Even 100 Years Later, Nothing Looks Better Than the World's Best Work Boots
Red Wing's boots are as famously cool as they are famously tough. You just can't beat the no-nonsense appeal of a round-toe, thick-sole work shoe.
The formula works is so proven, in fact, that even 100-year-old Red Wing boots look as good now as they did back then.
To commemorate 120 years of Red Wing excellence, the American workwear imprint is reviving a handful of retro work boots faithful to their original inspirations. Each pair of American-made shoes is cut from leather tanned in the Midwest by SB Foot Tanning Co., a 150-year-old leather factory that's been Red Wing's Minnesotan neighbor since the boot brand was founded in 1905.
Three old-school Red Wings are back in luxe new editions, the pull-on Pecos, tall buckled Engineer, and the Logger, easily the most classic-meets-contemporary of the bunch and thus offered in a couple different makes.
Available on Red Wing's website for around $360 apiece, the 120th anniversary boots is like a miniature time capsule of Red Wing history.
In fact, it inspired a real-world time capsule, as Red Wing buried the collection outside its Minnesota HQ to be opened in another 120 years.
But they're also a testament to the power of good design. These age-old shoes — the Engineer reflects the '30s, the Pecos the '40s, and the Logger the '50s — look just as fresh now as they did back then. Perhaps even moreso, now that all eras of menswear have collapsed upon each other and no genre or style is verboten.
Even before those limits were set, though, Red Wing was defining the boundaries of what makes for a good, tough boot. These ageless shapes are the reasons why folks craving the classics keep coming back to Red Wing, then, now, and always.
Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit the HS Style Guide for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.
