Chukkas

Flame Panda operates as a small family business led by Peng Meng, who established the workshop after transitioning from boot and shoe repair to traditional craft bootmaking. The chukkas, like all Flame Panda footwear, are entirely hand-welted using custom steel shanks and feature the company's signature attention to detail in both construction and material selection.

Flame Panda chukkas employ traditional hand-welted construction throughout the manufacturing process. The boots are hand-lasted and hand-welted, with the welt hand-stitched to both the midsole and outsole. This construction method provides durability and allows for resoling, extending the lifespan of the footwear.

The workshop utilizes custom-made steel shanks in all their boots, providing structural support and shape retention. Some configurations feature 360-degree welting with double-row stitching, particularly on the front portions of the sole. The company is known for their 360-degree storm welt with embedded eversion welt construction, though specific details about chukka configurations may vary based on customer specifications.

All construction work is completed by hand, including the lasting, welting, and stitching processes. The boots include a blind waist construction detail, demonstrating the workshop's attention to traditional bootmaking techniques.

The chukkas are constructed using high-quality leathers sourced from Italy and North America, with midsoles imported from Italy. Available leather options include Cloe horsebutt from Italy, offered in black, natural, whisky, and cigar colorways. The vegetable-tanned Italian horsebutt leather represents the standard material choice for many Flame Panda boots.

Lining options include warm brown kangaroo leather in some configurations, providing both comfort and durability. The workshop offers various Dr. Sole configurations for outsoles, allowing customers to select appropriate sole options based on intended use and preferences.

Quality control includes material selection processes where Peng filters out leather deemed unsuitable for bootmaking, ensuring consistency in the finished products. This approach to material curation increases production costs but contributes to the aging and breaking-in characteristics of the completed boots.

Flame Panda currently maintains four lasts for ready-to-wear and made-to-order production, including lasts designated as 108, 181, 102, and 206. These lasts provide different fit characteristics and aesthetic profiles, allowing customers to select options that match their preferences and foot shape requirements.

The workshop offers made-to-order customization, enabling customers to specify leather choices, sole configurations, and construction details based on available options and the workshop's capabilities.

As of current information, Flame Panda operates without an official website, with orders placed through direct messaging on Instagram at @flamepanda11. This account serves as the primary communication channel between the workshop and customers, with 17,000 followers indicating an established customer base.

Current production times extend approximately eight months or longer from order placement to delivery, with some customers reporting full-year lead times for orders shipped to the United States. These extended timelines reflect the handmade nature of production and the limited workshop capacity.

Pricing for chukkas with vegetable-tanned Italian horsebutt leather and hand-welted construction starts at $670. Pricing may vary based on leather selection, with premium options and customizations affecting the final cost.

The workshop began as a boot and shoe repair operation, servicing ordinary sneakers and factory-made footwear. Through exposure to traditional craft boots requiring repair, Peng developed interest in traditional construction methods. The business transitioned to bootmaking after gaining experience through repairing boots from established heritage brands including Red Wing, Viberg, White's, and Alden.

This evolution from repair work to original production provided practical experience with various construction techniques and quality standards, informing the workshop's approach to their own footwear manufacturing. The family business structure has grown from the original two-person operation to six family members, including Peng's father and aunt.