Heritage, Retraced

These Akito Boondockers have offered me a chance to reconnect with my roots as a Vietnamese-American and to rethink the impact of the American military, my home country, and identity. The U.S. brought these boots to the frontlines of South East Asia and wearing these boots now over the last five months has been a true reexamination of the word "heritage." As a new father, I've traded the rugged adventures of my early life, where my love for boots was born, for a different kind of journey. Most days, these boondockers carry me through the trenches of dog-and-stroller combo walks, diaper runs, and office hours of a normal week. But they also easily stand up to the long travel days, Saigon alleys, and Taipei storms during our motherland trip to study our family roots. In about 130 days of wear since November, they've been my constant companion. One particular heavy typhoon within the first week of picking up these boots from Akito's shop set the tone for how this pair would age. Six hours of rain in the hills of Jiufen, Taiwan, combined with heavy crocking from a new pair of denim, set a beautifully strong crease from which every roll and fold has grown since.

The leather choice itself, a callback to the original boondockers' use of roughout, did exactly what it was designed to do. Horween's Natural Latigo required little more than brushing to keep off the grit while still picking up the marks of life that made these last five months special. From absorbing the indigo as it drained from my jeans, to holding the expression of a slight toe smudge from a few early Sunday motorcycle rides I managed to steal away, every small adventure remains captured in its fuzzy, nappy, film-like emulsion. I honestly didn't know where this leather would go and I'm glad nature showed me the way. In the first couple of months, the smooth side softened on the inside, allowing the boots to slip on easily. Over the next few, the whole shape relaxed, letting the toe box collapse and form over the end of my feet. The roughout side has managed to keep its nap while developing the kind of depth that only comes from being worn, a lot.

Almost a year before I picked up these boots, just after my daughter was born, I was sitting in Trung's shop (the proprietor of Akito) getting fitted. He brought me fresh coconut juice and we talked boots for an hour while my little girl slept peacefully nearby. There was just enough of one of Horween's Natural Latigo hides left for one pair, and I needed little convincing to take him up on the offer. Trung's focus on building a last better fit for the Vietnamese foot, wider ball, narrower heel, higher instep, managed to make me feel like someone special. With a decent pair of wool socks, the heel stays snug with almost no lift when walking. There's just a slight bit of wiggle room around the sides of my foot to give space as my feet flatten at the end of a long day... at which point I feel lucky that Trung had spent the time to account for both of those things.

Akito's construction has held up well through 130 days of mixed terrain and weather. The welt is intact, the sole attachment is solid, and the overall structure hasn't shifted. However, about two months in, a stitch popped off on the back of the boot above the heel. It's cosmetic, not structural, and frankly it adds to the story. Besides, being triple-stiched means there are still two more chances to wear through. The finishing is clean throughout. The design proportions work well on foot, and the overall aesthetic walks the line between heritage and modernity that I'm sure Trung clearly intended.

When I decided to go with the locally produced soles, Trung warned me that they were called CityGrip for a reason. They weren't as tough as Vibram or Dr. Sole's. But I couldn't resist having the "Handcrafted in Saigon" stamp standing proud on the bottom. (There's something there about Saigon, sole, soul, and standing proud... but it feels too cheesy to connect the dots directly so I won't) Trung was right though. After about five months of moving through this world, the wear tells an obvious story: these boots often strayed far from "gripping the city" and that I have a slightly overpronated step.

From a craftsman in Saigon focused on boots for the Vietnamese, to Horween's historic American tannery, to a design rooted in the U.S.'s military past, these boots carry a layered story which just felt like the right foundation to overlay my own. I came looking for roots. I left with boots. Turns out they're the same thing.