The Stitchdown Shoecast

That's right, Ticho and Ben from Stitchdown.com are back to answer listener questions on another absolutely thrilling Shoebag episode. What's the best way to break in engineer boots so you can get then on and off nice and easy? How many pairs should you have if you want to really get each wear in a rotation? What's the deal with Tyrolean shoes? And perhaps most importantly, if you h...

Two and a half years into its existence, Artisan Boot & Shoe—which sprung forth following the Batavia, New York P.W. Minor factory's unfortunate demise—is showing signs that while American footwear manufacturing might not be what it was decades ago, it's definitely got a fighting chance to show new growth alongside the Pacific Northwest and and Maine-based stalwarts we love over here...

With an incredible range of outsoles available to choose from, how does a footwear lover narrow things down to just one? There are huge questions to tackle. How do you weigh looks vs functionality?  Durability vs traction? Comfort vs capability? WILL TICHO FINALLY ADMIT THAT WEDGE SOLES ABSOLUTELY RULE??? This week, we talk about our favorite (and a few of our least favorite) outsoles—from Dainite...

Matt Gray came out of nowhere to become an instant Alden legend, and one of the Instagram kings of rare shell cordovan. Now Matt and partner Jim Pietryka —who has almost a decade of experience in the shoe biz and an insane vintage shoe collection—are about to celebrate the second anniversary of their Raleigh, NC shop Ealdwine . In the first episode of Shoecast Season 3, Ben from Stitchdown.com and...

The Pacific Northwest is home to the last remaining epicenter of quality bootmaking in the US (and Canada)—and the stories of how the makers White's Boots , Wesco , Nicks Handmade Boots , and Viberg came to be, and how they persisted, are quite honestly nothing short of phenomenal. And you may know plenty about them! But Ticho and Ben from Stitchdown dug deeper than could possibly be consider...

Carl Murawski is a man of many facets—and many boots. Sure, he's the world's largest YouTube star (and definitely go check out his excellent channel right here ), and a man with a genuinely impressive perspective on so much of the fashion world. But he's also a licensed electrician who puts his footwear through more than 99% of people—and has some fantastic boot stories to tell from...

2020: Interesting year! I feel like a few things happened. PLENTY also happened in the shoe world. Far more certainly than one  could’ve anticipated given the circumstances. This episode, Ben from Stitchdown.com and @tichoblancoshoes run them all down and give a bit of perspective on where 2021 might take us (like, possibly wearing a ton of engineer boots, maybe?!?). This episode was sponsored by...

It's Brett Viberg time! Few people have exerted as much influence over the quality footwear industry over the past decade as Brett has while he's reshaped Viberg Boot from an industrial boot manufacturer to arguably the most important lifestyle boot brand in the entire scene.  This episode Ben and Brett talk about Viberg's future—what is it advancing towards as a product, and as a b...

Alden's Brett Klein is one of the true mensches of the footwear world. A huge part of his job is to help retailers—and humble shoe podcasters who devise Stitchup boots —dream up and refine the incredible makeups that define Peak Alden for so many of us. He's also one of the shell cordovan-fading kings of this world, having put in the time (in the sun) to beautifully alter his color 8 she...

Ahhhh, the Shoe Journey. The voyage from understanding essentially nothing about great shoes and boots to...GETTING IT. It's a path that winds in all directions, and no journey is the same for any two people. But there are almost always similarities! Flashpoints and big mistakes and everything else that shapes a shoe lover into what they are today—an evolution which, if you're doing it r...

WHAT ARE THE BEST VALUE SHOES I CAN BUY? It's the thing everyone wants to know. And while there are some sure-thing answers when it comes to pure bang-for-the-buck, finding the best value footwear, for you , and perhaps more importantly, extracting the maximum value from your shoes and boots, is a little more complicated. This episode, Ben from @Stitchdown and @tichoblancoshoes get (as they t...

Mark Barbera of Mark Albert Boots had a dream: make some Chelsea boots. Next thing he knew, he had an entire boot company, operating out of his hometown of Somerset, the little known maple syrup (and maple butter wings) capital of Pennsylvania. Fast forward a few years and Mark has expanded his line to include a made-in-Italy range to honor his master cobbler grandfather, and has plenty more big p...

SHELL CORDOVAN! That most magical of shoe leathers. King of shine, paragon of durability, bastion of beauty. There really is nothing quite like it. But shell cordovan also has its downsides! The cost, the maintenance, rolls gone wrong.  So is it truly the best shoe and boot leather? Oh, and is it even leather at all?!? @tichoblancoshoes and Ben from Stitchdown.com are here to engage in the most pr...

"How do I get my hands on some Alden rare shell cordovan boots or shoes?" It's one of the questions we get asked the most. So Ben from @stitchdown and @tichoblancoshoes decided to crack it open, along with plenty of other listener questions you can learn a ton from. What are the best ways to store your footwear if you don't have a ton of space? Why does roughout leather never n...

Neil Berrett, co-founder of the excellent Oakland booterdashery Standard & Strange , is many things. A Viberg and Wesco makeup wizard. A dutiful procurer of Japanese fashion (including John Lofgren boots). A kind-hearted soul who legitimately cares about the people who work for him and the community around him. And perhaps most importantly, someone who spent his time detained in a Japanese pol...

After a rollicking first season, the Stitchdown Shoecast is BACK for number two. And to make the return even more special, this first episode presents the first-ever Stitchdown Bootbate, an extremely formal and rigid debate...about boots!...pitting Shoecast co-host @tichoblancoshoes vs the formidable wide-leg-trousered opponent Jake, aka @almostvintagestyle . Let me tell you, over the course of th...

@tichoblancoshoes is many things: esteemed shoe collector, Harrison Ford appreciator, a man who knows his way around a pizza. He is also a scoundrel—but his very scoundrelness can help you get the secondhand shoes you want, at the exact price you want, if you follow Ticho's Outstanding Negotiating System, aka T.O.N.S. Ben from @stitchdown and Ticho also take you through everything else you ne...

Quality shoes & boots—they cost some money! But it's completely possible to construct a well-rounded collection on the (relative!) cheap...you just have to approach it correctly. Ben from @stitchdown and Ticho both have managed to pull it off, and this week they share their 5-point system for how to think about long-term value, collection fluidity, the best ways to get things on the cheap...

If you were forced to choose only five pairs of boots and shoes for the rest of our life, and had to give away everything else...what would those five be? Because we are masochists, Ticho and I decided to subject ourselves to this horrific—but enlightening!—thought experiment on the most recent Shoecast episode. It was NOT easy. We lost sleep. And we were both sickened by how similarly we thought...

This week, the Shoecast is actually the Larscast, as Ben from @Stitchdown and @tichoblancoshoes spend a whole bunch of time chatting with Lars Jensen, the one-man Norwegian wondermaker who creates—and indeed IS— Østmo boots . Things you should know: 1) Lars is the best. 2) We talk about a lot of boots stuff, including his inspiration, his process for making a pair, and his favorite tool (a gift fr...

In the last episode of the Shoecast , Ticho and Ben did a birds-eye view of the US handsewn moccasin construction footwear scene: how the shoes are made, and the rise and fall and rise again of the industry behind it, largely in Maine. It's a deeply interesting and often inspiring ride, and you can check it out right here . This week, we go deeper on five brands crafting a truly amazing range...

Handsewns—boat shoes, camp mocs, ranger mocs, guide boots, penny loafers, and other shoes and boots made with handsewn moccasin construction—are some of the most comfortable, and indeed truly handmade footwear that exists. This week on the Shoecast, and Ticho and Ben from Stitchdown get into how they're made, and how the US industry—based largely in Maine—arose and turned into a powerhouse, t...

It's time for the Shoebag, in which Ticho and Ben answer ANYTHING listeners want to know about. This week we talk about how to ensure you get the best possible patina on your boots, the importance of branding for shoe companies, which price point represents the best value, and plenty more—including why Tichoblanco is even called Tichoblanco. It's a fun one. This episode was sponsored by...

Last episode Ben and Ticho took 16 of Alden's best shoes and boots, debated fiercely, and narrowed them down to 8, tournament-style. This time, those 8 become 1—the greatest Alden model of all time. Listen in for the debate, even if it's just to let us know where we were right and wrong. This episode was sponsored by Grant Stone —we wholeheartedly suggest you check out their lineup right...

Alden is the last great American dress shoe maker—and their boots might just be even better. Ticho and Ben take on an impossible task: debating the best Alden model of them all. 16 enter, but only one will win. Get ready for a knock-down, drag-out battle. This episode was sponsored by Grant Stone —we wholeheartedly suggest you check out their lineup right here . Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock...