Merchant

The Merchant Collection was first launched in August 2016, with the retail release following in 2017 in response to shifting trends in the heritage footwear industry[1][2]. The collection draws directly from American work boot designs of the 1920s, a period when Red Wing Shoes began manufacturing boots without traditional toe boxes to provide greater comfort and flexibility for workers[1].

The historical precedent for the Merchant can be traced to Red Wing's style 245 from 1920, which featured a plain toe design and raw cut at the quarter edge without structured toe reinforcement. This 1920s era represented a prosperous and creative period for the company, allowing full realization of founder Charles Beckman's vision for occupation-specific footwear.

The collection serves as a tribute to Charles Beckman, who founded Red Wing Shoes in February 1905 alongside 14 other local investors. Before establishing the company, Beckman worked as a shoe merchant in Red Wing, Minnesota, having arrived in America from Germany in 1873 after surviving a shipwreck off the coast of Nova Scotia. His experience as a merchant and understanding of workers' footwear needs directly influenced his approach to creating durable, occupation-specific boots.

All Merchant models feature authentic Goodyear welt construction, a method dating back to 1869 that stitches a thin leather welt together with the upper and insole, providing both durability and repairability. The boots are constructed on Red Wing's Number 8 last, which is also used for other popular Heritage models including the Iron Ranger and Beckman.

The distinguishing design feature of the Merchant is its unstructured toe, also referred to as a "bump toe," which eliminates the traditional rigid toe box found in most work boots. This design choice allows for more natural toe movement and creates a slimmer profile compared to other Heritage collection boots. The overall silhouette maintains the aesthetic of 1920s work boots while offering a more refined appearance suitable for both casual and business casual settings.

Each pair of Merchant boots is handcrafted from premium full-grain leather at Red Wing's manufacturing facility in Minnesota, following the company's traditional construction methods that require more than 230 individual steps. The boots incorporate triple-stitching and maintain the quality standards established by the company since its founding in 1905, when the first boots featured "pegged-and-nailed construction" that was the industry standard of the time.

All leather used in Merchant boots is produced by S.B. Foot Tanning Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Wing Shoes located in Red Wing, Minnesota[5][6]. The tannery sources steerhides primarily from cattle ranches within a 600-mile radius, with much of the leather sourced from Midwestern ranches where cattle are raised under high standards of care to ensure leather quality[6].

The tanning process involves specialized techniques developed over decades, with hides processed in wooden drums containing tree oils, tanning agents, and dyes. The leather undergoes extensive processing to achieve deep penetration of oils and chemicals, which helps conceal future scuffs and maintains color consistency as the boots age with wear.

The Ebony Harness leather used in the 8061 model is classified as a heavyweight, full-grain leather that incorporates a unique combination of oil and wax treatments for enhanced performance and visual appeal. This leather type features 22% oil content compared to the standard 8-10% found in conventional leather, making it exceptionally flexible, durable, and water-repellent. The high oil content creates a distinctive "pull-up" effect where the leather lightens when stretched or flexed.

Olive Mohave leather, featured in the 8062 model, represents a premium waterproof roughout leather originally developed for harsh field conditions. As a reversed suede leather, the Mohave type presents the flesh side of the hide as the exterior surface, creating a characteristic rough texture that provides natural water repellency and superior stain resistance. Unlike traditional suede, the roughout construction offers enhanced durability while maintaining the tactile qualities of napped leather.

The Black Spitfire leather used in the 8063 model is heavily waxed rough-out leather that combines the durability of reversed hide construction with enhanced water resistance from wax treatment. The combination of rough-out texture and heavy waxing creates a leather that develops a distinctive worn appearance over time as the wax coating gradually wears through use, revealing the underlying leather texture.

The 8061 represents the original Merchant model, featuring Ebony Harness leather construction with a Chemi Gum outsole. The Chemi Gum sole material has been used by Red Wing for work boots since 1964 and provides excellent grip while maintaining a clean, slim profile that complements the boot's refined aesthetic. The model includes a leather insole and brass eyelets, with all-eyelet lacing similar to the Beckman boot design.

The 8062 variation utilizes Olive Mohave leather paired with a Chemi Gum outsole, offering the same technical specifications as the 8061 while providing the unique properties of roughout leather construction. The rough texture of the Mohave leather provides natural weather resistance and develops character through wear, making it suitable for outdoor conditions while maintaining the refined appearance expected from the Heritage collection.

The 8063 model features Black Spitfire leather construction but differs from other variations by incorporating a Nitrile cork outsole instead of the standard Chemi Gum sole. The Nitrile cork sole provides different wearing characteristics and grip properties compared to the Chemi Gum sole, while the heavily waxed Spitfire leather offers enhanced water resistance and a distinctive aging pattern as the wax gradually wears through regular use.