Why? It’s an old military last developed by a doctor who wanted to make a comfortable boot for the largest possible variety of foot shapes. The Munson Ranger is built on the Munson last, so it’s an extremely comfortable boot. The leather is basically the Hawthorne Muleskinner that’s relatively popular on American Red Wings, but without the wax applied, which darkens the color and slightly boosts water resistance. This Hawthorne Abilene is a very nice leather that comes from SB Foot Tanning. With this shoe, it’s all about the leather. (This isn’t always the case though, as we’ll see with the last few entries that revived old styles of American footwear.) So sometimes only the leather changes, or the hardware might be different, or you may get a different sole. Sometimes the Japanese styles don’t change much from the classic American styles. Guys like it because it’s a rare and unique take on the 875 with leather that’s not available in the States.

This is a regular moc toe like you would get from your classic 875s but in a light tan colored rough out leather. We’ve got another Moc Toe called the 8173. In this case, a rough out leather would hold up against the wear and tear of tromping through fields while hunting, and the hard use would develop a unique patina.Īlthough, like all of these boots, they’re made in the United States, they’re only sold overseas - in this case, for an exclusive retailer called Ships in Japan. The Japanese Red Wings’ designers choose leather for the boots’ function as well as the aesthetics. Rough out leathers are super durable and they age really well, developing more character as the fuzz smooth down and change appearance. Other than the height, the 9893 has an unusual leather for the US market called Black Abilene, which is a fuzzy rough out leather. While they are fairly different, both are built on the same roomy, number 23 last. The classic 6-inch moc, and the 9893 both have a single welt, the heel is the same, the slim profile is the same, the last is the same, it’s just cut down much shorter than the 6-inch boot. The first different is the American version is double welted, while the 9893 is essentially a six-inch moc cut down to a low shoe. The 9893 Moc Toe Oxford is quite different from the American Oxford (above). It was marketed to hunters and named after the Irish Setter hunting dog. The 9893 honors Red Wing’s classic moc toe boot, released in 1952 when Red Wing introduced the white, flat-bottomed, cushioned wedge sole built in the moccasin style that’s so popular today. 8826: 1920s Outing Boot (Teak “Featherstone”)ĩ893: Irish Setter (Oxford Black Abilene).9077: Mil-1 Congress Boots (Black Cherry “Featherstone”).8011: Munson Ranger (White Ash Settler).9893: Irish Setter (Oxford Black Abilene).8070: 1930s Sport Oxford (Black Klondike).8826: 1920’s Outing Boot (Teak “Featherstone”).9077: MIL-1 Congress Boots (Black Cherry “Featherstone”).9060: Beckman Flat box (Black Klondike Leather).9063: Beckman Flat box (Teak Featherstone Leather).2966: Engineer (Black Klondike Leather).8011: Munson Ranger (White Ash Settler Leather).9893: Irish Setter Oxford (Black Abilene Leather).So here are 10 perfect, or nearly perfect boots made only for this demanding, perfection obsessed market. According to the store’s own employees, these are the best Japanese Red Wing boots. These boots use leathers and lasts that aren’t available to the US public - and we visited Red Wing Heritage NYC in Soho to get our hands on some of the rarest of the rare Red Wings. Red Wing grew in popularity so much that there are many models that are only available in Japan, though often buyable from Red Wing’s Singapore website. Japan has some hardcore Red Wing super fans, even publishing magazines dedicated to the brand. Part of the Amekaji subculture, there are dedicated niches in Japanese fashion that revere the rugged, well made, patina-ready workwear apparel popular among the American working class during the early- to mid-20th century. Red Wing embodies American heritage boots perhaps better than any other company, which is why it has such a dedicated following in… Japan. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission from.

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