The chat with Mike VanGoethem from Red Wing Shoes is a delightful deep dive into the world of American craftsmanship, where boots are more than just footwear – they’re a legacy. We kick things off with a little history lesson on Red Wing, which has been strutting its stuff since 1905, and let me tell you, this brand knows how to stay relevant without chasing fleeting trends. Mike shares how the company's mission has always revolved around quality and durability, which is a breath of fresh air in this age of fast fashion. Seriously, who wants to buy shoes that fall apart after one rainy day? Not us! This conversation is sprinkled with playful banter, as Mike explains how every boot goes through meticulous craftsmanship with around 250 skilled hands involved in its creation. It’s like a boot’s very own journey to greatness, and we get to witness it. As we meander through the episode, the discussion shifts towards innovation, where Mike introduces the BOA Fit System. It’s like the superhero of work boots! Imagine being able to tighten your boots with a quick turn instead of fumbling with laces after a long day of work. We all know what a hassle that can be, especially when you’re trying to juggle a million other tasks. And speaking of tasks, the importance of fit is emphasized throughout our chat. Mike passionately describes how a proper fit can enhance performance, making your workday not just bearable but downright enjoyable. Who knew footwear could be so transformational? The episode wraps up with some heartwarming stories about customers and their connections to Red Wing boots, showcasing how these boots are often passed down through generations. It’s not just about selling shoes; it's about creating a community and a bond that lasts beyond the initial purchase. This conversation is not just informative; it’s a celebration of American heritage, craftsmanship, and the stories we all carry with us, one step at a time!

Takeaways:

• Red Wing Shoes has been crafting quality boots since 1905, focusing on durability and craftsmanship, not fleeting trends.
• The BOA Fit System in Red Wing boots offers a revolutionary way to adjust fit without bending down, making life easier for hardworking folks.
• Mike VanGoethem shared that making boots involves 250 skilled hands, showcasing the incredible craftsmanship behind every pair.
• Red Wing's commitment to quality means their boots are made to last, often becoming heirlooms passed down through generations.
• The brand prioritizes customer experience, offering personalized fitting services that truly help you find the perfect boot for your needs.
• Historically, the Red Wing brand has been a favorite among icons like Steve McQueen, blending rugged functionality with timeless style.

Links referenced in this episode:

• aroundthehouseonline.com
• redwingshoes.com

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Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.

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It's around the House.

Dive in and get inspired.

Welcome to the around the House show, your trusted source for everything about your home.

Thanks for joining me today.

I'm Eric Chi and we got a great show lined up for you today, guys.

We have got Mike Van Gotham, vice president of Red Wing Shoes.

I love these guys.

Mike, welcome to around the House, brother.

Thanks, Eric.

I think I appreciate you having me.

It's an honor.

Thanks.

It's going to be a lot of fun.

I just love what you guys have been doing out there.

And anytime it's, anytime we can talk about just a heritage company from the United States, it puts a big smile on my face because it just seems like you guys have just always stuck on the path and done it well.

And no matter what's going on around you, you've just blazed the trail of creating quality products and still innovating and coming up with new ones.

I appreciate it.

That's kind.

And I think that pretty much captures the spirit of the Red wing brand.

We're 121 years old this year, but you hit the nail on the head.

It's, it's not that different today what we did over a hundred years ago.

And it does kind of all center around quality, craftsmanship, things that you don't necessarily see or hear a lot of these days, unfortunately.

Right.

We're not chasing trends or not necessarily going to be the most fashionable option out there.

But if you want premium purpose built work boots apparel, you want something that's going to last.

That's what we're here for.

Well, there's that term fast fashion out there where, ooh, it's cool, it's hot.

You throw it away.

That's not your jam.

You guys make stuff that you're gonna wear and it's, it's gonna be something that's gonna last.

And I think that is just such classic American ingenuity.

And I've seen a lot of boots get made, man.

And I like how you guys do it and you've stuck with it.

It's at the same time, like I said, though, you've innovated along the way with and have just stayed tried and true to the brand, which a lot of people struggle with.

They do.

And it's interesting if you go back in the time machine and look at the origins of Red Wing, its foundation, the reason why it was created was for the reason you described.

We were founded by a German immigrant.

Charles Beckman was his name.

He was a cobbler, business owner.

And there's a pretty rugged clientele of customers in.

Right in his hometown that were farming, mining, doing some pretty heavy duty work.

And the common complaint was that the boots just didn't hold up.

They don't last.

Yeah.

And that's not any different than how it is today, or a little bit bigger than we were 100 years ago.

We're shipping our boots all over the world, 110 countries, which is pretty cool.

But that craftsmanship and quality permeate the process now, just like it did then.

And if you think about making a boot, you've seen our boots.

A lot of people are familiar with work boots.

You think, okay, I got some, some leather.

How hard is that to make?

You got a.

A rubber outsole on it.

You got some laces or some speed hooks.

I'm done, right?

Like, how hard is that?

But I like to joke that making shoes is one of the more complex things that you can do.

It takes 250 different people touching one of our boots between creation and putting it in the box, which gives you a perspective of how much human touch is involved, how much craftsmanship and attention to detail goes into everything that we do.

And that's something that I can look at and give you as a customer, my guarantee that this is going to work for you, this is going to last.

Because I've seen all of the people actually building this.

And, oh, by the way, we're making some of these boots in the United States.

And who can say that these days?

I'm old enough, having grown up in the 80s and 90s, to know that when I was a kid, you could get a decent amount of USA made furniture, clothes, footwear.

Today, it's less than 2%.

It's a difficult thing to do today.

But if you stay true to your mission, if you stay consistent with your quality standards, if you invest in your people.

Right, you can make something like this last.

And if you don't chase too many trends and you stay uncool, like we have for a long time, sometimes it works.

And now it's time for our Red Wing safety tip.

Hey, guys, it's Eric G from around the house with a quick but important safety tip.

Emergency prep pays off big time.

Whether you're tackling a DIY project or just maintaining your home, being ready for the unexpected can save lives.

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Keep it right in your workspace or garage where you can grab it fast.

Next, brush up on CPR and basic first aid with free Red Cross tutorials or apps.

Keep your phone charged with 911 and emergency contacts programmed in and always know your exact location.

Have a multi purpose fire extinguisher handy and make sure everyone knows how to use it.

Finally, practice your escape routes.

Time a quick drill with your family or crew so everyone gets out safely in a fire, gas leak or other emergency readiness.

Truly rescues.

Prep now so you can prevail later.

This is Eric Garrett and stay safe out there.

This project safety segment is proudly brought to you by Red Wing Threadwing is launching their brand new clothing line built for the way you actually work.

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Red Wing gear that works as hard as you do.

That really works.

And and I've seen boots get made from small custom guys that make boots and stuff and man those old machines.

If you want to see violence in machinery when they're stamping and putting an eyelid or something in.

It takes a lot of effort to be working with quality leather, but at the same time there's an equal amount of art that goes with it.

And that's the fun part of it to me.

Absolutely.

I mean I nothing gets you more excited on the product side than the beginning of the creation process.

My favorite part of the job is that we have about 700 retail locations across the world, which is just a fountain of information that I have access to.

Talking to customers, talking to our salespeople, talking to our associates.

What do people like?

Not what are they looking for, what do they want?

I can filter in all of that insight.

I can look at what's happening in other industries or benchmark categories of product.

I look at what's happening in the athletic outdoor world.

I look at what's happening in apparel.

I look over into some science industries to see what emerging materials and technologies there are new compounds.

Anything that can give what already works well for our customers an improvement, whether it's weight reduction, durability, added comfort.

If somebody can put on one of our boots out of the box and say, ooh, this fits really well, this is comfortable, I like how this looks.

I've done my job because I know everything else in the back of the house is going to keep the them performing for an extended period of time based on the quality of the ingredients.

It's really, it's not any different than you making a nice meal in your kitchen or fixing your car.

If you put good ingredients into it, something good's going to come out of it.

To find out more about the around the House show, head to aroundthehouseonline.com around the house.

We'll be back with more from Mike Van Gotham from Red Wing Shoes.

Welcome back to the around the House show.

Make sure you follow us on social media and YouTube.

Now let's get back to our chat with Mike Van Gotham from Red Wing Shoes.

Yeah, are you gonna, are you gonna hand make the dough?

Are you gonna go get the five dollar freezer pizza that keep or every year throw it in the oven?

There's a distinct taste between those two.

There is.

And it's like my comment from before, that's not the easiest path.

Right.

And not everybody chooses to do it.

It's much easier to outsource it to another country thousands of miles away and hope it works out.

But it's hard to stand by it with any sort of guarantee or confidence level.

It's hard to differentiate yourself from all of your competitors if you don't have something to stand on.

And for us, that's quality, that's fit, that's service.

When it's a little bit of a internal badge of honor or secret that we have.

But we put all of our products out in the field for months, actually up to a year.

So if you buy one of my boots and you're in construction or if you're in heavy duty energy, oil and gas, extreme working conditions, I feel confident because I've put those boots that I made out into those environments.

I've got even through it.

And I know, I tell you what an innovation with you guys.

I mean, you guys sent me that set of boots that just showed up this last week and I'm like, oh, my gosh, I've seen basketball shoes with that BOA system or BOA system with this with the tightening on it.

But I was like, this is the coolest thing in a work boot.

Yeah.

Hadn't seen that before.

Yeah.

That's a good example of where innovation can come from.

A different category or a different place.

I'm a big skier, snowboarder, I like to bike.

And what you see in some of those sports is that they've adopted this BOA Fit system or FIT technology.

And the reason why they do is in those environments, whether you're skiing or snowboarding as an example, your foot goes through a lot of stress in the process.

And there's a lot of temperature variation.

There's different conditions that you experience.

And your foot isn't static.

It doesn't just stay in there at 72 degrees, perfectly comfortable.

You're putting your body through some stress.

Yeah.

And through some physical change.

So what we noticed is that with work boots, the most common complaints we hear from customers is that their feet get hot, their feet swell, they get their blisters, and they're sick of having to bend over, adjust their laces, retie their shoes when they're on their feet 12, 14 hours a day.

My father in law is a general contractor.

He's on his feet at least 12 hours a day.

And one of his biggest complaints is having to take his boots on and off or adjust them.

Yeah.

If you put a little BOA Fit guide system just in one or two clicks, you can completely change how that boot fits on you.

Easy.

Without even having to take your work glues, work gloves off.

Right.

Without even having how many times you.

Take those gloves off to do it.

And then all it takes is for you to put the wrong pair of socks on.

Oh, it's going to be hot today.

I'm going to put a lighter pair of socks on.

That's right.

And now those little places where your laces have always kind of sat in there, it messes with it and always wants to go back to that because you've given it some memory and it's tough.

Yeah.

And as much as we like to make our laces as durable as possible, they're still susceptible to wear and tear.

They get dirty, they get wet, they get muddy, they get cold.

Right.

A lot of people keep their boots outside of their truck or sitting in their garage.

But the stainless steel wires in a BOA fit system, they're pretty weatherproof, they're pretty much indestructible.

And for people that have to go inside and outside, there's a lot of trades.

Carpenters, plumbers, what have you.

You're going in and out.

H Vac you got to kick your boots off.

It's a pretty good feeling when you can just pop that little cap and slip your boots right off and not have to bend over and untie them.

That's a huge win.

That is slick.

And that, that just.

I just stood there and stared at him for about 30 seconds going, how come I didn't think of that?

It's pretty brilliant, right?

Sometimes you gotta look over the fence to see what other product categories are doing.

Whether you're remodeling your kitchen or investing in a new piece of ppe.

Sometimes it's good to look at what other categories of product are doing.

And hey, can I use that?

And would that actually solve a problem that I have?

And BOA certainly does.

That fit is king in work boots.

Absolutely.

And the cool thing too is, is that that work boots are so personal for people out there.

Right.

It's probably the most personal piece of clothing that people have out there.

I mean, you got your fav jacket, you got your favorite this, but your day is dependent on how well that's going to perform.

And it's safety, it's health and welfare, it's just plain comfort.

And I think the more that you can get that literally dialed in, pun intended, the better off you are.

I think I'm going to pass that slogan on to boa.

And that's a good one.

I like to say, and this is what I tell my team, fit is a feeling and it's the most important feeling that we can give our customers when they buy our products.

Because if it fits well and they feel better, they're going to work better.

It's just a fact.

Yeah.

And by the way, those things are feather light.

I was shocked compared to other boots that I have here of another non named manufacturer that are going to get retired.

Because I tell you what, that is going to be so much easier on my body because they've got to be half the weight.

And that makes a huge difference when you're walking around all day.

And I'm glad you said that.

And that's how you feel.

Because even 10 plus years ago, when I started this gig, that was a psychological concern we had to overcome.

If I took weight out of the product, if it didn't feel like a tank, how would it hold up?

Environment.

And that's again through the same principles that we have of building something from a purpose built, do the job right perspective.

I know the type of environment you're in.

I know what's going to make my boot last for you.

But let me help you out a little bit.

We used to have a joke, at least that some of my elders at Red Wing Shoe Company used to tell me that you weren't.

If you bought a new pair of Red Wing boots, you had to bleed the wing.

Right.

And the joke there, there was a break in period.

There's a break in period.

Yeah.

Weeks, maybe you'd go sit in a bathtub or something and try to do.

Something to help them.

And, and that's just not the case anymore.

We can, I can use all of those premium ingredients.

I can build it with the best in class craftsmanship potentially here in the US and do all of the things that make it a Red Wing product.

But I can make it comfortable for you.

I can make it something that's lightweight and durable.

All of those things are possible.

And that's the best feedback that I get is I just finished a 14 hour shift as a pipe fitter.

Can you imagine?

Right.

That's a tough day.

Yeah.

And he's.

I didn't think about my feet once.

Now I thought about my gloves, thought about my eyewear.

Right.

I thought about my chore jacket that I had on.

I was cold, but I didn't think about my feet once.

And that's the best compliment I can get.

To find out more about the around the House show, head to aroundthehouse online.com around the house.

We'll be back with more from Mike Van Gotham from Red Wing Shoes.

Welcome back to the around the House show.

Make sure you follow us on social media and YouTube.

Now let's get back to our chat with Mike Van Gotham from Red Wing Shoes.

And it's so true.

And it's one of those things that when it's right, it's right.

But when it's wrong, it's so wrong.

Anybody out there can relate to the I picked the wrong shoes today kind of thing.

Yeah.

And whether you're, you're walking a, you're walking at work or you're, you're walking a amusement park, it's got mouse ears.

If you pick the wrong things for the day, you've made some bad choices.

Yeah.

And it can make your day fun or miserable just depending on what you're doing.

No, you're not saying this to me personally.

You haven't talked to my wife, have you?

Because I'm, I'm a notoriously terrible packer on any sort of trip or vacation, but when it comes, when it comes to work boots.

Yeah.

It's not something you should have to worry about some people do have seasonal boots.

They'll wear something that's insulated in the winter.

I'm in the Midwest, I live in Minnesota.

It gets pretty darn cold here.

And yeah, it's nice to have something that keeps you warm and protected.

But beyond that, it's something that I don't want you to think about.

I don't want you worrying about your tools that you're using for your job.

I don't want you worrying about whether you're warm or cold.

And I don't want you to feel unsafe in anything that you're doing.

And those are things that when I sit down to start a new project with my team that we think a lot about.

Right.

What would this be like for the person that's working in this environment and ultimately getting to give some of our wear testers those boots with a high confidence level that it's going to meet their expectations, but then hear back from them.

Wow.

I didn't realize that it could be like this.

I didn't realize that if I spent a little bit more money or I tried something different, that it could be something that actually changes how I work.

And that's what it's all about.

It's interesting.

I always tell the parents out there that have got their kids going to trade school, they're off doing the trade school thing.

And I think one of the early mistakes, oh, he needs work or she needs work boots.

And they run out and go get the, what I call the fast fashion throwaway ones.

So you might see a big brand label on it that doesn't relate to boots, but it's got a brand on it.

Oh, I bet that's great.

And it's no different than taking that same kid 10 years before out to the baseball field and you got him a 999 plastic baseball mitt.

You gotta have the right tools for the job.

And I always say if that's a serious career, besides the tools, you need to plan on those work boots being their most important tool on the job.

Because one, it's going to keep them comfortable.

Two, it's going to keep them a much, much more safer.

Yeah.

And that's honestly for brands like us, and there's certainly others and in other product categories that have the same philosophy.

But then it comes down to education and mentorship, especially for people entering the trades.

Right?

Yep.

I read the other day that there's about 40 million people today entering their first job or job in the trades.

Yeah.

Think about that.

Millions of people that are reliant on advice from their friends or their parents.

Or maybe they get on the job site and they do what I do and they look down to see what's the general contractor wearing or what's the foreman wearing.

I want to be a part of that tribe.

But it's one thing to say, hey, you should try this brand.

It's another to help them understand the investment.

Right?

Yeah.

If you're gonna go buy some tools and you go run over to Walmart, you might not get something that that's gonna last you maybe as long as if you bought something from Milwaukee or something like that.

Exactly.

Higher quality.

The same is true with work boots where again, there's a hundred different places you could go, including online or on your phone right now and get some work boots tomorrow at a price.

Yeah, but is that going to keep you safe?

Is that going to help you do your job effectively?

And most importantly, if you make that investment and you do buy something that's maybe a little bit more expensive, maybe something that's made in the usa, maybe something that has a few perceived more bells and whistles in it, having somebody go into one of our stores to better understand the difference.

We don't expect somebody who's entering the trades at 18 or 19 to know this.

We don't even expect somebody who's maybe walking in with a voucher or a subsidy that they got from their employer.

Hey, I can get some work boots with this.

Where should I go?

That's where we would say, please come into our store.

Tell us where you work.

We probably know other people that work on your job site.

Tell us the working conditions that you're in.

Come get fit it.

Talk to us and have a consultation with one of our experts and they'll make sure you're wearing the right product.

But then they'll also guarantee it.

Right.

That's one less thing as somebody new on the job site that you have to worry about for the first year plus on the job.

And you can just do your best.

Well, the funny thing is, is those, I'm gonna call them cheap because they are.

Those cheap boots are the most expensive ones you're gonna buy because you're gonna have to buy in five years.

You're probably buying four sets, maybe five sets.

Yeah.

If you're out there working hard every day, they're just throwaways.

And by the way, you could have spent that time and just done it once and had a really good set of boots that would have lasted you even longer.

I think I'm Gonna plug you into my marketing department because that's, that's exactly the, that's exactly the education that's needed.

But that's again putting yourself literally or figuratively in the shoes of somebody entering the trades.

They don't know what they don't know and that's something that we can help them with.

Where we can say if you buy one of these other options, you're probably going to end up replacing them two, maybe three times this year because you're going to blow out the toe, the heel is going to get separated, your foot's going to be uncomfortable.

Right?

You don't think about that, you just see, oh, it's $80.

That's pretty cheap, I can swing that.

But at what cost?

Walking through an oil product and the, and the heels coming apart from it's all sticky and nasty because the chemicals are breaking down on whatever the, the thing they made the heel out of.

Just all those different things.

It all adds up.

I've seen some pretty scary looking boots that new customers have brought in our stores and usually the answer is no, that's not normal.

They shouldn't, that doesn't, that doesn't happen with our boots.

So let's, yeah, let's go recycle these and then let's, let's get you sorted out here.

Well, that's the cool thing is you've got the, you guys.

What I think that makes red wings stand apart as well is that you have all these trained people in your stores.

So it's not like you're walking into the hardware grocery store mixture thing and you've got the 18 year old kid that was the expert cashier yesterday trying shoes.

Now you're going in and talking to somebody that, that's all they do.

And I think that that is just an invaluable tool for people to go, oh, now I'm confident getting the right thing like you said.

I think that's just an underused resource for people out there.

Absolutely.

And I think so critical for people that are buying work boots for safety or PPE products for safety, go into a store, right?

Talk to a service expert, right?

Talk to somebody who can help you get fitted and better understand where you're working or how you're working.

Most work boots, most work apparel is bought online or in a big box store and you won't probably talk to anyone, right?

No different than me walking into like a, a, a big box DIY store and I'm wandering around the aisles, I'm like, please somebody help Me, talk to me.

Right.

I can't find anybody.

No.

I can't imagine buying my boots or my tools that way.

Right.

Something that are so important to your job and your every day.

If you come in to a red wing shoe store a, I hope it feels comfortable for you.

It looks like someplace that you're welcome and that you can come hang out for a while.

But what you'll find is that the service and the experience are what makes the brand special.

And that's where you're going to talk to someone who understands what you do for a living.

They probably again know where you work.

They probably know some of the people on your job site and they can tell you exactly what to wear and why, but they can also fit you.

And I think fit is again, one of the biggest differentiators between different brands out there.

You mentioned boa, that's a finished product feature where you can adjust your fit, but fit actually starts at the store where we have a fit experience in our stores where we actually take a three dimensional scan of your foot.

We're going to have you stand on a scanner and it's going to take a 3D scan of your feet, of your foot.

You'll actually get an email with your foot and you can play around with it three dimensionally.

You can see, do you have pronation, do you have a high arch, do you have different lengths or widths, do you have a different foot shape than the normal shape?

And all of that is valuable information to ensure that our associates can not only put you in the right product, but get you the customized fit so that again, it's not something you ever have to think about again.

And that's the goal.

The first time I went and actually got professionally fit, I was off by a size.

Yep.

And I was like, are you kidding me?

Yeah.

That was a shock to me going, I've been that wrong for how long?

It's a pretty regular occurrence for me to be in our stores and I can't even count anymore how many times people have been in our store customers and they've been asked by one of our associates, hey, hop on this scanner, 10 seconds, we're going to scan your feet.

I'll send you an email so you can have it.

You can take it with you when you leave.

And they're like, no, no, I don't need that.

I'm a. I'm a 10ee and I have been for 20 years.

And they hop up on the scanner and they're a 12.

D. Yeah, not even close.

Not close.

But if you think about the scaling and the shape of boots, the wider you go, it's not just direct width, right?

Yeah.

So as you expand it, almost like you're expanding a PDF, right?

Yeah.

It grows in all aspects.

So that individual who's really a 12, you're like, this fits.

Okay.

It's a little loose, but it fits me lengthwise.

No, that actually doesn't fit you.

Your foot's actually sliding around.

That's going to promote blistering.

Right.

That's going to promote other contact related issues that we could solve by actually putting you in a boot that fits you.

Yeah.

It's so key, brother.

It's so key.

And it's.

And I was guilty of that.

I was 100% guilty of it myself.

And then I just sat there and went, I've been doing this wrong for at least a decade, if not two.

And I was so much more comfortable afterwards from just such a simple, quick process.

Yeah.

And sometimes I realize it's a tall ask for people to not buy something instantly on their phone.

It is convenient, it is easy.

But for people in the trades, for people that, that you and I speak with and work with pretty regularly, their tools, their boots, their clothing, that's their life.

Right.

And it's not something to take a shortcut on.

It's not something to save a few pennies on.

Because if you do have the right equipment, you do have the right gear, you have the right tools, you will perform better.

And that's as important as anything.

Yeah.

One thing I love about your company as well is first off, we got the history.

And then you guys have such a great history with important people too, along the way.

I mean, one of my favorite guys, Steve McQueen, still my favorite car movies, Bullet.

But he was such a loyal wearer of your.

He ran through those boots because he wore them everywhere whether he was filming living life or whatever.

And I love seeing the old photos of him with broken in boots.

Yeah, he wasn't delicate with his boots, that's for sure.

And he's one of my idols too.

I mean, you can see him here on my wall riding his motorcycles and just looking about as cool as you can possibly look.

But.

Oh, that's the.

That's one of the best parts of my job.

And again, I can't say it enough.

We're not cool.

We've never Been cool.

But the reality is that cool people are attracted to our products because they last and because they perform, whether it's in a work setting, competitive motorcycle racing.

My buddy Ryan Gosling wears my boots in every single movie he makes.

Not because that's what's in the script, but because that's what he prefers to wear.

Now I haven't seen his latest movie yet, so I don't know if he took our boots into space or not.

Yeah, kind of cool.

That would be pretty cool.

But some of my idols, David Beckham, Ryan Gosling, I mentioned Timothee Chalamet, they not only wear our boots, they contact us to see, just like you, what's new?

What do you got coming out?

Is there anything I need?

What should I be wearing?

And the reality is that we didn't set out to be some sort of iconic brand with celebrities or, or athletes or anything like that, but for authentic people who want to wear high quality boots in real life.

And I think what's cool about Red Wing is that it's always been a work brand.

But the reality is that we have a decent amount of people that wear our product in non work settings.

Right.

We're talking about a few of them.

Maybe Steve as the exception because as you can see from the pictures, he was pretty hardcore and what he was wearing our boots for.

But the reality is that they knew what I know today, that these boots are going to hold up, they're going to function, they're going to last over a long period of time.

But they're also just a simple, classic, iconic design.

Right?

It's, that's what it comes down to, man.

It's the.

We call it traction tread, white wedge outsole.

That's who we are.

That's what people know us for.

And the celebrities say, and our core trades customers say that they love it because they can wear it whenever, wherever.

We, we have a big after hours culture with our boots, which means, and I'm not going to judge, but if you want to go straight from the job site to happy hour or a soccer game or line day, I don't care, you know that you can wear it in all of those places and it looks right.

You can wear it with a suit if you want.

I would have no problem wearing these things with a suit because you're going to walk in and people are going to go, oh, that's cool.

And yep, those boots are pretty badass, you know, I mean, and you're good.

We, we were pretty taken aback a couple of years ago.

We did a Collab with Steve McQueen's granddaughter, Molly, and she talked to us about how important those boots were to him.

And we.

We were so inspired by her story and flattered that we ended up creating a limited edition pair of boots.

They're one of our iconic Red Wing boots.

But we put his racing number 278 on the heel counter just as a tribute or homage to him and his racing boots that he had.

But that's the cool part of the job, is to not just hear those historical stories, but to even hear from families.

Yeah.

How boots have been passed on throughout generations.

We.

We heard from a woman.

It was a little while ago now, and she sent us a letter.

And when she married him 25 years later, he wanted her to have a pair of boots when they went hunting together.

His feet had grown since then, but those boots that he had as a boy fit her perfectly.

So those became her hunting boots, and she wore them for 25 years.

So she sent us a letter and said, hey, I'm still wearing these boots, and they're now 50 years old.

I'm not sure what your business model is, but you're going to need quality if you actually want people to buy more boots.

Yeah.

And it was her story and her letter that kind of inspired our.

Our marketing campaign from a couple years ago, which was called Will youl Wings.

But literally, people will their boots to next generations, their kids, their grandkids, just made it easier for them by giving them a little care label that they can put on their boots and you can pass them on just like you would anything.

That's brilliant.

That is brilliant.

And that's just.

But that's what makes you guys cool.

And I know you're not the cool brand, but that's what makes you cool, is because you're the quiet people in the room that just deliver day after day and don't have to come up with the latest flash or the latest this or latest that.

But everybody knows who you are.

That's right.

And we'd rather put more attention on the customers, to be honest, than us.

We had this exact conversation as a team a few years ago now about not wanting to necessarily do marketing campaigns or other things.

I'd rather just sit back and let our product speak for itself.

But then we said, well, you know what would be cool?

What if we actually started honoring some of our customers and it ended up turning into something that you can now visit in our flagship store, which is still in Red Wing, Minnesota.

You can come and visit.

Fun fact, it has the world's largest boot.

Guinness world record largest boot is greeting you when you.

When you walk into our wing flagship store.

It's.

It's size 638 and a half.

But when you get 42 cows later.

Yeah.

When you take a half a day to get around the boot, what you'll see is what we call our wall of honor.

And every year, we add to our wall of honor with tributes to people in the trades, kind of the unsung heroes that through the course of their life and their dedication to their craft, wore our boots.

And we get hundreds of nominations every year from customers and families all over the world nominating their.

Their dad, their brother, their mom, their sister to be in our wall of Honor.

And it's.

It's honestly one of the most special things that I've ever been a part of.

And the stories that you hear from people are so moving that it immediately crystallized our belief that, you know what?

Yeah.

It's not about us.

It's about our customers.

It's about the people that.

That love our product.

They get it, we get it.

Let's put the spotlight on them.

And in the first year that we launched the Wall of Honor, this is one of my favorite stories.

We got a letter from the family of a gentleman by the name of Tom McCarthy.

And Tom was just about to retire after 45 years in the trades.

He was a general contractor, and his last job was building the arena for the new National Hockey League team here in Minnesota.

Minnesota Wild.

Yeah.

And unbeknownst to his co workers or probably his boss, he buried or, as he said, entombed his Red Wing boots at center ice, and they're still there today.

That's awesome.

Pretty cool.

So when we put him in the wall of honor, he was in our inaugural class.

Yep.

Obviously, we couldn't get those boots, so we had to get a second pair to hang up on.

Absolutely.

But solid move.

Solid move.

It was.

As far as exits go, if you're thinking about what would be a good way to go out, that's a pretty good one for sure.

That's a solid mic drop, isn't it?

Yeah, it really is.

I love it.

Well, I want to talk, too, about your clothing, because I tell you what, I'm wearing some of it now.

Quality stuff, man.

I'm a fan.

It's built right, it's comfortable, and it moves, which to me is kind of My, my, my important stuff, not too heavy, but it's, it's, it's the perfect layered clothing.

I appreciate it.

And it only took us 120 years to get around to work app, so R&D department there.

Right.

Who knows what we'll do in the next hundred years?

But you know, honestly, it was the number one request that we heard customers, which is, I've got the tools, I've got the eye protection, I got the gloves.

You're hooking me up with most of those things when I come in your store.

Obviously, I got the boots.

Can you make me a hoodie?

Can you make me some, some pocketed work tees?

I want to represent the brand.

And I think we all know that there's a brand out there that pretty much owns the, the workwear space, and we've let them do their thing for, for quite a long time.

And even my in laws, who are one's a general contractor, one's a carpenter, was like, I'd rather wear your brand if I could.

And.

Right.

It's been a, a labor of love for us, but we wanted to take our time doing it for the reasons that you said.

I wanted a workwear collection.

I wanted a line of work apparel that would be complementary to our footwear, meaning it's built with durable materials.

It's designed with function, as you mentioned, whether it's stretch and flexibility where you need it, whether it's moisture wicking as you're working outside, temperature control, UV protection, but then also layering in all those Red Wing quality details.

You know, all of our boots are triple stitched.

You can see that triple stitch go around the boot.

All of our hoodies and tees are triple stitched as well.

That gives you that same level of confidence when you're working that this is going to.

And honestly, what we heard a lot from people is that I beat these up more than anything because I'm outside all day, I'm in the elements, I'm getting dirty.

And when you get work apparel dirty, you have to wash it sometimes every night.

You might have a dozen or so pocketed work tees, but you're washing every couple of weeks.

Yeah.

And what we find, and the number one complaint is that they don't hold up after washing.

They don't.

So when we set out to do this, that was really kind of our problem to solve is, yeah, we can, we can do this the Red Wing way.

Quality ingredients, quality construction, best materials.

But I want to make sure that this is about the same price you know, so that it's relevant to people coming in our store as all the competitors.

But I need this to last.

And the way that you prove something's going to last and workwear is that it has to go through the washer and dryer test, which meant we were washing it dozens and dozens and dozens of times to see will this last?

And.

And it does.

So as you test out our teas, don't be afraid to wash it.

I'm sure your girlfriend would approve.

But put it through the spin cycle as much as you want, because that's really what our customers told us.

That really bothers them, right?

Yeah, they stretch out.

They don't hold up in the washer.

The stitching is breaking down.

And for a lot of people, my in laws included their hoodie.

You know that iconic competitive hoodie that you see out there?

That's their jacket, right?

That's their.

They're layering up.

They're taking off layers throughout the day.

But that hoodie's on all day, every day, and it's gotta last.

Yeah.

Well, I noticed first I could get it over the cast on my arm right now.

So that was the first thing.

It actually moved and it actually worked and it came back in shape, too.

So I had to stretch it out a little bit to get over the cast.

Yeah, guys, I've got my elbow surgery.

So I got a half cast.

My elbow sit right back on there and I'm like, oh, man, this is awesome.

And by the way, the plumbers out there, we're going to go after one of these things here.

These shirts are long enough that you're going to be safe bending over underneath the sink without showing any skin.

Yeah, it's got a, an extended tail on it for optimal coverage of bending.

Yes, yes.

So you're not going to see all the.

You're not going to see all your tattoos on the back when you bend over.

We'll put it that way.

That's correct.

Well, I'm relieved that you got it over your cast.

That wasn't something I wear tested, so I'm, I'm glad it passed.

It passed and it fits right around my, my shoulder as well, so.

And the stitching, though, like you said, that was the first thing I really noticed was one, the quality of the fabric and that triple stitching just stood out.

I'm like, oh, that's serious quality.

Yeah, yeah.

And it does matter, right?

It's something that I have grown up over the years in the apparel and footwear industries, and my wife would Say I'm a T shirt snob, but that's the first thing I look for, is not even necessarily the label.

I'm looking at the stitching, I'm looking at the material.

And for today, there's no reason why you shouldn't think about workwear in the same context as athletic apparel.

Right?

If you're going to the gym, if you're a runner, if you're a lifter, whatever you do, you have pretty picky tastes about your performance apparel.

Your athletic apparel, you want it to have all of the features, the moisture wicking and everything else.

You want it to stretch and be flexible in the right places.

Why should workwear be any different?

Right.

The difference is that we need to make sure that it's affordable for everyone, it's accessible for everyone.

But it's okay to have performance level quality and premium quality baked in.

And guys, instead of going online, if you want it same day, just go down to the local store and grab it there.

You still get it the same day.

That's right.

You can actually see if it fits.

Please get fitted.

That's all available to you in the store.

So, Mike, we're running out of time.

What have we not talked about today?

And our great chat because this has been so much fun, just chatting about what Red Wing's been up to and definitely introducing our audience to what you guys are doing magically out there.

We talked about a lot of the fun things that we're working on, the product expansions in our stores and the fit experience that we have in our stores.

But I think the most important thing that I would want people to know is that we're doubling down on service and experience.

I really think it's it.

It makes us who we are and who we've been over the years.

It's really easy today to make all of your purchase decisions online, and it's certainly convenient.

And I'm sure you're like me where you're, you're busy at work, you're busy in your personal life, and especially coming out of COVID I think we all discovered that you can buy anything you want, where you want, how you want it, and I know for our customers, they're the same.

So we're investing in fit.

No matter how you experience the Red Wing brand, meaning if your employer is providing you with a voucher to go buy some boots, we'll come to your job site with boots.

We can get you fitted on the job site with one of our mobile shoe trucks.

We can give you a access to our online fit tools.

You can go on to redwingshoes.com you can get fitted online right now.

And we use the same technology online as we do in store.

You can just do it with your smartphone, but that can give you a level of confidence before you buy something online or before you come in our stores that you know exactly what you want and how it should fit.

But obviously, the best experience would be to come into our stores and talk to one of our experts, which is why we're going to continue to invest in our fit experience in store.

The technology we have, the availability in every store you go into to get fitted.

Because at the end of the day, I think fit is the most important thing that people in the trades, people buying safety work boots, people buying boots in general should be thinking about.

Because if your boots fit, if you feel good in them, no matter what you're doing, you're going to be more productive, you're going to be more successful.

So we're going to continue to double down and invest in fit in our in store experience.

But we do realize that today it's not as easy to leave your shift, hop in your truck and drive 20 minutes and go to a store, which is why we want to bring fit to wherever you are.

Nice, Nice.

Well said, brother.

Because yeah, that, that is the basis of all of it.

And guys, if you're out there buying the, the knockoff boots out there, why don't you spend the same money and just the same money and buy something that's going to last you?

Yeah, absolutely.

And again, your marketing check's going to be in the mail.

I appreciate your, your endorsement.

Thanks, brother.

I appreciate it.

Well, guys, take a look.

There's probably a red Wing shoe store right around your area out there.

No matter where you're listening across the country, they've got that location.

If you want to do your online shopping, the website's super easy, right.

It's all right there to take a look at and it just makes it so easy.

Mike, thanks for coming on today, brother.

I appreciate your knowledge and your expertise and it's been a fun chat today, my friend.

Thanks, Eric.

Honor to be here.

Great chatting with you as well.

And I hope your elbow feels better.

Ah, it's feeling better already.

I'm Eric G. Thanks for tuning in to around the house.