FROM OUR NOVEMBER ISSUE: FASHION FUTURES BOOT CAMP

by John Russel Jones



The entire MR team is proud to present our November 2023 issue. Haven’t gotten your copy, yet? Feel free to page through a digital copy at Issuu, and we’ll continue to post individual stories on MR-mag.com. If you haven’t been getting MR in print, be sure that you are on our mailing list for future issues by completing this form.

HEADED TO BOOT CAMP

Standing toe-to-toe with sneakerheads in their passion for product, boot enthusiasts share an obsession for seeking out exceptional materials and superlative craftsmanship. Like aficionados of coffee or fine wine, this group is dedicated to seeking out both the artisanal and the esoteric. On two crisp fall days at Brooklyn, New York’s Industry City complex, a gathering of fine footwear makers and their fans came together for Stitchdown’s Boot Camp, a celebration of all things boot-iful. Stitchdown is “an independently owned, passion-driven media company devoted to cultivating community via a shared love of fantastic leather footwear.” Ben Robinson, founder and editor-in-chief of the Stitchdown website, leads the group.

L to R: Ben Robinson of Stitchdown, Wyatt Gilmore of Grant Stone, Connor Wilson of Thursday Boot Company, and Luke Cobie of Russell Moccasin.

Although consumer-facing, Boot Camp itself was set up much like a trade show, including setups from the iconic Horween leather company, Detroit’s College for Creative Studies (with a shoe-making program of their own), and around 15 of the very best boot- and shoemakers from the United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, the U.K., Guatemala, and more. Besides the opportunity to meet the makers and try on boots you might otherwise only see online, there were also boot-making demonstrations and a sample sale. Two-panel discussions and an after-party at Big Alice Brewery rounded out the days.

For more information about Stitchdown’s next events, see stitchdown.com or follow @stitchdownbootcamp on Instagram.