Irish Setter

Red Wing Shoe Company began producing purpose-built work boots in 1905 and entered the hunting boot market in 1929. In 1950, the company designed boots specifically for hunting using leather tanned with extracts from sequoia tree bark, creating a distinctive deep reddish-orange color.

This leather color closely matched the coat of Irish Setter hunting dogs, leading to the "Irish Setter" name in Red Wing's 1950 catalog. The original style 854 established the visual identity that would define the brand.

Though designed for stalking hunters requiring all-day comfort in rough terrain, the boots found unexpected adoption among American workers during the 1960s. Hunters wearing their Irish Setter boots to job sites discovered the construction served construction, industrial, and transportation work equally well.

Style 877 became particularly associated with this crossover appeal. By the 1990s, this model was widely recognized as the "classic Red Wing work boot" while Irish Setter simultaneously expanded into a complete family of hunting-specific boots.

The brand evolution reflected changing market segmentation, with Red Wing maintaining the work boot reputation while Irish Setter focused on hunting and outdoor applications. This separation allowed specialized development for each use case while leveraging Red Wing's century of boot manufacturing experience.

Irish Setter produces hunting boots and work boots drawing from over 60 years of outdoor footwear development combined with Red Wing's work boot heritage. The hunting line serves upland bird hunting, big game hunting, and general outdoor recreation.

Work boots under the Irish Setter brand target tradesmen and industrial workers, maintaining the construction standards that led to the original crossover adoption. Modern Irish Setter work boots incorporate safety features, insulation options, and specialized soles while preserving the brand's historical design elements.