Inspired by an Austin old and new. A ranch. A river bed. A dusty dance hall. A neon city. Our designs tell a story. Dale Watson at the Broken Spoke, Willie at Austin City Limits. A day at the F1 track, a night at the ACL festival. They have ridden all day in the saddle, two-stepped all night on the dance floor. They have wined and dined and circled the boardroom table. They have changed gears on a '52 Vincent Black Lightning and dropped the clutch in a '77 Bronco. They have graced the big stage; Chris Robinson, Leon Bridges, Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, Charley Crockett, Lukas Nelson. They have all walked tall in HERITAGE BOOTS. Our designs are alive with the stories of our city.
Pen, paper, colored pencils and a chat over drinks - the process begins. Our desks are a mess of swatches and color samples, Topo Chicos and Lone Star cans. We pull from our palette of materials and techniques, we remember an outfit Loretta once wore. We wonder what soundtrack this boot has. What toe and heel combination works best, what height and shape? What does the foxing look like? Scalloped collar? What do the pulls look like, are there inlay or overlay shapes? Is there multi-row stitching, whip stitching or piping? There are different finishes, from sanding to oil tanning, rawhide to rough-out.
We bring our story to life.
We are renowned for our hand-tooling applications. Stunning full boot or partial elements like wing tips, pulls and counters. We imagine Waylon stomping out a cigarette with them.
Our hides are sourced from around the world; Africa, Europe and the Americas. Grade A full-grain drum-dyed leathers of all colors. Exotics like caiman crocodile, stingray and ostrich. It has taken years of searching and experimenting to find the perfect skins to make the perfect boots.
We work closely with our boot maker, making sure our designs translate perfectly to their traditional production methods. We incorporate the knowledge of their generations of experience. The aesthetic and integrity of their grandfather's boots of the 1930s are in every decision. Our stories become one.
Lasting is the heart and core of the crafting process. Our boots fit so well because of our vintage lasts and the generations of experience of our lasting professionals. The lasting method requires skill, strength and dexterity. It is a very physical process that requires years to perfect. This process is performed by the most experienced of our artisans and is a skill that is passed down from generation to generation, family to family.
The lasts are the foot form that wet leather is stretched over in this hand-performed and very exacting process. Our last shapes have been perfected over generations to produce a boot shape that is comfortable in all sizes, straight off the shelf. 150 years ago the cowboy boot was worn almost exclusively on horseback. While our boots can "cowboy" all day we ensure they are ultimately comfortable walking, standing, and of course two-stepping at the Broken Spoke.
Once the leather is molded around our lasts it is secured by hammering in small lemonwood pegs. Lemonwood is used because it reacts in a very similar way to leather from the variations of temperature and humidity. It retains the integrity of the Heritage comfort. They can be removed for repair at a later date if ever necessary.
The sole is attached to the upper by the 150-year-old Goodyear welting process. It provides exceptional water protection and extra comfort. It allows for multiple resoling, extending the life of the boot by many years. It is costly and time-consuming and requires a high level of skill but is considered to be the ultimate method for boot making.
We add a steel shank for strength. We use a leather toe box that breathes organically with the rest of the boot and protects the toe shape. Our old-world small batch construction methods are referred to as the pinnacle of premium boot making. These boots can last a lifetime.
It takes time and patience to select and match our skins to our final boot design. They must match aesthetically, and boots must mirror as a pair in all sizes. Our small batch process allows a very concentrated approach to this often overlooked aspect of quality.
Once materials are selected the patterns are cut out with a hand-held knife following a steel pattern guide. Steel "cookie-cutter" dies are used in a pressure press for more intricate shapes. Each size will have a specific set of pattern shapes. Grain and color will be expertly matched. The pieces of the puzzle must be precise. The shapes are stitched together on sewing machines, the needle fed expertly by hand. They are then securely joined together with the remaining parts to complete the boot form. They are polished, burnished, and inspected. Lastly they are packed in our signature red Heritage Boot boxes. Ready for shipping.
