Tahura Edulis

A year ago, when I decided I was going to enter the Stitchdown Patina Thunderdome, I knew I was going to be operating within limitations: My job flexes between manual labor and office work. I needed a boot which could do both. I'm not rich. I could probably only afford one of these. I needed a boot that would survive shifting fashion trends and personal style. Something I could wear with everything. I am who I am. I needed something unique to me, a boot that no one else owns. All of which is to say, I needed a version of a boot I already wear, one I know works for me. I love the Thorogood Roofer boots. I have a pair that has lasted me a decade – pockmarked with saguaro cactus thorns, stained by engine fluids and farm muck, welt shredded by multiple ill-advised low-budget resoles. What I decided on was an aesthetically upgraded and technically overbuilt version of the classic monkey boot style. Triple layered. Extra tall. Full brogued for a touch of class. An evolution of a boot I love.

Tahura Boot Co was a joy to work with. I had ordered one pair of boots from them before, so I knew their process. I messaged them on Instagram with a verbal description of an initial idea. They referenced my measurements from my previous purchase and sent me a custom boot order form. From there, we began hashing out the final design, as it differed quite a bit from the standard version of their Edulis style. I pestered them constantly throughout the design process: sending them and resending them revised drawings of what I wanted, asking them to adjust their pattern cutting and construction methods to fit my vision, and discussing various leather and welt stitch options with them to determine the perfect combination of features. Throughout it all they were patient and encouraging, cheering me on as I designed my perfect pair.