Stitchdown - Wear Better Shoes

A Quick Tour of the CHUP Socks Factory

On a good day, each machine in the CHUP socks factory in Nagano, Japan makes 30 pair of socks. On a less-good day—and there are less-good days, as the machines CHUP deploys to create their uniquely kaleidoscopic socks are somewhere between "somewhat ... Read More...

Red Wing Moc Toe Boot Model 8138 In Briar Oil Slick Leather

8.9

Red Wing 8138 Moc Toe Review: an Absolutely Classic Boot in an Underrated Leather

If you conducted a widespread poll to determine the top five most iconic boots in all of bootdom, it's very probable that Red Wing would lock down two spots—one for their toe-capped beauty of a beast known as the Iron Ranger, and another for their Cl... Read More...

Stitchdown x Mark Albert Roadmaster Derby

Introducing: the Stitchdown x Mark Albert Boots “Roadmaster” Derby Shoe

I've been a big believer in Mark Albert Boots, and its founder Mark Barbera, since I first covered the Somerset, PA bootmaker earlier this year. Starting a shoe brand from scratch isn't easy work. Doing it the right way, in the US, is even harder in ... Read More...

Grant Stone’s Founder on Quality, China, and the Whole Alden Thing: The Stitchdown Conversation

Grant Stone founder Wyatt Gilmore makes great shoes in China, and he's damn proud of it. Named after a legendary Alden salesman whose Manhattan accounts Wyatt's grandfather took over when he retired—a "perfect gentleman who never swore in his life... Read More...

Tricker's Bourton Brogue Shoe—Snuff Kudu Reverse Leather—Division Road

8.9

Tricker’s x Division Road Bourton Review: Five Months Deep into Some Wonderful Kudu

About nine months ago, I decided I finally needed to get myself a pair of Tricker's. The English shoemaker's work had been calling to me, incessantly, for some time, and after spending a few days with fashion legend Grahame Fowler—who did work with T... Read More...

Ron Rider on: How Ron Rider Started Rider Boot Company

Ron Rider is a character. A few months ago, I called him up to talk for an interview. I was unreasonably excited to speak with him—we'd been chasing each other around for a while, and everyone I'd talked to about Ron made very, very clear that the... Read More...

Stitchdown Premium Discounts, Giveaways, and More

Stitchdown's deep journalistic coverage of the quality men's shoe world is far from free to produce, and takes a tremendous amount of time—which is why your support is essential to keeping it alive and thriving. Which is why we launched Stitchdown... Read More...

A Deep Look at Tokyo’s CLINCH: a Very Rare Bootmaker Indeed

When a bootmaker constructs a boot, they drive nails through the upper leather, lining, heel counter, and insole. Each nail hits a steel plate mounted on the bottom of the shoe last, making the nails curl, forming a hook that locks them in place—the ... Read More...

And Here Are a Bunch of Wonderful Old Shoes I Found at Crowley Vintage

3rd Avenue of Brooklyn's Gowanus neighborhood is thick with the patina of a once-thriving, still kinda-thriving industrial zone: welding shops, lumber yards, sign-makers, the place that replaced the glass on my fireplace door after it shattered into ... Read More...

Inside Thursday Boot Co.: The Stitchdown Conversation With Co-Founder Connor Wilson

After a number of chats—during which I attempted to bankrupt the company by drinking possibly hundreds of cans of LaCroix from the Thursday office fridge—I finally sat down last month for a formal interview with Thursday Boot Co. co-founder Connor Wi... Read More...