DEEP Inside Russell Moccasin-How The 125-Year-Old Brand Builds Some of the World's Most Unique Boots

Just about one year ago, Luke Kolbie and his business partner Joe Julian took over ownership of 125-year-old Russell Moccasin: the Berlin, Wisconsin bookmaker that has outfitted presidents, kings, outdoorsmen of all stripes, and some very smart/stylish Japanese people.
Certain changes were made right out of the gate-which always stirs up more than a bit of fear for devotees of a brand with such legacy. Luckily nothing at all has changed with Russell’s approach to craftsmanship, including their vaunted multi-layer moccasin construction, which Luke and Ben break down in RIDICULOUS levels of detail.
So how’s that first year been like for Luke & team? What’s changed at Russell, and what’s stayed blessedly the same? And where are the sights set in terms of pushing Russell into a more general boot-lover’s market? Trust me, we get into it all, in way more depth than may be healthy.

[@JimGreenFootwearOfficial]

Looking forward to this one, Luke is a great chap. Pleasure to meet him earlier this year

[@w.c.russellmoccasinco]

Thanks! Hope you and your team are doing well!

[@Joseph-lt5yz]

Spend more time getting your stock up in order instead of being on the net Jim green sucks keep your money in america for our rangers

[@tompsonsantini2890]

@@Joseph-lt5yzyou need to use punctuation that was annoying to read, and L opinion.

[@likeadog7752]

@@Joseph-lt5yzI’m a big fan of Jim Green boots. Own three pairs so far.

[@w.c.russellmoccasinco]

Thanks for having us @stitchdown, had a great time!

[@stitchdown]

Our absolute pleasure…let’s not make it the last (shoe pun?)

[@Tommyboy0670]

Excellent video! I am born and raised in Wisconsin, VERY familiar with this company, just bought a pair of their Safari Moccasins. my grandfather wore these boots as did my father before me. I can tell you the quality is unchanged. It's comforting to see this young man understanding and "buying in" to the importance of doing things the right way albeit while injecting a pragmatic view on maintaining a longterm viable business. I am optimistic and hopeful for their continued success as well as maintaining stellar customer service. Well done guys.

[@awolryan]

Great convo with Luke! Liked the breakdown of the acquisition of the company, challenges they've had, and how they haven't sacrificed quality. Hope to own one of their products soon!

[@stitchdown]

Thanks for watching and digging it! Obviously these aren't going to be like, prime standard KZbin length hahah...but it's hard for us to do anything other than go crazy deep and cover it all as well as possible. Thanks again and any feedback is VERY welcome!

[@altizer_shoemaker]

Love the video format. Can't wait til the shoecast gets released in IMAX next.

[@stitchdown]

Betamax first

[@Podjr]

Good video. I've been stalking Russell since I found them on my last deployment. I was a tad upset I didn't pull the trigger before they stopped custom orders, but now listening to the why, I get it. Thanks again!

[@stitchdown]

Thanks for listening…in my experience it’s basically impossible to be disappointed with a pair of Russells once you understand what you’re getting and what’s special about them. Whenever the time is right, I hope you feel the same.

[@ByronCbyzi4]

I bit the bullet and ordered two pair many years ago. They only get better with time. I’ve resolved one. That was about ten years ago

[@jeremyhershberger3012]

Russell thula thula is the boots that I want, I hope you can bring it back sometime. I wear Redwings for work, Vivo for casual and Aultra for hiking. I really appreciate a wide toe box and ground feel. Keep up the good work!

[@stitchdown]

Hope so! I've never done minimalist-style boots but I have to imagine they are aces for that kind of class. Thanks for watching!!

[@ryantrimble356]

I second this. Hoping for the Thula Thula.

[@donaldwachter9090]

I'm now hopeful that a quality penny loafer will once again regain popularity because young people like Luke are interested in producing handmade shoes and boots.

[@davidhaile2727]

What a great conversation. You taught me so very much.

[@stitchdown]

I learned a ton myself, thanks for watching!!

[@j.k.cascade2057]

The other thing that occurs to me is that this new owner is essentially saying (around 30 min mark) "I don't really care what the customer wants, Im going to run this company they way I want to." The concept of creating custom field boots was a company hallmark - he just gave that the ax.

[@ranger1959ful]

My first Russells are Sporting Clay Chukkas. I've had them since 2002. I've also saved on shipping because I live about 3 blocks from W.C. Russell Moccasin.

[@kso808]

Fascinating interview! Never knew about Russell Moccasins before.

[@stitchdown]

Thanks for watching! Like Luke says they've kind of quietly just been owning the hunting space but as someone well outside that I can attest that I absolutely love my Russells, they are without a doubt the real deal.

[@doubleohhhhseven]

What a FANTASTIC video Shoecast! I can't work for Russell, but I will be buying something(s) from this company, for sure -- that much I can do.

[@doubleohhhhseven]

Okay, just looked at the website, but it looks like sizing starts larger than my dinky feet. (I'm Brannock 7.5.) If/when Russell starts offering boots in my size, I'll start Russell-shopping.

[@stitchdown]

Thank you so much for digging it! Been a ton of work to get to this point especially with remote guests so this means a ton. On the sizing, it may be just a temporary thing related to the reset Luke talks quite a bit about, bit I’m quite certain they have the lasts! Good luck!

[@w.c.russellmoccasinco]

@@stitchdown @doubleohhhhseven We definitely have the lasts and most of our fill-in runs of stock include down to size 7. Would love to get you in a pair!

[@DavidJones-smiley]

Sound like you know what your doing! It will all work out in the long run ! Let the lord walk with you in this new journey and he will be walking in a pair of Russell moccasins. God Speed

[@stitchdown]

👏👏👏

[@tschmiedeke9291]

Smart interview, thank you for sharing . Luke clearly knows the space and sounds like the right person to move company forward. Would be great to see more Russell content of boots in action similar to what Jim Green is doing. Perhaps they could sponsor a couple AT hikers next season to see how their hikers perform doing the entire trail. This is a new brand for me and at this price point would need a fitting before purchasing. Any Florida fitting events up for consideration?

[@stitchdown]

I love all these ideas…as for events they do a great job of updating through their newsletter!

[@deXXXXter2]

To be honest, I would prefer to pack another pair of light shoes to my backpack if I was afraid my light shoes would fail on a long trail ;) Also, a lot of modern trailrunners or even high, but light trekking boots do 2k miles without any issues. Russels also cannot be a real competition for high mountaineering boots. I think boots like these are most advantageous when you're going through really really tough terrain, where you have some mud, some rocks, some scratchy branches. I would maybe choose those boots if I was a hunstman or forest ranger, because now they would compete against high-top walking boots which are also heavy, or tactical boots, which... I don't know ;] But i'm not surprised this photographer chose those boots. This seems like a perfect role.

[@PaulWheatley79]

The breakdown on construction was really helpful. Better done over video, though the podcast was good too.

[@stitchdown]

My favorite part! I thought I knew it cold but ended up learning a ton while we taped. And yes we're trying to give as much extra visual value through the video format as possible while not going overboard and always remembering that there are plenty of listeners as well. Hopefully we're hitting the sweet spot with that. All feedback welcome and thanks as always my man for listening/watching!

[@jeffwalters847]

Awesome video! I've been using disposable hiking boots for many years. Recently, I started wearing Nick's boots for work and have really benifited from the support and quality. I've even gone on a few hikes in them, but the weight would be a drawback for longer trips. That got me thinking that I should upgrade my backpacing boots. This video was perfect as I'm just now checking out Russell boots as an option.

[@muskett4108]

Nothing quite like a Russell boot. They look hand cut from the start and would be alien to those who expect a city slicker smart shoe. However, they are extremely comfortable as they most naturally mould to your foot, and absolutely bomb proof but not in a hard way. They belong in the natural world of mountain, forest, and glen. They are a little bulkier and heavier than modern plastic fantastic boots, as there are acres of premium leather in their construction. Mine have outlasted every "modern boot" I've owned, and I'm so pleased that someone still makes such fantastic footwear.

[@Xellos14]

Man's livin the dream, hopin to get a heritage pair of Russell's someday

[@rustyshackleford17]

"Don't you Filson this" rings true. I got into Woolrich when they gave up as a company. I got into Filson as they shifted their production overseas. I purchased my first pair of RM and went to purchase another before they were bought out. So needless I was not keen on being screwed a third time. You can definitely tell how stressed the customer service was during this transition. I do have to say, Luke was right. The company had to change if it was to live. The product that they offered at the price that was commanded was a downright steal. Pre and post-buyout the quality doesn't seem to have changed (granted the F&F was never their selling point to begin with). It certainly does appear that the new owner is trying to balance the maintaining of quality with the impatient modern consumer.

[@user-sl3zv8cq9k]

finally somebody knows how to build a good loafer.

[@stitchdown]

Thanks for watching! I would argue that 1) the classics (Alden LHS, Crockett Harvard, and JM Weston 180) are still fantastic and more relevant than ever, 2) there are more solid to very good newer loafers on the market than ever before, and 3) Luke’s rethought Russell beefrolls look insanely good.

[@warrenschemmer1967]

DO NOT loose it! History is our lives...........

[@stitchdown]

PREACH

[@HeritageCast]

21:39 An opportunity is through the local community college create a boot making course and market it to veterans.

[@stitchdown]

Ok this is really interesting…

[@kurtgellert9166]

Interesting conversation. The discussion about the potential conflict between the two groups of consumers is interesting. Russell's only falters if they bend their approach to the casual users of their boots and create a less durable product. So long as they uphold the tradition of quality and durability they will be fine. The market will buy up to the better product. The brand goes away if it lowers its standards.

[@stitchdown]

100% agree with all of this

[@HeritageCast]

36:02 I am baffled why custom boot making hasnt settled on the foam molds of both parts of the foot. It is really odd. Its a system that is used in prosthetics and works.

[@sigbuster3150]

I have a pair of Art Carter boots buut they have been discontinued. Why? I would love a pair of those loaffers but they are not on the web site. again Why? are they being produced?

[@chanchan5349]

Hmm. What size do you wear? Hubs has a pair he’s worn a grand total of 3x! I was considering EBay…

[@DGlide120]

If you like Russell also check out Gokey boots that are true moc boot handmade one pair at a time in the small town of Tipton MO. They are my favorite go to boot over all my other boots that include several pairs of RedWings, Thursday’s,JK’s, Whites and Nick’s.

[@stitchdown]

Gokeys are sweet! But I’ve never even handled a pair, definitely need to figure out how to spend some more time with them. Thank you!

[@a.mccomb3296]

Gokey have moc toes, but are not true moccasin construction like Russell. They look good, and I'd give them a chance, but not the same type of build.

[@j.k.cascade2057]

I have returned two thirds of the Gokey's I have ordered - due to poor craftsmanship. Really poor craftsmanship !

[@a.mccomb3296]

Dang ​@@j.k.cascade2057

[@joeyk810]

EDF foam? Does he means EVA?

[@jonesr1404]

Take my money!

[@jaynern]

Hello CEO of Russell Moccasin, I want to buy The Safari boot but sadly you don’t ship to Malaysia, when Malaysia just right next to Singapore. Why do you not ship to Malaysia?? Here you can find the oldest rainforest in the world. Your boot is a good option for hiker here.

[@ObelixCMM]

So he is talking about benefits of overlap seam over butt and you guys played stock footage of butt seam stitching, nice.

[@HeritageCast]

The eternal problem in the custom boot world is nobody has set up a 501c and started a training program at scale. Ben & TB sounds like its gotta be yall to do this. Theres no reason all the boot companies cant invest in a training program to unfu^&* the lack of talent that just needs to be trained.

[@stitchdown]

You’re 100% right, there’s basically no feeder system in place. The economics behind it are tough but obviously it’s far from impossible…

[@j.k.cascade2057]

Sadly, this guest really seems like a corporate person. I had been getting ready to order some of these soon. I have 2 other pair of custom hand built field boots and wanted to add some Russell Mocs'. I think Ill be waiting now, and searching the used market.

[@Joseph-lt5yz]

I’ll buy timberland for 1/4 price

[@dudeman1828]

If you grow the brand you will ruin the brand. Please figure out how to add value to the brand to achieve financial goals. Selling more units is NEVER the answer to the highest quality. I’m actually going to buy a pair of Southern 40 bird hunters tomorrow. I hope I’m not too late to get in on the true quality boots.

[@zensational.]

Im glad this video was made, i almost ordered some finally, but now im back on the hunt for some quality boots unfortunately. So tired of corporate minded individuals destroying heritage and quality for the sake of a bigger profit percentage. I understand taking some options away like different colored eyelets, and some people not measuring correctly - but i cant trust theyll make them to the same quality and comfort. Real disappointing.

[@whiskeyriver4322]

LOL!!! Now owned by folks who actually killed the history, discontinued iconic models, discontinued their custom shop, transitioned to cheaper materials, but maintained and in some cases significantly raised the already super-premium prices. A customer since 1969 with my first pair of high-top Bird Shooters, discerning sportsmen like myself never cared that these iconic boots cost an arm and a leg; but that's when they were worth it; and would last ten, even twenty years or more. The current line-up of models are just barely worth half what they charge today........... when just about every custom maker in the business like White's, Adams, and even JK, will make boots for you, hand made at almost half the price. You can't even talk to these youngsters either; mention your concerns about the trajectory of the historic company and they'll delete your comments and your e-mail list account and/or ban you from their social media sites like they did to me for expressing my dismay at the loss of iconic models I would gladly pay $1000 for if they still made them. Typical modern American business model; maximum revenue, with a minimum of production cost is all they are concerned with. They should pick up a pair Russell boots made in 1930, and see how many seconds it takes to embarrass themselves.........

[@CrispyFrenFry]

That’s a shame to hear. I am a total newcomer looking to invest in quality boots so I was curious to see if their boots would be great hiking boots but reading your comment makes me want to look into them further before purchasing anything.

[@hiramesensei3112]

would be interested to hear how an inner layer of poron holds up on a boot that is supposed to last decades. my understanding was that poron and any synthetic will always eventually break down. is the inner poron layer ever replacable during a recraft or is this something to be concerned about?