It is getting colder here in the lowlands and the Dutch start dreaming about the Elfstedentocht, a 200 km ice ride in the north of the Netherlands. We can only be happy with the cold as it is the perfect weather for some heavy and warm Red Wing boots, so we thought let's show some real cold, some real snow and ice. And there's only one who did that in a beautiful and inspiring way: Vittorio Sella (1859 - 1943). Vittorio was an Italian photographer and mountaineer who climbed all the tops of the earth, from the European tops like the Mont Blanc and the Monte Rosa until the K2 and the peaks of the Caucasus, and made truly amazing images during his climbs. The images above where published in the 1st edition (1941) of Encyclopedie Alpina (via warymeyers).
Make sure you stay warm in pair of Red Wing Shoes 2268 Engineer Black Chrome, the Red Wing Shoes Work Gloves in Cognac, the Woolrich Arctic Cap in Olive, the Woolrich Byrd Cloth Parka Fango, the Merz B. Schwanen Long John 250 Natural and the Army Shirt Long 212 Grey Melange and enjoy the cold!
A few months back one of our clients told us about his vintage pair of Irish Setter Boots. We didn't forget and where happy he shared some pictures with us last week. Thank you René Schalk and enjoy your Engineer Boots!
The Moc's are the original work boot styles that made Red Wing famous. They where designed for the workers on the farms and factories with a lightweight crepe sole with a minimal tread design to reduce the mud and dirt that would cleave to under your shoes. The name of the Moc came from the word moccasin, the Algonquian Indian word for shoe and became an icon for the Red Wing brand.
Last weeks we found some old late 19th-, early 20th century pictures of miners and factory workers wearing them, and we decided to make a shopwindow to celebrate this boot with its strong heritage.
In the window some new and old Red Wing Shoes 8131 6" Moc Oro-Russet's and 877 8" Classic Moc Oro-iginal's. Enjoy them all over here >
We found another old cabinet photo of a group of miners in the Jack Possum Mine, Wentworth, Missouri. There's not much information on this mine, but with a little research we found out that it was owned by Smith & Hodges Mining Co. and was one of the largest in that area around 1915 to dig for sphalerite, the most common zinc ore.
It's a beautiful picture that breaths the dark underground atmosphere, the young brave men wearing heavy boots, denim overalls and dungarees accompanied by a hinny on the right for the real heavy work. A great addition to our growing collection.
When we started the Red Wing Shoes store Amsterdam I started collecting bank bags, and although I didn't started a real collection before I completely lost myself on ebay, searching for vintage bank bags, leather deposit bags and other vintage bank related pieces. The collection is still growing but I forced myself to put the energy in something worth sharing here. And a new collection was born.
Together with Menno we're now putting together a collection of vintage photographs of people wearing denim (for Tenue de Nîmes) and images of rail-, mine-, and factory workers for the Red Wing Shoes store Amsterdam. It's an amazing source of inspiration, and they will probably make it into a publication, but until then we will share some here.
Last week, a man entered the store, wearing these amazing looking Engineer boots. He told us that he bought them over 20 years ago! After beating these boots up for so long, and having them resoled a couple of times, he thought it was time for his babies to retire. The good thing of Red Wing Shoes is that you can buy the same shoes as 20 years ago. And so he did. Never change a winning team!
While our new friend was heading for the door, wearing his new Red Wing Shoes 2268 Engineers, we asked somewhat eagerly what he planned doing with old ones? Not to worry, he said. 'They’re retired now, but I’ll make sure to take em out for a ride on my bike every now and then.'
Although we forgot to ask for the guys name, we did take some pictures of his boots! If you look closely, you´ll notice the personalized rivet action on the back of the boot’s shaft - added for extra coolness. What a guy!
