Custom Handmade Cowboy Boots
In 2011, I joined Rocketbuster Boots as a design assistant. The company is known for producing the highest quality footwear created in the oldest tradition of bootmaking. My primary focus was pattern making and design for these wild and elaborate custom cowboy boots. The process began with a client consultation, where I would take measurements of a client's foot and discuss their design concept with them. Then I would draw a pattern according to their specifications. Once approved, I would hand it to our in-house artisans who would cut or tool the design into panels of leather completely by hand, then sew it together. After that, the assembled boot or leather panel would be returned to me and I would stain or hand paint the finishing touches. The entire timeline from preliminary sketches to a finished pair of boots typically took about three months. This particular pair is an original design I did for a client who requested imagery honoring his grandfather whose favorite phrase was, "Ride fast, shoot straight, tell the truth." All boot photography shown here is by Marty Snortum of Rocketbuster Boots in El Paso, Texas.
