Role Club By Brian the Bootmaker
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Funnily enough Brian just texted me saying my Underdogs will be finished up this week.
Went with a low woodsman, brown trim, forget now if I went with cork or not… lol!
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Ready for pickup - will swing by the shop on Wednesday.
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Is that green shell?
Interesting. Not sold on the red thread- too Christmas.
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It IS green shell. It's an interesting look, that I wouldn't choose to buy with my own money… But, I'd wear them if they were free, lol
Nerd fact: The green/red colorway is a nod to the very first pair of boots he made in olive leather with red stitching. Here's an example of the engineers in olive horsehide with red stitching (which looks far better than the green shell with red stitching combo).
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great craftsmanship, super curious as to what the future holds for Brian
thanks for sharing those
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great craftsmanship, super curious as to what the future holds for Brian
thanks for sharing those
He's still a one man brand for now… And, only being in his early 20's, I see a long and bright future ahead, though I think he should take fewer custom orders (Even though I was one of the first fully custom orders, asking for a boot that he had to prototype and design from the ground up)
He has mentioned in the past wanting to take on an apprentice, but has yet to find anyone interested or dedicated enough.
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The red is a lot more muted in that pair. I would've guessed it was light brown, though I'm sure it's more obvious in reality than in the pics. I like that pair much better overall, but they are a bit less spectacular.
I'm a fan of green boots in general, but I have to admit, shell is not the most comfortable thing I've ever worn. My pair of shell boots is beautiful, but it does not give at all and they took forever to break in. I'm not entirely sure they are broken in, actually.
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yeah curious how long this 1 man thing can go on.
also curious if this artisanal/quality bubble is going to be to support what he does
head high, middle finger higher
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I think he'll be fine, because he doesn't create a massive backlog, per se…. He opens up to accept stock boot orders a couple times a year. He doesn't carry backstock, and he doesn't have a million boot design options. So long as he doesn't grow beyond his means, he'll survive, a la "Roy".
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…..I have to admit, shell is not the most comfortable thing I've ever worn. My pair of shell boots is beautiful, but it does not give at all and they took forever to break in. I'm not entirely sure they are broken in, actually.
Shell dress shoes and boots are TANKS… I don't know how people wear them in to the point that they get the coveted ::) ::) ::) "rolling" on the toe box. I assume they just moonwalk everywhere they go to get like that, lmao!
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yeah curious how long this 1 man thing can go on.
also curious if this artisanal/quality bubble is going to be to support what he does
I know bootmakers that have been one man operations for the last 20+ years and have to turn away customers. If you keep your overhead low, work reasonably efficiently, and don't expect to make enough to buy your own jet, it's possible to have a lifelong career.
I'm hesitant to call it a bubble, too. I think there will always be people that are willing to pay for shoes and boots that fit well and last. But I could be wrong; I often am.
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^^
I'm a city dude so I tend to only see small mom and pop shoe stores closing out for Tom McCain, fayva and payless shoe stores
I'm relatively new to all this quality stuff. when I got one of my first quality pair of boots I'm pretty sure I thought the heels and soles were made out of "wood" and you were kind enough to give me a schooling that it is leather
(which still blows my mind)finally, it's more fun to call everything a bubble and folks talk about if it is or isn't sustainable, hahahahaha
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I had a long conversation with Brian about future plans and business strategy/operations (given that is what I do for a living). He definitely is thinking about expansion plans and we iterated on a few ideas that we think he could pursue, both in the near-term and longer term. Part of the challenge is finding the breathing space to fully explore and launch some of these ideas given the constraints on his time. Everyone he's talked to about potentially helping him in the shop seem unwilling to put in the time and effort to learn the craft and meet his expectations. Many also feel like they already know what they are doing and cannot set aside their egos to unlearn/relearn, especially from a younger person, no matter how talented.
