For over ninety-five years, the company has held a solid commitment to four basic principles: quality, craftsmanship, durability and comfort.
Today, with three facilities and hundreds of craftspeople making thousands of pairs by hand each day, Red Wing Shoe Co. will continue to provide comfortable and durable shoes and boots for the next hundred years.
The first step in making quality footwear is ensuring the leather is of the finest quality. Every inch of leather that goes into a Red Wing shoe or boot is inspected and graded for durability and flex.
After careful inspection, the premium grade leather hides are cut and sorted into pieces, then inspected once again before being sent to the next step.
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In the fitting department, the leather pieces are stamped and formed, then stitched together. Once again, the leather is tested before being sent on to the lasting stage, where the boot truly begins to take shape. The upper portion is formed and shaped by hand over a temporary ‘last’ – a replica of a foot – which allows the insole to be attached.
With the fitting and lasting complete, the sole needs to be attached – a process known as ‘bottoming’. When a shoe is bottomed, one of Red Wing Shoe Co.’s durable, long-lasting soles is permanently attached, and then once again tested for durability.
Finally, the shoe is trimmed, cleaned and treated in the finishing department. Each shoe is then hand inspected one last time to ensure they meet the high standards of quality and durability set by the company.
Although the company began by making shoes for the American worker, Red Wing International has taken the brand global, and a wide range of work shoes and work boots – including steel toe, none-metallic toe, insulated, electrical hazard, puncture resistant, metatarsal guard, static-dissipative and waterproof varieties – is now available worldwide.
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