Stitchdown - Wear Better Shoes

Why Do Handmade Boots & Shoes Cost So Much? Nathan Florsheim Offers a Rare Glimpse at a Bootmaker’s Financials.

By the time Nathan Florsheim realized he wanted to make and sell his own boots, he had already taken some important steps: 1) Disassembled some Red Wings to better understand their construction. 2) Riffed up a pattern of his own. 3) Successfull... Read More...

The Latest Viberg Archive Sale on Marrkt Starts this Friday and They’ve Got Some Winners In The Mix

On top of their yearly in-person sample/archive/etc sale (which for 2023 will actually be taking place at our Boot Camp event in NYC—we'd love to see you there!), Canadian bootmaking icon Viberg has recently been partnering with pre-owned menswear re... Read More...

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Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week: Summery Paraboots, Two New Nicks, Indy Shoes, and More

This week we've got a ton of exclusive collabs from the likes of Alden and Viberg, a sneaky Nicks release, and then a quick trip to Berlin for a new-ish Clinch model. Find all that—and more—below. Our SNBOTW archives can be found here. Ri... Read More...

The Stitchdown Conversation With Andrew Parr of J&FJ Baker—The UK’s Last Oak Bark Tannery

In late 2016, English shoemaker Crockett & Jones unveiled an exclusive new leather to their lineup: Russian Grain. They seemed quite giddy to show off the hatch grain article, and with good reason—the legendary leather was essentially extinct... Read More...

Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week: DR x White’s Throwbacks, Sagara Blackout, and Tiny Little Nicks

Whether you can’t wait to get your warm-weather shoe situation rolling, you’re a dedicated summer boot-wearer, or you’re an incredibly fashionable (and literate) baby, we've cobbled together a range of recent-release options this week from Viberg, Ni... Read More...

Cowboy Bootmaking Legend Lisa Sorrell on Myths, Lore, and Why Craft Has Never Been More Important

Guthrie, Oklahoma-based Lisa Sorrell can trace her own bootmaking ancestry back to one of the first cowboy bootmakers ever: Gus Blucher (a man quite aptly named for a shoe). Gus presumably would've been quite proud, as for the last three decades Lisa... Read More...

With Leffot Celebrating 15 Years as NYC’s Top Shoe Shop, We Chatted With Owner Steven Taffel

Manhattan-based menswear shop Leffot has an official motto: Numquam Jactate, Latin for “never boast.” In their view, looking good and dressing well doesn’t mean you have to be ostentatious—you just have to embrace classic styles from makers that offe... Read More...

Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week: Nicks Boots x Parkhurst, Crockett Visits The French Riviera & More

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Loafers abound from Rancourt & Co., Leffot, and Crockett & Jones this week, and plenty of incredible boots as well. Shoes ‘n’ boots from weeks gone by can be found here. John Lofgren Combat Boots in Natural Chromexc... Read More...

Limmer’s New Hiker Shoe Is a First for the 104-Year-Old Bootmaking Icon

It’s already been a couple of years since Adam Lane-Olsen and Chris Sawyer took over as owners of Limmer Boots, the 100+ year-old micro-maker for which Lane-Olsen hand-crafts what are considered by many to be the best classic hiking boots available a... Read More...

Shoebag! Horsebutt: Over- or Underrated? Crucial Overdye Explorations. And What’s the Deal With Gaston’s Boots??

That's right it's time for another SHOEBAG episode, in which Ben and Ticho dig precariously deep into such pivotal topics as: what is an overdyed leather and how is it the same or different from teacore? What’s the deal with that eyelet at the top of... Read More...