Beckman set out to develop work boots to fill this need and in 1905 he opened a company that would change the market. The rigors of these jobs required footwear which was tough enough to outlast harsh working conditions, but Beckman envisioned a shoe that was also comfortable enough for the hardworking people who wore them. For over a century Red Wing purpose-built footwear has been at the spearhead of innovation in the standard of excellence for work boots.Īt the turn of the 20th century a shoe merchant named Charles Beckman in Red Wing, Minnesota saw a local necessity for shoes specifically designed for the demanding work of industries such as mining, logging and farming. This ensures our passionate reputation continues into the future.Excellence is a standard which transcends the test of time. We do this by building to the same high level of quality and durability as we have in the past. The key to becoming a legacy brand is to build a relationship based on trust. For Red Wing Heritage, we do this by keeping the classic styles designed and built in the past alive today. “Legacy is something that is passed down after people have gone. It is also committed to environmental stewardship and in 2017 signed a 25-year contract to power its Red Wing facilities with solar power. In 2019, the company introduced a footbed to the safety footwear industry made from algae biomass that reduces dependencies on non-renewable resources.
The company crafts over 990 shoe designs, with over 590 workwear styles, plus over 390 accessory styles. Today, the Heritage line includes designs for men and women.
All told, there are some 230 steps in making a pair of Red Wind Heritage Boots.
The meticulous and timeless designs came from the archives of Red Wing and are handcrafted. Sweasy, introduced the lifestyle brand for women. Allison Sweasy Gettings, great-granddaughter of J.R. In 2016, Red Wing returned to its roots and launched the Heritage Brand that is the fashion-forward line adopted by makers and hipsters alike. Its legacy of “purposeful craftsmanship” guides the company, and every new product has the same principles and testing applied to it as those first boots. Red Wing Shoes today employs more than 2,100 worldwide in leather tanneries, footwear factories, corporate offices, warehouses, and retail stores. Fully committed to employees and the Minnesota town of Red Wing, the brand launched the philanthropic Red Wing Shoe Company Foundation in 1955. In 1952, the first Red Wing Shoe store launched in Salt Lake City, and today there are more than 700 stores worldwide. They have manufactured boots that took soldiers into battle in both World Wars. Sweasy became the facility’s superintendent, and by 1919 he was the first of four generations of the Sweasy family to own and operate the company. The company was founded in 1905 in Red Wing by Charles Beckman with the simple purpose of supplying workers-including miners, farmers, and loggers-with dependable, comfortable footwear. Red Wing Shoes is one of the last remaining shoe manufacturers in the U.S., and that’s just how they like it.