We’re a week out from Labor Day now, but we haven’t stopped celebrating the people who gave us creature comforts like “weekends” and “child labor laws” by buying boots in their honor.
As expected we’ve got a handful of long-running sales still going this week, as well as a stunning new side zip from Brother Bridge and a whole mess of RDT models at Standard & Strange, so read on.
Click the link to read our previous roundups here.
HAVEN x Viberg Service Boot in Black Waxy Commander: $1,065
There’s no getting around the fact that traditional builds usually means traditional look (or retrofuturism?), which is—understandably—not everyone’s deal. HAVEN is one of a handful brands challenging that association, and a quick look at their new Viberg collab will very quickly give you a sense of what they’re all about. The boots are a welted take on the 2030 Service Boot, with light and grippy Vibram Sierra outsoles, which is what makes them both totally normal and also never really seen before. They use an all eyelet hardware configuration, combined with a zipper on the inside quarter (different!).
HAVEN x Viberg Officer Derby in Black Waxy Commander: $1,065
There’s also a shoe-height take on the same idea—officer derbies for lower earth orbit. They have the same waxy commander uppers, 360˚ storm welts, and chunky but light composite sole stacks. Also on the 2030 last. No zippers.
Withered Fig x Viberg Navvy Boot in Malt Alpine Calf: $1,240
If you do lean towards the more traditional stuff, Withered Fig has a new Viberg Navvy makeup that shows off all of the fit, finish, and last refinement that Viberg’s been building towards for years now. These Annonay calf leathers are hard to touch in their category and this is no exception. Paired with cord laces, a 270˚ flat welt, and a leather outsole on the 1940 last—not a thing is awkward or out of place.
Rolling Dub Trio Roots Engineer Boots in Black Horsebutt: $1,150
Rolling Dub Trio’s widest engineer is back at Standard & Strange. Slim-toed heritage hegemony might have unseated bump-toe biker hegemony in the engineer boot world, but a true Munson toe has always been hard to find. The uppers are clicked from heavy-duty teacore horsehide and assembled with double-row stitchdown construction on no-less-heavy-duty nitrile cork outsoles. These things slap.
Rolling Dub Trio In’Ei Coin Loafers in Black Box Calf: $660
“Yet for better or worse we do things that bear the marks of grime, soot, and weather, and we love the colors and the sheen that call to mind the past that made them.” Not many bootmakers cite their literary inspiration alongside the upper leather (Dutch box calf) and construction (270˚) flat welt, but Junichiro Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows—In’Ei Raisan—is as good an ode to wear as any. Appropriately, the shoes themselves are pretty minimal. There’s a strap with a gullwing cutout, an apron, and not much else besides the rubber outsoles underfoot, attached by a 270˚ flat welt. That said, these are immediately recognizable thanks to the wide, modified Munson toe.
Rolling Dub Trio Coupen Mid in “Green Tea” Core Steerhide: $690
The Coupen’s “Mid” variant is by far the funkiest version of this already funky boot-shoe hybrid, with its pinked collar that catches the whole front eyelet but only just grazes the counter cover. Judging by the exposed edges, the base leather here is bright green, not the dark olive that tends to show up on teacore footwear. Built with nitrile cork outsoles and a 360˚ flat welt.
Rolling Dub Trio Coupen Mid in Brown Vachetta: $705
A brown version of the Coupen in tumbled vachetta is also available at Lost & Found…
Rolling Dub Trio Forester Low II in Dark Beige Suede: $909
…alongside the gloriously maximalist Forester Low II, complete with a brogued cap-toe, a Norwegian welt, and rolled tops, all resting on Vibram Sierra outsoles.
Russell Moccasin Expedition Boot in Weathered Oak Timberjack: $875 (Made to Order)
Russell Moccasin just reintroduced the Expedition, an updated take on the custom boots worn by travel-writer Bruce Chatwin. The model’s goal is to provide a boot that’s stable on rocky terrain because of the double-vamp construction and unit lug outsole, but still packable and breathable in hot weather thanks to 18 oz. twill panels on the shafts, a feature borrowed from the Safari and PH boots.
Addict CL Engineer in Brown Horsebutt: $1,250
Addict boot’s slimmest and dressiest last, the CL, just made an appearance on an engineer in stock at Butterscotch in California. Spec’ed with V-bar half soles that accentuate the already significant toe-spring, a 270˚ flat welt, silver hardware. Available in teacore brown horsebutt…
Addict CL Engineer in Black Horsebutt: $1,250
…teacore black horsebutt (both with a natural core)…
Addict CL Engineer in Brown Suede: $1,000
…and Brown Steer Suede.
Brother Bridge Judson in Vintage Black Calf: $569 (Coming Soon?)
Brother Bridge Tokyo has light, flexible construction and elegant lines down to a science—which makes it very exciting that they just announced a new side zip model, in development for more than three years. The uppers use oiled calfskin tanned by Himeji, and they’re paired with commando outsoles and a 360˚ flat welt.
Aesthetically, they’re defined by the precipitously low instep and tightly fitted shaft, both taking full advantage of the zipper. Still, anyone with a high instep or high-volume feet should probably keep that in mind, if you can get your hands on them at all. They’re listed as coming soon at the Zine footwear club in Japan, and Brother Bridge dosen’t currently have any U.S. stockists. If you’re a retailer, consider this our petition that you pick them up.
Unmarked Zip Boot in Dark Brown: $490
Perhaps auspiciously, Unmarked also restocked the Chromexcel version of their side zip boot this week. The (modestly named) model has a 270˚ flat welt and Dainite outsoles. This pattern tilts the shafts slightly back and outwards in keeping with most people’s ankle anatomy.
Unmarked N1 Boots in Tan Roughout: $490 (Made to Order)
If that wasn’t enough for you, they also released a collection for Fall/Winter 2025, including some brand new models—though all of the boots are still made to order. We got the brand’s take on the venerable N1 Boondocker, with a 270˚ flat welt and a brown Itshide micro-stud put together on the original 001 lasts…
Unmarked Juan Boots in Black Pull Up: $400 (Made to Order)
…as well as the Juan, a stitchdown take on the side-zip patterend with concave shaft tops. The outsoles are from a brand called Goodrubber, and while they’re new to us they seem to be in use by a number of Leon-based footwear brands. Check out the rest of the collection here.
Rose Anvil x Nicks ND5 in 1964 Roughout: $764 (Made to Order)
The “indestructible boot” is back in its fifth—and final—version, a lighter take on the original “ND0″ that got scorched, shot, and subjected to the guillotine before there was any such thing as a Rose Anvil collaboration. In the interest of wearability, the steel toe and double midsole are gone, and the towering shafts have been cut down to a more convenient 8”. While the double linesman’s patches are retained, the double-row stitchdown construction, V100 lug sole, and 55 last are pulled straight from the Builder Pro—neither bad nor unexpected, but a reminder that the whole point of this series was to show off just how tough Pacific Northwest Boots already are. You can’t exaggerate something that wasn’t there in the first place.
Alden Madison Indy Boot in Black Calf: $728
The blacked-out colorway is enough to take these Indies from the realm of carpenters-turned-archeologists to somewhere a little cleaner and more orderly. Not necessarily a bad guy boot, though they’d fit right in on Grand Moff Tarkin thanks to the shine of the black calf and the tightly spaced hardware. Constructed with double-leather outsoles and a 360˚ split-reverse welt on the Trubalance last.
Parkhurst Richmond in Asfalto Vachetta Horsebutt: $528
The Richmond’s newest variant uses veg-tanned and heavily figured Vachetta horsebutt from Maryam, attached to the commando outsole by a 360˚ split welt…
Parkhurst Allen in Cognac Teacore Veg Tan: $528
…and introduced alongside a new Allen stitchdown makeup in a leather we that we have to confess we’ve never seen before: a caramel teacore vegtan from the Italy’s Italpel, with a natural core.
HOMK Indiana Jones Boots in C.F. Stead Westminster Calf: $399 (Pre-order)
Do people make knockoff Alden Indy boots? Of course! And normally we pretty much ignore them. But we’ve got a ton of respect for China-based Quan Shoemaker, as a maker—and man these ones look good.
Quan has been making a wide range of welted and stitchdown boots with impeccable finish quality for years now. His operation, now under the doesn’t-exactly-roll-off-the-tongue “HOMK” name, also seems to be moving towards providing a smoother, more professional customer experience than the email/Instagram/WhatsApp situation that’s common for smaller makers. To that end, they just announced a new preorder for an “Indiana Jones Boot” (laying on a little thick, but again they look good!), constructed with a 360˚ storm welt on Dr. Sole outsoles. Internally, the insole and midsole are both vegetable tanned leather. They’re available in Westminster Calf from C.F. Stead…
HOMK Indiana Jones Boots in Red Brown Cowhide: $299 (Pre-order)
…as well as a full grain, red-brown cowhide tanned in Korea. HOMK also pays the custom duties, avoiding a potential headache now that tariffs have been extended to goods under $800.
$75 off Stitchdown Boots and $50 off Western Boots at JK
All of JK’s stitchdown boots are $75 off, though given that this is a Labor Day sale we’re not sure how long that will continue to be true. That includes thoroughbred PNW models like the Superduty and Forefront, as well as the entry level 30o series boots. Their Western line is discounted at a flat rate of $50 off, pushing all of its boots below the $500 mark and most below $400.
20-30% Off Sitewide at Oak Street Bootmakers
Amidst some recent controversy, Oak Street Bootmakers is running an extended Labor Day sale, with 20-30% off most boots and 20% off their Field Boots and moccasin construction footwear. The sale also extends to belts and other small goods.