![Illustration photos for Style. Minnesota-made footwear, Red Wing Shoe Company, Steger Mukluks & Moccasins, Minnetonka Moccasin, Sven Clogs and Lanona Shoe Co., are taking their heritage brands and making them mainstream. ] Tom Wallace/Star Tribune](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/7Y5QTNV42B3LKWQCITJ4QTNZIM.jpg?&w=1080)
Over the past decade, heritage brands such as Minnesota-based Red Wing Shoes became extremely trendy, almost by accident.
While some fashionable folks embraced Red Wings purely for their rugged aesthetic, other socially conscious consumers admired their sturdy, U.S.-made construction.
But Minnesota-made footwear goes far beyond Red Wing. For a handful of time-honored Minnesota footwear brands, heritage isn't a trend — it's a way of life. Combining artisanal skill with contemporary design, these companies continue to make the same stylish yet high-quality footwear they've made for decades, while offering modern updates to classic styles.
Red Wing Shoe Co.
Red Wing Shoe Co. was founded in 1905 by Charles Beckman, a shoe merchant based in Red Wing, Minn. The company originally manufactured high-quality work boots for tough industries such as mining, logging and farming. They also created footwear for soldiers during World Wars I and II. Today, Red Wing boots are primarily handmade in the U.S. with American materials — including leather tanned at Red Wing's own S.B. Foot Tanning Co. In 2008, Red Wing capitalized on its growing popularity as a fashion item and debuted its Heritage catalog, which features fashion-oriented styles not intended for hard labor. And it recently introduced a line of women's boots.
Where to buy: Various Twin Cities retailers, redwingshoes.com or redwingheritage.com
Steger Mukluks & Moccasins
Patti Steger learned how to make mukluks and moccasins during an Arctic dog-sled expedition in the early 1980s with her former husband, famed Arctic explorer Will Steger. Her teachers were the Native women they encountered in villages along the way. In 1985, she began making the traditional footwear out of her home. Then, three years later, she opened the first Steger Mukluks factory and retail store in Ely, Minn. Twice as warm and half the weight of traditional winter boots, Steger Mukluks are rated for extreme weather — meaning minus-20 degrees Fahrenheit and colder — making them a popular choice for expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctica. In recent years, the brand has begun to offer trendier options for women, men and kids, including styles trimmed in faux-fur and American Indian-inspired tapestry.
