Red Wing: A Story of Resistance and Style
Path and history of a product that has become an icon; more than 100 years lived without ever changing its face, going through two great wars unscathed and establishing itself today on the international fashion scene as a timeless must.
The name Red Wing originates from a town in the Mississippi Valley in Minnesota, where in 1905 there was a small shop, whose owner Charles H. Beckam made the first work shoes and boots.
Thanks to the careful attention of the manufacturing, Red Wing officially becomes the supplier of shoes for the American army and with the outbreak of the First World War, it reaches a boom in production, since every American soldier wore the model that became the most famous of the brand, the NU 16 boot.
In this era of conflicts, the company manages to refine and perfect production, developing 239 different variants of the classic military amphibian to meet the very different needs of every single race and ethnicity that made up the American army.
Stories of innovation and adaptation
From those historical passages until the 1950s, the Red Wing increased its popularity, becoming a national icon, representing the symbol of American strength and prosperity and exporting its creations as far as South America and Europe.
The brand's historic models arrive today completely unchanged and interpret, now as then, all the tradition, sturdiness and quality of this historic American shoe. They tell us about a production process that pays attention to the smallest details in every phase. The accuracy in the choice of leathers, treated with specific, completely natural oils, to guarantee resistance to water and their durability over time, the craftsmanship and the anti-scratch and anti-acid processes of the materials, ensure that Red Wing is the official supply of the Corporate American.
A company that has been able to perfectly combine the methods of the past with the new technologies offered by the market, always looking to the future without ever forgetting the past. This is absolutely the unique charm that this shoe has carried with it for over 120 years; which makes it unique and inimitable.
The Beginning of an Era
The current production, which combines the historical models with new colors and exclusive leathers, has allowed Red Wing to strongly establish itself even on the most demanding Italian market, with careful distribution of their products present in the trendiest clothing and footwear shops . We have to start from very far away and move to Minnesota, precisely to the city of Red Wing.
Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century the American town enjoyed excellent health, from an industrial point of view it was the most important producer of grain in the country and the now obsolete warehouses and factories were slowly replaced by laboratories and factories , in an expansion that involved the whole city also thanks to the huge quantity of European immigrants who moved to the United States.
A man, an idea, a company
Charles Beckman was a shoe merchant, an intelligent and astute businessman who had a brilliant idea for those times. He realized that most of the workers were wearing shoes that were not up to par, were poorly made and did not last over time.
Mr. Beckman realized that it would be a good idea for all workers to have shoes specifically designed for each type of job. He then founded his own shoe company, Red Wing Shoes, in 1905 and began manufacturing work shoes on a large scale.
Innovation and Adaptation: The Heart of History
The first to take advantage of the new Red Wing shoes were the farmers and wheat growers - the ones truly responsible for the economic growth of that Minnesota town - who began wearing the Black & Brown Chief Shoe made of leather and "manure proof" in 1912. There are no images or photographs of this shoe but it appears to have been a strappy boot decorated on the sole with the effigy of the famous Native American leader, Chief Red Wing.
Between Wars and Prosperity
The outbreak of the First World War, however, changed the cards on the table. The men who worked in the factory were called to serve for their country and were replaced by the women of the city, who were the protagonists in the creation of the famous "Pershing Boot" or 1088 boot, the shoe of the American army. It didn't let in water or moisture and protected from the cold, making it the perfect shoe for the trench. Their success was so great that the 1088 boots continued to be extremely popular even after the end of the war.