What do Proper Magazine writers and Steve McQueen have in common?
If you said good-looking, tough, daring and heroic, you’d be correct, but that’s not what we’re trying to get at here…
What we are trying to get at is that we both have a deep-rooted love for Red Wing boots, the only difference is that instead of wearing them to ride motorbikes and perform mind-blowing stunts, we just whack them on to wander around town when it gets a little bit nippy out.
Red Wing are no strangers when it comes to acknowledging McQueen’s love for their footwear, and why would they be? He could quite possibly be the coolest man to ever have existed after all, and in case you need reminding of that, here’s some images to help…
The latest piece of Red Wing appreciation for the all-American icon is a pretty sizeable one, and comes as the by-product of a conversation between the brand and McQueen’s granddaughter, Molly.
That by-product is the release of a limited edition Classic Red Wing Moc that has been custom-made and inspired by McQueen’s original pair of Red Wings as part of the brand’s Will Your Wings campaign. The boots tell a special story about legacy, history and timeless style – all stuff we’re mega into really.
Here’s what Molly McQueen had to say about the campaign:
“My grandfather had the unique ability to make everything he did look effortlessly cool. He was self-assured and confident, which is why people are still drawn to him today. The Will Your Wings campaign isn’t just about passing down a pair of boots — it’s about passing down a legacy”
The boots themselves feature original design elements found on McQueen’s own pair such as Oro Legacy Leather, Dull Gilt brass eyelets and custom embossments with Steve’s signature and ‘278’ racing number on each boot heel.
In our view, sometimes their can be a bit of a concern when companies issue a heritage version of a product centred around one individual. That concern is that it can just be a bit lame, sort of like dress-up for adults.
But as you’d expect from Red Wing, the design of the boot has been executed exceptionally well, there’s enough going on that people will notice you haven’t just got a regular pair of Red Wing’s on, but they’re also subtle enough that people don’t instantly think you’re a Steve McQueen mega fan – even if you are.
Limited quantities of the Steve McQueen Classic Moc will be available from here, beginning November 21.
