In the late 1800s, Shuyler Mowe’s great-grandfather in-law began operating a footwear store in the small town of Chillicothe, Ohio called Brandle’s Boot Emporium. Mr. A. Brandle was born in Germany, emigrated with nothing, and worked his way to become the proprietor of 1,200 square feet of “ladies’, gents’, and children’s boots and shoes.”
A century and a half later, Shuyler is making arguably the highest quality boots in North America and doing it under Brandle’s name.
Shuyler is no stranger to bootmaking in his own family. His father Steve bought Nicks Boots in 2013 and in the last decade, the pair have transformed it from a Pacific Northwestern logger staple into a heritage powerhouse.
Despite their success, they wanted to try a completely different direction. The team wanted the new project to be more elegant, refined, European—something Mr. A. Brandle would place front and center in his storefront window and not the rugged PNW boots that are their typical stock and trade.
Shuyler’s mission was to make the best pair of production dress boots possible and the Brandle 1925 model is the result of over a year of sourcing, sampling, and development. Here’s what they came up with.
What Makes Brandle Better?
As mentioned, Nicks makes a high quality and hardwearing boot so you might ask, “is this just a dressed up version of one of their slimmer profile models?” The answer is very much no. Shuyler was proud to say that the only thing similar between the two are the some of the people making them and the workshop in which they are made.
Every component on the Brandle boot is unique, from the tiny nails securing the outsole, to the brass plate in the heelstack, the solid steel shank, to the new MM1925 last, and finally the pattern, which was designed by a fifth generation Hungarian bootmaker and includes the slimmed down two-piece heel counter you see below.
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From left to right, Natural Double Stuffed, Cognac Calf, and Buck Brown Double Stuffed leathers.
They’ve stepped things up on the production as well. Shuyler explains that a brand like Red Wing or Thorogood can get five or six boots out of a single hide of leather. Nicks typically does two or two and a half. For Brandle, it’s one hide = one boot. They only want the highest quality leather near the spine of the animal that has the least warping and wrinkling and will age the best.
For lasting, a Nicks upper spends about a day on the last, the stage where it’s stretched and shaped over the fit of a boot. Brandle boots spend three days so the glue, stitching, and leather will ultimately sit better on the boot and won’t wrinkle or warp over years of wear.
And for the construction, Brandles are still stitchdown welted, like Nicks, but with a stitch per inch (SPI) count so high that it almost looks like a Goodyear welt. The stitching on the upper is tighter and the eyelets are smaller as well, leading to an overall sleeker, more delicate appearance. Did we mention they’re fully lined as well?
How to Get a Pair
A wear-tested Brandle 1925 after about three months of wear.
There are countless other details packed into the year-plus development time on this pair of boots that one must see to fully appreciate. The Brandle 1925 starts at $1200 for standard Wickett & Craig pull up leathers with the option for an additional $300 for Gallun Calfskin and $800 for Horween Shell Cordovan.
If you’re ready for the new standard in American bootmaking, get in line. Every pair is made to order and they’re only producing 20 pairs a month for their initial launch. Those are on a first come first served basis at the beginning of each month, so mark your calendar. Once you have a pair in the works, Brandle will contact you for an individual consult to discuss sizing and available customizations. Once all the details are set, production time is about eight weeks.
We’re thrilled whenever a maker decides to damn the bean counters and produces the best possible product they can. It’s clear Shuyler and the team have poured all of themselves into Brandle and we’re very excited to see them start showing up on Fade Friday for many years to come.
To learn more or to get yourself a pair, visit Brandle’s website.
