I talked a little with Jeff Thrope (of
Cold Splinters) and Matt Schneider at
Danner.
Pete/styleforum: Hey Matt! Danner has been associated with quality boots since its founding in 1932. But quality and design are not the same thing, and it's the boots' looks that make them stand out--what differentiates the design of the Stumptown collection from your average Danner boot?
Matt: For 2011 the designs we have been using are modeled after our classic product that we have been building hiking product for over 50 years. What we have done is gone and played with the materials that we previously had not been using in our hiking products. We are looking at having more product inspired by our heritage that has a new contemporary feel and design.
A number of Stumptown styles are hiking/mountaineering designs, rather than workboots. When did Danner get into the recreational footwear business?
Danner has a long history in hiking, work, hunting, and uniform boots. We are very pleased to be a hiking boot manufacture in the US. Our MTN Light Model has been around for thirty years and previous to that we had our MTN Trail, which is a boot we have had since the 1960s.
Special Danner makeups are a staple of magazines like Free and Easy. Can you give us an idea of the extent of the Japanese market for Danner and tell us how that market might have driven Danner to start the Stumptown collection?
We can't give the exact numbers. We have been selling into Japan for 30 years and have been fueling the market with product that is made in Japan and in the US. We currently sell into hundreds of shops in Japan including Ships and United Arrows.
Jeff confirmed that the boots are on a wide (EE) last and recommends going one half to one full size down from your usual size.
A few pics I snapped at Capsule last summer:






