Part of what draws so many to Canadian maker Viberg is the limited-edition collaboration makeups they’ve created with all kinds of brands and retailers over the years. Sometimes they’re original patterns (like Division Road’s Shelby Sharp), or they’re striking interpretations of existing Viberg patterns that aren’t often used (such as The Bureau’s Rigger in Garnet Shell Cordovan). These makeups are often one-and-done releases, and it’s rare to see Viberg make repeat visits to them.
But now, one of these very special makeups has made its highly-anticipated return: the Infantry Boot (known otherwise as the Ammunition Boot), made in partnership with leather jacket maestros Himel Bros.
The original Ammunition Boot came out in 2019. As Himel Bros. chief Dave Himel shared in a contemporaneous blog post, the boot’s design was an homage to WWI-era Canadian infantry boots, which featured a distinctive slanted quarter panel. Himel worked closely with fellow Canadian Brett Viberg to craft the Ammunition Boot to be tough-as-nails like its infantry boot forebears, with brown Horween workshoe horsebutt and a stitchdown construction.
This time around, the Infantry Boot is built with a period-correct Goodyear welt, and it comes in not one, but two different iterations, both in Italian horsebutt—a chocolate-colored variant reminiscent of the original Ammunition Boot, along with a black Scotch grain version. The chocolate pair comes equipped with a raw cord sole from Dr. Sole, while the black has a leather sole along with some deadstock Cat’s Paw heels. Both pairs are built on Viberg’s Munson-esque 2040 last.
Once again, the Infantry Boot is a limited release; Himel Bros. will be taking pre-orders for only 80 pairs.