Red Wing Shoes are produced from the leather tanned in the nearby SB Foot Tanning factory, just outside of Red Wing. The company was found in 1872 by Silas B. Foot and George Sterling and has been producing leathers for Red Wing Shoes for generations. In 1987 Red Wing Shoes took over the SB Foot Tanning Co. and it has been part of the Red Wing Shoe company since. The pictures above are from the rare Red Wing Moc Toe style 2878, in a yellow nubuck leather from the SB Foot Company.

Thanks to Fred from redwing1905.

Since the legacy of Red Wing Shoes goes a long way back and supported many men during their work effort, we thought to share you a little video from hard working men back then.

Right after the harsh times of the Great Depression, the country needed to get back onto its feet and voted for Franklin D. Roosevelt as president in 1932. Roosevelt was determined to bring back the flourishing times of America and concentrated on creating jobs to revitalize the economy. One of his projects that would have to achieve such a task was the introduction of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. The CCC recruited thousands of unemployed young men and had them working on projects concerning the conservation and improvement of the Nation's national resources.

So was the "Great Smokey Mountains" project. This was a forested area at the border of North-Carolina and Tennessee of 300.000 acres, which used to be Cherokee Indian country. In the video the narrator wonderfully tells us that "National parks aren't build, God created them in the beginning". And thus the CCC was there to help preserve the area and turn it into an accessible park for the public so it could be used as a recreational area that was safe. The project entailed the construction of bridges, fire towers, guard rails, roads and more. In the video you can see men building these roads, sawing wood and constructing cabins.

The CCC was a great success and much celebrated since it helped the country to get back on its feet and provided for a great amount of jobs for these desperately in need of one. Check out the almost antique video report of the project by the US National Archives. 

We would like to share these incredible 1930's mugshots with you. The photos were captured in a police book which was found it in a junk shop a few years ago. The Newcastle based archive uploaded 30 of the mugshots to a Flickr page that quickly received more then 32.000 views. In the book were some interesting details about the individuals shown.

Take for example William Jones who, according to the book, 'died in action'. Jones had a nickname 'Robert Dodd's and he had some nice old school tattoos like a pierced heart, a sailor's head and a pin-up. His 'specialties' were breaking into houses and shops. Another character James Lowrie who listened to the nickname Sunderland Kid (which refers to Billy the Kid) was described as an expert pickpocket. 

With all of this incredible information and pictures in regard, we are wondering how long it will take before somebody decides to create a movie with this book as center point of attention.

A funny contradiction here is that even though these men were criminals they were dressed formal and tasteful too. Without romanticising too much we can imagine a pair of Red Wing Beckman boots would do well underneath their suit. Thanks to Jonathan for sharing!

Over the past few months we are witnessing a growing group of people embracing the heart and soul of the Red Wing Shoe brand. Where members of the fashion business have yet adapted the Red Wing brand since several seasons after Japan kicked of the Red Wing life-style business, influential shows like Pitti & Bread & Butter were filled with Red Wing aficionado's over the past couple of years. The Red Wing brand gained a lot of popularity in the US thanks to numerous artists and Hollywood stars showing their appreciation for our brand as well. We made a selection of images of celebrities who are wearing Red Wing Shoes. David Beckham & Ryan Gosling are both fans of the 875 6'' Moc Toe Oro-iginal. Recently we had Brandon Boyd (singer of Incubus) in Amsterdam Red Wing Shoe store who fell in love with the 8113 Iron Rangers Hawthorne Muleskinner. Orlando Bloom likes to wear his 8130 6'' Moc Toe Black Chrome while driving his motorcycle. Actor Jeremy Renner was recently featured in Esquire wearing a pair of Beckman shoes. More soon!

GC featured this lovely illustrated map of Made in the U.S.A. brands. Eleven companies, founded between 1873 and 1999, four from the 19th century, the rest of the 20th, creating the best blankets, shirts, bags, jeans and boots. And as Red Wing Shoes we're proud to be featured as the 'Iconic producers of resurgent, Rust Belt-ready work boots'! Thank you for that.
(Read the feature here / The illustration was made by the talented Jon Han)

Two weeks ago we had little event, a night with personal, unique stories behind fifteen pairs of Red Wing boots, as told by the owners themselves, at the Red Wing Shoes Store in Amsterdam. It was a  to remember! Enjoy this little movie by Benjamin & Daan.