Birkin bags are stylish, but here in the state of Minnesota, boots are a necessity. Not only are their styles interesting, but so are their histories.
L.L Bean’s Duck Boots
L.L. Bean’s boots have made a significant comeback to prepsters’ shoe collection. In 2012, sales escalated up to 500,000 pairs. Because of its outpouring amount of orders, Maine-based company L.L. Bean manages by creating a wait list as if it is the new Birkin Bag, hiring 100 new shoemaking employees, and operating their factory day and night to meet the escalated demand. The company’s manager said during his interview with NPR, “Back orders are building on us; the pressure is on. We’ve got some boots to make.”
I did some research: an online order of 10-inch duck boots may take up to three months to be delivered at your door. So, I scratched my plan to get a pair for myself since this is my last semester in college, and there is a strong chance that I get deported. Speed up, Mr. Bean.
The duck boots, which debuted in 1912, were originally marketed his new waterproof boot, Maine Hunting Shoes, through a mail order catalog. The company’s founder, Leon Leonwood Bean, who is remembered as the true New England outdoorsman, designed his own boots when his old boots couldn’t keep his feet dry while on a hunting trip.
One pair of these historic, preppy boots will now make a swanky statement for your shoe collection after bearing through grotesque waves of Uggs and Crocs for the last decade. Little did we know L.L. Bean got hip when they brought on a stylist who formerly worked at Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Visit llbean.com for more information on the products.
Hunter Boots
In 1856, two American entrepreneurs from the United States were looking for a suitable factory that would manufacture rubber overshoes and boots in Scotland and started the North British Rubber Company.
Going through a rough first half of 20th century, the company experienced the rapid growth when the British War Office asked them to construct a sturdy boot for soldiers. During WWI alone, they manufactured approximately 1.2 million pairs to meet the Army’s demand. By the end of the WWII, due to the increased popularity among men, women, and children for boots to wear in wet weather, the company maintained persistent growth.
Bored yet?
It wasn’t until 2004 when Hunter boots became colorful, and started receiving attention to be considered as a fashion item with collaborated work with high-end shoe designers like Jimmy Choo or Rag&Bone. And in 2011, I finally purchased a pair of Hunter Wellington boots for myself. That’s right, ladies! I am the Kanye in this town! Ever since, with its practicality of keeping feet dry, these rubber rain boots urged us to splash in puddles!
Both L.L. Bean’s bean boots and Hunter’s wellingtons are now staples on college campuses more than 100 years after the brands were founded. They now come with a variety of linings, colors, and materials, but both evolved without changing much, reminding us that preppy style never goes wrong for us Greeks.
