It prices $28,000 for a pair of Miron Crosby cowboy boots and an astrological studying. This was one of many choices listed as a part of Neiman Marcus’ annual Fantasy Items vacation information in 2024 — signaling that luxurious western boots are extremely coveted proper now.
“For the Fantasy Reward boot, we needed to create one thing once-in-a-lifetime, luxurious, whimsical and uniquely Texan,” mentioned Miron Crosby cofounders and sisters Sarah Means and Lizzie Means Duplantis. “Impressed by the West Texas evening sky, the Celestial Boot shimmers with intricately positioned pavé diamond stars, set in 18-karat gold in opposition to lustrous jet-black leather-based, mirroring the charming fantastic thing about the evening sky with each step.”
After all, most Miron Crosby cowboy boots usually are not $28,000, nor do they embody an astrological studying. However the model remains to be a part of a distinct segment of labels making high-end cowboy boots with a hefty price ticket; costs at Miron Crosby embody $2,395 for the mid-height Rush Crème model and $1,095 for the quick Marianne choice. The model, which employs grasp artisans to hand-last boots in Mercedes, Texas, and Léon, Mexico, additionally gives a Design-Your-Personal choice, which makes use of a digital know-how permitting clients to customise their very own boot with a visible of what the completed product would appear like.
Miron Crosby Celestial Boot featured within the 2024 Neiman Marcus Fantasy Items vacation information.
Neiman Marcus
Luxurious boot makers emphasised to FN that their clients are those who worth the artisanal experience and high quality supplies that go into creating such a shoe.
“No one does what we do,” mentioned Nevena Christi, who leads the crew at Rocketbuster Boots, an El Paso-based model that gives customized boots. “So not solely can we do a hand-stacked leather-based heel and 100 lemonwood pegs and all the pieces the way in which it was completed on the flip of the century, however we’ve taken the artwork to an entire new stage.”
For Christi, who has a background in fantastic artwork, the clean canvas of a boot permits for unbounded creativity. Take, for instance, the Sicilian-themed set she simply created for a consumer over the course of three years, showcasing all kinds of nods to the Italian area, from Marionette puppets to lemons and figs.
Christi mentioned, “I don’t assume there’s any restrict within the artwork that we will do on a boot, which is why our boots can take wherever from three months to 3 years, relying on the problem.”
Rocketbuster boots made for Kendrick Lamar. Courtesy of Nevena Christi.
Some orders, nonetheless, are requested with a bit extra urgency than others, with Kendrick Lamar‘s boots worn on stage throughout his shock look at Coachella in 2022 being a chief instance of that. The silver boots have been designed with a wide range of references to the rapper. Christi shared, “Our boots take months, however the first pair of shoes we did for him, we did in 4 days. We missed FedEx, I needed to fly to Coachella to ship them.”
In the meantime, Tres Outlaws Boot Firm, one other El Paso model providing bespoke boots, has serviced a protracted listing of movie star purchasers together with names like Harrison Ford, Johnny Money, Joni Mitchell, Submit Malone and Whoopi Goldberg, per an intensive listing on its web site. (The “Ghost” actress additionally reached out to Christi, who put her on maintain earlier than realizing who she was.)
Lucchese Bootmaker, additionally based mostly out of Texas, has a number of well-known followers as effectively, and has collaborated with nation stars like Chris Stapleton. The model even impressed a whole tune by nation singer Kane Brown, “2 Pair,” launched in June — that includes lyrics like “Give me two pairs of Luccheses” and “Simply received paid, blew all of it on my ft.”
Doug Hogue, vp of product at Lucchese Bootmaker, mentioned of the musical ode, “To have an entire tune devoted to our craftsmanship, and even showcase our proprietary Black Cherry colour, is an honor and a testomony to the unimaginable work our artisans produce every day.”
Scott Wayne of Tres Outlaws, who has made greater than 70,000 boots over the course of greater than 4 many years, careworn how concerned the method of crafting such a high-end product is. “The artwork of luxurious boot making shouldn’t be straightforward,” Wayne informed FN. “When you actually need it good and also you actually need it to come back out good, it takes lots of time and method, which I developed and engineered all through the years.”
The luxe parts of Wayne’s footwear comes from supplies like sterling silver, 18-karat gold, turquoise and hand-tooling and detailing.
A pair of shoes from Tres Outlaws. Courtesy of Scott Wayne.
Whereas Lucchese, Miron Crosby, Rocketbuster and Tres Outlaws are all based mostly out of Texas, it’s not the one state displaying curiosity in upscale western model. Wayne, for instance, talked about his retailer in Cody, Wyo.
In the meantime, Means and Means Duplantis shared, “Our buyer base is now nationwide, reaching far past Texas. We frequently attain them by means of our studios in Dallas, Aspen and Houston; trunk exhibits on the street from coast to coast, and our on-line boutique. Phrase of mouth continues to be certainly one of our strongest drivers. As soon as somebody slips on a pair of Miron Crosby boots, they normally come again for extra and convey their associates together with them.”
Hogue mentioned enlargement as effectively: “From Dallas to Bozeman to Nashville, and now additional east with new shops in Charlotte and Atlanta, we’re increasing to aspirational locations. In each market, our focus stays on delivering a bespoke retail expertise that highlights the craftsmanship, high quality and heritage that outline Lucchese.”
Whereas not attainable to all shoppers, luxurious cowboy boots have actually made an imprint within the footwear business — and it stays to be seen if the model will make its approach onto the 2025 iteration of the Neiman Marcus Fantasy Items listing.
