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 bootmaker we haven’t covered in a while, and lots more.
Read our previous roundups here.
[Ed Note: while we never choose anything specifically because of them, some of these recommendations contain affiliate links—the price is the same for you, but Stitchdown gets a small commission if you make a purchase. It’s essential to keeping the site alive, so we really, really appreciate it.]
Jason Jules x Viberg Navvy Boot in Parisian Brown Janus Suede: $1,430
This week Viberg launched a new collaboration Jason Jules, who among quite a few other things is the author of Black Ivy and kinda just IS Garmsville, kicked off with a launch party at the Viberg store in New York City (keep an eye out for things like that if you like boots and live in the city). They use a tweaked version of Viberg’s Navvy pattern, with broguing on the quarters and altered pattern dimensions. Built with double row stitchdown on a leather outsole, and uppers in either brown Janus Calf…
Jason Jules x Viberg Navvy Boot in Peanut Papillon Suede: $1,430
…or Peanut Papillon Suede. Saw both pairs in person this past week—especially with the leather sole, these are among the best representations we’ve seen of what New Viberg can do when firing on all cylinders.
Viberg Service Boot 2030 BCT in Dark Shell Cordovan: $2,115
Viberg also opened preorders on a 2030 Service Boot with Dainite outsoles, clicked from Dark Cognac Shell. D, E, and EEE widths are available.
Danner x Engineered Garments Mountain Light in Tan Suede: $420
One of the interesting things about Engineered Garments is the breadth of their collaborations—they regularly work with manufacturers ranging from Alden (on the dressy side) to Paraboot (generally a bit more casual) and Danner. Which brings us to this week’s collab: a Mountain Light, constructed with 360˚ stitchdown and Viberg outsoles. You can get a pretty straightforward version in tan suede, modified with staggered D-rings…
Danner x Engineered Garments Mountain Light in Leapord Haircalf: $420
…or, because this is still EG we’re talking about, a Leopard print version with the same hardware setup.
Sobriero Boots Estrella in Cloe Horsebutt: $1000+
Not a new release, but a unique small shoemaker that warrants a look if you’re not familiar. Years ago we covered the original Sobreiro boots Kickstarter (David the the bootmaker was then operating under the nom-de-boot Atelier Buck), but a lot has happened since then.
The two-person brand relocated from Canada to Portugul, and then from Portugal to Germany, where they now have an atelier on Hermann-Elfein Strasse in Potsdam. They have more models, an ordering process which by all reports is fairly smooth and quite transparent, one of the coolest most distinctive lasts in the game, and an expanded range of leather and finishes, including custom overdyes.
Red Wing Classic Moc in Sandstone Mohave: $320
Courtesy of S.B. Foot, there’s a new military-grade leather available of four Red Wing models, including their classic Moc, with its 360˚ flat welt, traction tread wedge, and veg-tan insole…
Red Wing Weekend Oxford in Sandstone Mohave: $260
… as well as the Weekender Oxford, Chukka, and Chelsea, which use stitchdown construction with a lighter wedge and a foam insole.
Tempo x The Flat Head Engineer in Teacore Horsehide: $1,400
Switzerland’s Tempo Design Store has been waiting along time for these made-in-Japan engineers from the Flat Head—two years, to be exact. But the short shafted model is finally here, in shell-in vegetable tanned horsehide, with a double row stitchdown construction and Vibram 700 outsoles.
Nicks TankerPro 3.0 Custom Configuration: $699 (Made to Order)
The boots pictured are in Spokane Charcoal, one of Nicks’ current limited-run leathers. But these TankerPros are available in the full range of Nicks’ work and casual leathers, with the last, height, outsole, edge color, and heel shape also customizable. This new version of the TankerPro adds a notch to the quarters for added flexibility in the instep, and additional leather padding on the gusset.
Nicks BOTM 005 in Orange Predator: $629 (Made to Order)
Nicks Boots also released their fifth Boot of the Month, an Orange Predator version of the Comstock, with a moc toe and a cream wedge sole.
JK O.T. Pro Wolf Pack in Gray: $525
JK is releasing a grey colorway of their standard 8-9 oz. oil-tanned leather on three models: the full weight super duty, the slightly lighter and more flexible O.T., and the wedge-soled Forefront.
Crown Northampton Harlestone Derby in Marbled Ultraviolet Shell Cordovan: $1,170 (Made to Order)
Most of the—quite limited—volume of shell cordovan tanned by Horween comes in straight forward variations of brown, burgundy, or black. But they also finishing smaller quantities of shell in unusual colors, textures, or effects… which has a way of finding itself in the hands of Crown’s clickers. Right now, that’s this purple shell available on the Harlestone.
Stuf|f x Alden 561 Tassel Loafer in Dark Brown Calfskin: $938
If you’re in the US, ordering Alden from a European retailer doesn’t usually make much sense. But: 1) not everyone is, and 2) given how entrenched Alden is in American shoemaking culture, it’s always interesting to see what non-American retailers go in for. In this case, that’s a calfskin tassel loafer on the Aberdeen last, with a 270˚ flat welt and a single leather outsole.
Bordon Boots Limited Release in Green Forest: $500+ (Made to Order)
Bordon has a few pairs worth of Green Forest, a waxed suede developed for them by Conceria Opera. Because of the limited quantity, they’re not taking orders through the website—instead, would-be customers need to fill out a short order request form and have their order confirmed. Just about all of the regular models and options are available.
Russell Moccasin Oneida in Walnut Timberjack: $450
Sort of an anti-boot of the week, but Russell just closed their books for the made to order Premier Build line rather than extend lead times. It’s a roundup worthy news item because it’s a choice we rarely see—but the near 130 year old brand has spent the last few year making a push to corral the sprawling logistics of their custom order business in the interest of shortening lead times and becoming more flexible. In the meantime, they’re continuing to crank out Oneida moccasin restocks (see above), and preparing to resurrect the pull on Knockabout boot.
Truman Cap Toe Boot in Redwood Double Shot: $410
It’s been a minute since we last covered Truman in the roundup, but the brand has kept up a steady flow of new leathers and rearranged their lineup into three categories—”casual”, “formal”, and “work”—based on their three lasts. They recently released a new cap toe version of the casual boot in Seidel’s Redwood Double Shot, and orange-brown pull up leather. Constructed with a 360˚ flat welt and commando outsoles.