility in North American bootmaking capital Leon Mexico—just 11 years after Thursday launched a Kickstarter campaign to try and sell a few boots. Pretty wild stuff. Nolan and I pretty much cover everything in this one—the full version of the Thursday origin story that had more twists and turns than I expected, how they develop product and manage production in factories on multiple continents around the idea of supply chain centricity, Nolan’s quality control mania, their online marketing you may or may not have seen, and how in the world, after more than a decade in business, their core product is still only $199. And yes, of course, The Poron Question. Obviously we did that. https://thursdayboots.com/ Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S16 · E7
Nov 25, 2025 · 1 hr 21 min
Shoebag w/ Ticho: The Best Shoemaking Teachers, Arch Support, and a LOT of Butter
If you came to this podcast about shoes and boots and leather hoping that you’d get to listen to extended conversations about imported cultured butter, you’ve made a fantastic call. Because this, dear listeners, is the Shoebag, in which myself and the legend they know as Tichoblanco answer listener questions about roughout Chelsea boots, arch support in surprising lasts, who we want to teach us to make boots…and imported cultured butter. And burritos. And bagels! And diners. And waffles, which were totally unrelated to the diner conversation. And, New Jersey Costco gas station Rod Stewart. It’ll all make sense, I promise. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/
S16 · E6
Nov 6, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
Red Wing Heritage President George Curleigh on Retail, Time Capsules, and The Red Wing Way
George Curleigh has been president of Red Wing’s heritage division since 2019, in which time he’s been able to enjoy a list of very fun things including a worldwide pandemic, a factory shut-down, a cyber-attack, a periodically dwindling labor force, a broken supply chain for US-made components, and his OWN CHILDREN stealing his boots. So what’s the general feeling in Red Wing, Minnesota, according to George? Actually pretty fantastic. Retail expansion is going hugely well, especially in Asia. The European and North American markets are showing a ton of strength. A new factory recently came online. And after a massive contraction, a flurry of new styles are being released, and old classics everyone wants revived. We get into all of that, plus why Red Wing buried a time capsule full of boots and manufacturing instructions to be dug up in 120 years, how that endeavor led to realizing Red Wing founder Charles Beckman survived a deadly shipwreck off Nova Scotia back in the 1900s, what it was like coming to old-school-as-it-comes Red Wing from Arc'teryx, one off the world’s most technologically driven apparel companies, how to get people loving working in a boot factory, and why that aforementioned time when his son swiped his 875s was actually a hugely meaningful moment, in the best way. Support the Shoecast, get full bonus episode access, and join the most interesting shoe-and-boot-loving community on the internet with a Stitchdown Premium membership https://www.stitchdown.com/join-stitchdown-premium/ We'd better see you at Stitchdown Chicago 2026—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—Nov 6-7 at Artifact Events. https://www.stitchdownexpo.com/ A website. We have one. https://www.stitchdown.com/

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