Stitchdown - Wear Better Shoes

Taft’s Kory Stevens on How to Accidentally Start a Hugely Successful Shoe Brand

In 2014, Taft Clothing was selling camouflage and polka-dot no-show socks. One fateful Reddit moment later, Kory Stevens was somehow overseeing a shoe and boot brand that was absolutely on fire—and designing some of the most unique footwear you’ll ev... Read More...

White’s Beefs Up Their Moc-Toe With The Perry Select

When White’s Boots launched their Perry moc-toe boot a few years back, it very much felt like the Pacific Northwest’s answer to brands like Red Wing or Thorogood. Made with Seidel work leathers on White’s low-arch 1972 last, the Perry was otherwise b... Read More...

Red Wing Japan Alum Michiya Suzuki Is Back With His Latest Venture—The 2 Monkeys

Few people played a more pivotal role in shaping the heritage footwear revival at Red Wing Shoes than Michiya Suzuki. A few years prior to the worldwide launch of the Minnesota-based icon's Heritage division in 2007, Michiya became general manager ... Read More...

crown northampton armagnac shell cordovan harlestone hand stitch derby

Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week: Armagnac Shell Sneakers, Endless Aldens, and More

Hey folks! I was busy munching on some muffulettas down in New Orleans last week, but I’m back, and here to tell you about a whole bunch of new releases—including the revival of a Red Wing cult favorite, a fan-designed monkey boot from Tricker’s, som... Read More...

lorena agolli—sole survivor cobbler shop toronto

Cobbler Lorena Agolli on Apprenticing Under a Bespoke Master, Her Red Wing Habit, and the Nice Way to Tell Customers Their Shoes Suck

Back when Lorena Agolli was getting started in the trade, an aging cobbler grabbed her forearm, frowned, and dismissively said, "you’re not strong enough." Well that was the wrong read on every level—almost a decade later, Lorena is currently enterin... Read More...

Grant Stone’s Wyatt Gilmore on GYW Shoe Addiction, Japanese Old Man Style, and NOT Grant Stone

Wyatt Gilmore runs Baroda, Michigan-based, ever-rising footwear brand Grant Stone. So of course we had him back on the Shoecast and completely barred him from even mentioning his own company. Instead, Wyatt gets into what makes the feeling of Good... Read More...

Inside The Tokyo-Rockabilly Dreamscape of Attractions Boots

Picture a well-worn vintage pair of engineer boots. In your mind’s eye, they're likely rough and rugged; over their decades of use, the leather has dried out and cracked a bit, and they’ve lost much of their luster. But underneath that timeworn su... Read More...

Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week: Unmarked In Five Horween Leathers, J&FJ Baker Goral Sneakers, and More

Happy National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day! This week: some springtime additions at Crockett & Jones; Russell Moccasin’s lightweight Safari boot; the latest Alden exclusive at Brogue; and more. More weekly roundup action here. Viberg 2020 S... Read More...

Gallun Viking Calf, Maryam Washed Kangaroo, and More in Viberg’s Spring/Summer 2023 Drop Two

A fresh wave of boots and shoes have been added to Viberg’s seasonal collection, and Drop Two’s new models reiterate many of the same looks and themes as last month’s Drop One. Once again, there are a variety of products here featuring leathers fro... Read More...

White’s Boots’ Eric Kinney on Bootmaker Shortages, the First MP, Stitchdown vs Handwelt, and More

When Eric Kinney took over as president of Spokane, Washington legend White's Boots in 2019, the 170-year-old maker didn't even have a website. Just four short years later, Eric—a former White's bootmaker for 26 years who made upwards of 50,000 pairs... Read More...