The artful and painstaking craft of making customized cowboy boots by hand has been a tradition in Texas for some 150 years, ever since the days of the great cattle drives along the Chisholm Trail, when boots were considered much more of a necessary tool of a tough trade than they are now. Collectively, today’s custom bootmakers—both familiar legends and new outfits—continue the practice with one eye on that mythic past and one on the limitless future.
The boot’s general form hasn’t changed much in all those years, but the creativity and attention paid to the finer aesthetic details has reached new heights. At El Paso’s Rocketbuster Handmade Custom Boots , the shafts of their footwear are canvases for a dizzying array of colorful and often campy designs, from samurai warriors to peacock feathers. These are not your granddaddy’s (or grandmama’s) boots.
Decorative stitching and inlays and overlays and exotic materials are not new to the bootmaking trade, of course, but the ways they’re being employed certainly are. To showcase the range, we curated a selection of recent work from some of our favorite bootmakers: classics such as M.L. Leddy’s in San Angelo and Fort Worth, Little’s Boot Company in San Antonio, and Texas Traditions in Austin, as well as pioneering newcomers such as Miron Crosby , a two-year-old fashion-forward boot company in Highland Park. These boots are, from their pulls on down to their toes, ever timeless and at the same time brand new.
Rocketbuster, EL PASO: Thirty years ago, Marty Snortum traded a Cadillac for the deed to Rocketbuster Boots, a business he later handed over to his wife, Nevena Christi, a fashion designer. Nobody makes flashier (or campier) boots. rocketbuster.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Tomasso Arditti, EL PASO: Thomas Arditti made a splash with $25,000 boots with gold gilt uppers. It was a gimmick, but there’s no denying his masterful use of alligator and other exotics. tomassoarditti.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
J. B. Hill, EL PASO: Former Triple Crown–winning racehorse owner Jim Hill turned to bootmaking after he retired, in 1996. His creations are handsome and restrained. jbhilltexas.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Kimmel Boot Company, COMANCHE: Eddie and Kathy Kimmel made a little shop on a dirt road world famous. Eddie died last year, but his crew dates from 1980. Customers include George Strait. kimmelbootcompany.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Van Curen Leather, PITTSBURG: When he’s not teaching high school, Jarrett Van Curen spends thirty hours a week making boots known for their clean aesthetic and elegant stitching. vancurenleather.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Tres Outlaws Boot Company, EL PASO: Renée Zellweger and Post Malone both own boots from Tres Outlaws, whose designs can tell clients’ personal stories in vibrant colors and stitching. falconhead.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Parker Custom Boots, HOUSTON: Zephan Parker, 31, considers himself a hybrid bootmaker because he apprenticed all over Texas to learn from various masters. His consummate skills and preference for exotic skins result in classic elegance made new. parkercustomboots.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
M. L. Leddy’s, SAN ANGELO & FORT WORTH: Since 1922, this shop has shod everyone from cowboys to presidents. Affirming boots’ place in both the boardroom and the ballroom, the two Leddy’s locations also sell men’s and women’s finery from the likes of Ermenegildo Zegna. leddys.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Texas Traditions, AUSTIN: The late, great Charlie Dunn opened Texas Traditions in 1977 and took on apprentices like Lee Miller, who runs it today and turns out his own army of apprentices. 512-443-4447
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Mission Boot Company, EL PASO: Karson Nance used his MBA from Austin’s Acton School of Business to create this start-up, which directs proceeds from each pair to buying socks for the homeless. missionboots.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Mike Vaughn, BOWIE: In his twenties, Mike Vaughn began earning cowboys’ loyalty with boots that are equally elegant and durable. Decades later, clients jet in from overseas. mikevaughnhandmadeboots.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Stallion Boots, EL PASO: Made for the urban cowboy, Stallion boots are as slick as they are traditional, letting the texture of the (often reptile) leather shine. Stallone and Schwarzenegger approve. stallionboots.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Texas Custom Boots, AUSTIN: For thirty-plus years, this shop has served the likes of Clint Eastwood, Bob Bullock, and Adele. Owner Noel Escobar’s motto: “Boots have never gone out of style.” texascustomboots.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Little’s Boot Company, SAN ANTONIO: Duane and Sharon Little are the fourth generation to carry on their family’s legacy. Their classic styles are every bit as fancy as their more intricate art boots. littlesboots.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Mandujano Bootmaker, WESLACO: In 1984, Olegario Mandujano started a leather-goods factory in Mexico. He turned to boots in Texas, and today sons Ole and Andres produce glossy statement pieces. 956-975-2565
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
C. T. Chappell Boot Shop, SAINT JO: Carl Chappell’s boots are recognizable for their hand-tooled tops and fine stitching. Having learned from his father, Chappell passes on his skills with bootmaking seminars. 940-995-2600
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Miron Crosby, DALLAS: After a childhood spent on a West Texas ranch, sisters Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means took jobs in New York, where their taste for boots often turned heads among the fashion set. Now their bespoke boot start-up, in Highland Park Village, turns out intricately inlaid and appliquéd designs. A line of boots with design great Prabal Gurung debuted this fall. mironcrosby.com
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Armando’s Boot Company, RAYMONDVILLE: Third-generation bootmaker Armando Duarte Rios has half a century of experience. His forebears made boots for King Ranch vaqueros; he does too, and for NRG execs. 956-689-3521
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
B G Leather Shop, LUBBOCK: Brad Glenn thinks of bootmaking as a kind of ministry. Many of his boots have suede bottoms and colorful tops—but all have a handwritten Bible verse inside. 806-939-5081
Photograph by Nick Cabrera
Photograph by Nick Cabrera