Stitchdown - Wear Better Shoes

Parker Boot Co Custom Bespoke Cowboy Boots—Zephan Parker Interview

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 wri... Read More...

Nicks Tankerpro 3.0 Custom Configuration

Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week: Jason Jules x Viberg, Danner x EG, New Red Wing Leather

We're marching through the year at a precipitous pace, but the boots keep coming, so we'll keep covering them. This week, we've got collabs from Viberg and Engineered Garments, new leathers at Red Wing and Bordon Boots, a check-in with a small bootma... Read More...

Anne Marika Verploegh Chassé—STIEFELwerk—Custom Shoemaker

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... Read More...

Stitchdown Shoecast Season 17: Shoebag with Ticho

Vintage Boot Wishlists, Reconsidering Tassel Loafers, and Who’s This JohnnyWorks Guy? 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 f... Read More...

White's C350 Chelsea in Distress Roughout

Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week: RTW Role Club, White’s Chelseas, Zerrows Engineers

Something is stirring? Maybe? Anecdotally, it seems like a lot of these new releases are unashamedly staples, and that the pressure towards novelty over the last few years—crazier leather, colors, and constructions—that's starting to ebb a little.... Read More...

Emily Boksenbaum—Underhill Leather Custom Cowboy Boots

Underhill Leather’s Emily Boksenbaum on Why Making Things By Hand Has Never Been More Important (and Zagnuts)

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 lea... Read More...

Iron Heart x Wesco Mr. Lou in Natural Horsehide

Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week: Iron Heart x Wesco, Engineered Garments x Alden, and Some Excellent New Nicks

Huge roudup this week—almost thirty pairs, including the launch of ButterScotch's in house brand, Division Road x Nicks, Engineered Garments x Alden, a brand new Horween leather at Viberg, and tons more. Lots and lots of previous roundups here. ... Read More...

Justin FitzPatrick, the Shoe Snob Interview

Why It’s Harder Than Ever to Start a Shoe Brand, w/ the Shoe Snob Justin FitzPatrick

When Justin Fitzpatrick launched his Shoe Snob blog in 2010, there was a plan lurking not so far in the background: to launch a worldwide dress shoe brand. The chance meeting with Stefano Bemer didn’t hurt. Neither did the piles of days spent mirr... Read More...

Shuyler Mowe of Nicks Boots and Skip Horween of Horween Leather

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 ... Read More...

E. Woodford and Sons: Crown Northampton’s Bespoke Wing

There are a lot of brands in the bootspace—inviting logo, crisp typeface, and a clear aesthetic connection to the product. Then there's realm of bespoke shoemaking: trunk shows and shoe competitions, which despite being generally populated with so... Read More...