We’ve really found our grove on Instagram. Who would have guessed that sharing pictures of the the places we go, the things we see and the boots we wear could be so captivating. Below are a few of the scenes one can see on the Red Wing Heritage Instagram feed.
You can see where our boots take us by following @redwingheritage on Instagram and Twitter.
Thanks to Dan who recently donated these bronzed boots, originally from our 200 Series.
He shared this story with us, “I always grew up wearing Red Wings. I was recently going through some of my parents’ things and came across two old pairs of boots that my mom had bronzed. Since she never was able to bronze our baby shoes, which is an old tradition, she said she might as well do our boots. One is my brother’s and the other is mine from our high school days.”
In 1954, Red Wing extended the Irish Setter family and developed a shorter version of the well-known 8-inch style no. 877. The new style number was 875. It marked the birth of a boot that would represent Red Wing for years to come.
An even shorter version, no. 895, went on sale shortly after. It was less than 6 inches high and had the same cushion sole and leather as its taller siblings. While style no. 875 was the face of Red Wing, the oxford held its own and eventually established itself as a strong, durable lightweight work shoe. View our oxfords here.
The following is a story from Allen F. Andersen who donated the Skytrooper boots seen below in 1997.
While going through some boxes in my closet I found my Skytrooper jump boots that I got in 1962. They looked to be in pretty good shape so I tried them on. THEY FIT. In 1962 I was in the 82nd Airborne Division and about to get a pair of Cochran jump boots, more for status than need. A new man was assigned to my unit and darned if he didn’t have a pair of jump boots made by Red Wing. I immediately went to a phone and called my father (collect naturally) for a pair for me. Dad was a foreman at the factory in Red Wing and tried to find me a pair in my size but none available in the Red Wing, Dallas or Salt Lake City warehouse. At a management meeting, my dad asked if the factory was going to run another series and was informed that had no plans to do so. Bill Sweasy asked him why his interest and dad told Bill they were for me. Bill told dad to run me a pair and he hand carried the last through the plant from start to finish so I look at the boots as custom made. I’ve been wearing these 47 year old Red Wing boots often lately. They are very comfortable and look darn near new. I’m very proud of the boots.
In 2005, we celebrated our centennial anniversary by crafting a size 638 ½ D boot which resides in our flagship store in Red Wing, Minnesota. The world’s largest boot was built using the very same design and materials used to build the iconic 877. The boot serves as a testament to the craftsmanship and unmistakable quality of Red Wing footwear.
This past week we released a short film about our new collection of Red Wing Genuine Handsewn shoes. The entire range is made using leather from our own S.B. Foot Tannery and assembled, one piece at a time entirely by hand in Lewiston, Maine. Traditionally home to handsewn shoes, Maine has a rich tradition of making footwear. It is for this reason — not to mention the quality of the end product — that really makes us proud of our new Genuine Handsewn Collection. You can view the entire line-up and learn more about shoemaking in Maine here.
We’re looking for individuals to join the North American Red Wing Heritage sales team as independent reps. More details after the jump.
Read More →
We participated in SnowGRADE this past Saturday in NE Minneapolis (at Architectual Antiques). SnowGRADE is a men’s pop-up market featuring USA-made goods from the creators of NorthernGRADE. Take a look at a few photos of our booth.
Nicholas Haus, a German immigrant who came to the US in the late 1800’s, originally purchased these boots in 1918. Nicholas was born in 1892 and passed away in 1975. He was a tough woodsman who fought on the front lines during WWI. He loved nature and the outdoors and used these boots primarily for White Tale deer hunting. He was a well respected hunter in his community and at the age of 75, was still using the boots to hunt in remote areas of Northern Minnesota. Nicholas originally hunted deer for food in the early years and later for sport. On his last hunting trip, he was bringing back a trophy buck when a 10 year old boy saw his boots. Nicholas passed the boots on to that young boy and spent the better part of the afternoon sharing the adventures he had experienced while wearing these 230s.
Read More →
