Red Wing Profiles London

 

Welcome to Red Wing Profiles London, a chance for you guys to get to know the people that work in, with or just love to wear our boots day in day out. 

Our first subject for Red Wing Profiles London will be our very own store manager, James Moss. James has been running the store since its birth in late 2013 and started working with Red Wing before that at our sister store, American Classics, so theres not much that this man doesn't know about our company.

Why Red Wing? - "The thing that I love most about our boots is the fact that they are all handmade, so even today, 113 years on, there is still that same level of craftsmanship and quality. Both integral and equally important parts of our history and the story we tell today." In 2014, James was fortunate enough to get a chance to visit Minnesota and get to see first hand the boots being made. "It was great to see everyone at the factory, there is over 100 processes that goes into making just one pair of our shoes. Its not as easy as you think. In such a digital age it's amazing to see such a hands on manufacturing process. My short time at the factory gave me an insight into the sense of pride that goes into making every pair.  Red Wing is only a small town and a large majority of the population are employed by the shoe company. Having witnessed how they are made and seeing the level of care and attention to detail that goes into each component, means I can be very honest when people are buying our footwear which makes them incredibly easy to sell" 

How did it begin with Red Wing and what else do you do apart from work at the store? - As well as a love of Red Wing James is also a serious collector of vintage American workwear and military clothing. "Since collecting vintage Americana you see old Red Wing boots come up in thrift and second hand stores which proves that they're definitely built to last. They're also timeless yet stylish boots, with a pair of 501's you can't go wrong.  I've been collecting vintage clothing for nearly 10 years now. I worked in several vintage clothing stores when I first moved to London picking up the odd military shirt or jacket. And like with all collectors you start to read more, acquire more, sell off the things you fall out of love with and start searching for the more desirable and rarer things. These days I only collect a few things (unless theres something I truly can't let get away), which are Levis Big E jeans anything pre-1971.  I have 5 pairs of original 1950's-60's XX hidden rivets, and my oldest being a pair of pre-1955 leather patch 501. Short wool jackets from the 30's and 40's and denim shirts from the 1950's I'm always hunting down. Oh, and 70s and 80s band t-shirts. True Americana.”

My latest acquisition was one of my holy grail pieces. Its a WWII U.S Paratroopers jacket, M-42.  These jackets are very scarce and remained a favourite jacket for Airborne units up until the end of the war. A good friend of mine who I've been buying off for many years now had one. And finally after years the persistence and patience paid off and he was willing to sell it to me for a very fair price and boy oh boy shes a beauty!" 

What boots do you own and what have you owned? (if you can remember them all that is!) - James seems to remember that his first pair was the 8111 Iron Ranger, as is so common with many when choosing their first pair. "I've owned so many pairs over the years I don't think I can remember them all! I used to wear the smarter styles a lot like the Beckman embossed Moc and a few pairs of dress oxfords and I had an old pair of rough out Blacksmiths as well. I've been through quite a few styles but my favourite most certainly is our Engineer.  I'll most probably be buried in a pair. I now have 3 pairs and most recently I've added the 2972 in Copper Rough and tough to my collection. But my go to pair is my 2268 that I've had for a few years now and have aged so nicely" James also has a pair of engineers in Hawthorne Muleskinner he got from Japan that can sometimes be seen kicking around the shop. As well as his engineers occasionally he'll treat us to his 8012 Munson Rangers that are nicely beaten up and the wide panel Limeman 2996 in Cigar (jealous!). 

Whats next for you with Red Wing? - Along with Kay, owner of Red Wing Berlin, James has helped design a new style that will be released later this year.  "We wanted to design a premium style of boot for our collection, elegant and attractive  that would entice maybe a new type of customer to Red Wing whilst sticking to our historical values and principles.  This is about as much as I'll giveaway right now, but its release will be sometime in our Fall/Winter season this year.

But this June will see the next exciting chapter for us where we will be opening the second stand alone Red Wing Women's store in the world which we are all extremely looking forward to.  Our friends in Berlin opened their doors in October last year and it has been received very well.  Our women's collection is slowly growing and the styles we are making are just beautiful.  Its split into three categories being Core, Modern and Legacy.  So theres a shape or silhouette for everyone.  We actually made womens shoes as far back as the the 1920's but of course we couldn't just replicate these boots we made back then as it just wouldn't work. So with a current perspective its given us an insightful path to create something true to our roots but fit for everyday.  The store will be located on Newburgh Street, no.8,  just a few doors down from our mens store. See you at the party!

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