Petition to ask Chippewa to keep producing 11" engineer boots

[Vintagestyle]

It seems Chippewa ( Justin ) has decided to stop manufacturing their iconic 11" engineer boots and harness boots ,so i was wondering what people would think about signing a petition and send it to Chippewa to ask them if they could still manufacture some ,even if it's a smaller production .
Chippewa is the brand who made the first engineer boots in the 1930's and who manufactured them for many other brands ( Harley ,Sears , Branson to name a few ) during decades.
They were really good quality for the price and had the best look ( with the Red Wing ) in that range of prices ( and to my taste ,of all the engineer boots ) .
Their steel toe 27863 and non steel toe 97863 were really beautiful and really good quality , were goodyear welted ,so they could be resoled and their harness boots were also the nicest ( Frye look nice but their quality is far from good compared to what they did in the past and the regular model is not even goodyear welted anymore ! Wesco are great quality but the appearance is not the same ) ,with great leather quality and good minilug vibram soles . I understand some might prefer other appearance but they certainly were among the best .
Chippewa has manufactured some engineer boots since the 1930's ( even if the very first were not the 11" but some taller , 17" ).
They still manufacture the 17" models ,so they could keep manufacturing the 11" which must be made with the same equipment as the 17" models , so it should not be that difficult for them to keep manufacturing the 11" boots .
Those engineer and harness boots are as iconic as Schott Perfecto and Levi's 501 , so it would be really sad to see those boots disappear ( knowing Red Wing do not sell anymore their engineer boots in USA ,only in Europe and not even in Japan anymore it seems . ) !
Maybe if we send them a request signed by enough people ,they would accept to keep manufacturing some !
Much of their production is not made in USA anymore ,whereas these were made in USA ,so it would be really sad to see all their made in USA boots disappear (with all the jobs as well !) .
After all ,they were the original engineer boots manufactured before some other brands ( based on the infos i could find ) like Santa Rosa ,Buco ,Wards and other well known brands ,although it seems Wesco made some Early as well ; they are among the few still existing today .
Fashion is one thing ,it comes and goes but those boots are timeless and are a piece of America history used by workers, bikers, rockers,punks ( yes, Sid Vicious had some engineer boots, with orange and black outsoles ,like the ones used by Double H harness boots i believe ! For the history ,He had left a note that he wanted to be buried with them ) new wave , hipsters and so many men and women for decades and generations !
Marlon Brando wore some engineer boots in The Wild ones ( Chippewa it seems ) and James Dean as well in Rebel without a cause ...

 

[Vintagestyle]

I don't know what would be the minimum order for Chippewa accepts to make a batch but i suppose if enough people / shops were interested in investing some money to have a batch made ( especialy if this is the last one ) ,we might be able to convince them to manufacture it .
Personnaly ,i would be interested in investing some money in that project ! I suppose it would just need one celibrity wears some ,for it gets trendy again for a while ( although it's sad to see how something can come and go out of fashion just like that !) ! Lol

I used to wear some Chippewa engineer boots and loggers ( discontinued 8 or 9" black oil tan model unlined ) to ride motorcycles since the late 80's but didn't buy some for a while as i had no more motorcycle these last years but as i bought a 1200 kawasaki a few months ago, i directly searched for some Chippewa and was surprised to see i couldn't find some anymore in France ( as one shop had a few pairs left but not in my size ) and even in Europe , as easily as i used to ,so i spent a few months searching for some and also searching for all the infos i could find about engineer boots .
I then contacted Chippewa in USA and learnt they discontinued their 11" engineer boots ,what made me really sad ( nostalgia maybe but not only ) !
Didn't their Original 1901 serie sold well a few years ago ?
I had a pair i could find last yea but destroyed it riding a motorcycle and i tried to find some others in USA but most shops selling some ,refuse to ship internationaly ( and all of them seem to have very few in stock and not my size ) ; so unfortunatey i couldn't find some in my size !

I still search for some 97863 , 27863 ( or 27899) , 27868 ( harness) and 1901m04 ( or the older model 91068 ) in 10,5D ,so if anybody knows where there is a shop that has some stock , i'd be really happy and grateful to know about it ( if someone needs help searching for some RW in Europe maybe i can help in return ) ! I suppose there must be some shops which still have some .

 

[Vintagestyle]

I suppose few people might be interested in trying to ask that to Chippewa seeing no answer.
It was just to send them a request about it , cause i suppose if they really don't want to manufacture some anymore ,they won't ,but if they had seen enough people interested maybe they would have thought about keeping at least a small production or making a few last batches .
I understand all that is just about business and nothing else ,so if they don't sell anymore , they don't care still producing some .
Justin bought at least 3 other brands of boots including Chippewa ,and i suppose the CEO and shareholders don't really care about tradition and all that ; it is just about money .
They didn't even create Chippewa as it's been decades it is not a family business anymore .
So ,like the original Frye Plant which closed in 2003 ( and bought by a Chinese company ) ,they might not really care about manufacturing iconic boots if they don't make enough money with it !
Business is business and loosing customers might not be a problem for them ,even when they wore Chippewa boots for 4 decades !

I know a shop in France which worked with Chippewa USA for 40 years at least and which ordered 100 pairs of engineer and harness boots in September and they don't even know if they will get them ; Chippewa didn't even told them they discontinued these boots !

 

[Vintagestyle]

I am surprised nobody seems interested in trying to ask Chippewa if they might keep at least a little production of those ,cause it seems all the stocks available of Chippewa 11" engineer boots sold online are melting like ice under the sun these last days ( even if it was just a few dozens) .
i don't know if some people learnt about the fact they were discontinued after my posts ( i had not seen the info anywhere before i was told about it ) or if they would have bought them anyway but all the ones i was looking at ( and i was also watching the stocks in other sizes than mine on several websites ) , got sold very fast and as i am outside USA ,it is mote complicated to buy some !

 

[Bfd70]

I don’t think there is 1/10th the number of people in the entire TFL archive to make a dent in the decision. Also, at the price point, I think Red Wing are better.

 

[Vintagestyle]

I don’t think there is 1/10th the number of people in the entire TFL archive to make a dent in the decision. Also, at the price point, I think Red Wing are better.

If several people here have been interested in signing a "petition " ( a request ) ,i would have made one on a website like change.org and send it to Chippewa if reaching enough signatures but if even here there is nobody interested in it ( although maybe it is not the best forum for that ,i don't know ) ,i suppose there is no use doing it .
It is sad cause they are really nice and are the first ones worn by Marlon Brando in the Wild ones and James Dean in Rebel without a cause ,which are iconic movies that inspired generations of young people .

Red Wing are nice as well but personnaly i prefer the look of the Chippewa ones and also the way they fit cause the RW don't hold the heel the same way ( not sure how to say that but they seem to hold it lower at the heel ) ,although both are usualy too large at the heel and instep for me as i have thin foot and instep, so i have to tighten the lower strap to the max on both .
I prefer the all black color of the 27863 over the RW 2268 ( which look more like the 22899 with their clear leather welt color ,except the 2268 also have clear heel ) and also, the leather of the 2268 is shinnier than the oil tan leather of the Chippewa .
That said ,i would prefer some leather insoles with some cushion material under but when the Chippewa are broken in, they are comfortable enough.

 

[Edward]

This is disappointing to hear. My first engineer boots were a pair of Grinders. I still have them; heavy commando sole, steel toecap, glossy black leather.... they're a sort of characateur of an engineer boot to some extent, like one drawn for a gang of punks in a Judge Dredd or Tank Girl story. That said, they're fantastic in snow. I also have a pair of the brown Caterpillar ones that they made a few years ago - lovely fit. Nothing on the quality of a RW or a Chippewa, but as mine came from eBay as 'used but as new - unwanted gift' for twenty quid, well.... I wouldn't ride with them on a bike, but they are very nice to wear around until such times as I 'upgrade'. Then there's my SJCs in oxblood (probably the best I own - nicer than Redwings, imo), and a pair of TCX branded black ones with low-profile rubber soles, designed specifically as motorcycle boots and CE-armoured (without compromising the outer look). Waterproof Goretex lining, too. For all those, I had hoped to 'upgrade' to some better boots over time. Chippewas looked to be the best option for me; while the RedWings are certainly nice, they seem to be mostly an oiled finish, and I would prefer a boot I can shine. The soles on the Chippewas also look much nicer to me. I especially liked the 1901M45 and 1901M37(?) models I saw on sale locally. I also considered a pair of the lower, 6" type for a Winter alternative to the penny loafers I tend to wear when flying in warmer months (so much easier than anything else when you have to remove shoes at security). Alas, like most US-made stuff here, they've gotten expensive over the years, to the point where I could now buy a pair of custom-made Lewis boots for just a fraction more. I had hoped to buy a pair or two when next in the USA, as I see the prices are vastly lower there on average. Doesn't look like I'll make it in time now, though.

It seems a real shame that the heritage brand which created the iconic engineer boot is planning to stop it; it's like Schott deciding to cancel the Perfecto, or Levis killing off 501s. It's even odder that they'd keep on the 17" version, which surely can't be as big a seller? (FWIW, my favourite height for an engineer boot is 10"!). The next rung up- the Wescos and the likes - are simply much more than I'd want to spend on boots, yet that then leave only the Redwings (love my Iron Rangers, but not as keen on their engineer boots) and the lower scale offerings. Is it confirmed they are killing off the boots altogether, as opposed to replacing the current range with a simplified or single choice? If this is definite, then I'd be sceptical of our chances of convincing them to change tack. Whereas to a niche provider 100 people committing to buy a run of boots might be a big deal, I can only imagine that Chippewa are into the thousands to make it viable. What seems a better bet to me would be to find a purveyor of quality boots who would be open to taking on a small run for an initial order for TFLers as a way of them experimenting with the form for their market.... I've long thought Aero would do really well if they got their supplier of their current boots to make a forties-style, American engineer boot. If they used Horween steer, that would be a seller, surely? The company that make their current 'Border Patrol' boot (in, I note, HorweenCXL steer) shouldn't struggle with this project. They could even do a deluxe Winter version with a shearling lining. FWIW, the shearling-lined Border Patrol retails at GBP300, while the (no shearling lining) Chippewa 1901M48 retails in the UK at around GBP275. If Aero could be persuaded that there was a market for a run of these, that might be more likely than persuading Chippewa not to cease production? Just throwing that out there. In the absence of SJC doing more of their engineer boots (I don't think Simon has any current plans to do more), Aero seem the most realistic hope for something like this.

 

[Vintagestyle]

What is SCJ ?

Yes ,i don't understand why they keep manufacturing the 17" and stop the 11" .
Maybe because there are less brands making the 17" ones and that their first model of engineer boots were tall 17" ones .
I really can't understand why they totaly discontinue the boots that were their most well known ones ,or at least among them.
I would never have heard about Chippewa if they had not made those boots and some loggers they discontinued as well a few years ago unfortunately .
Yes,maybe Aero could have a model designed for them by Chippewa .
I don't really like the look of their border patrol and they could make Chippewa with a sheep lining maybe if they want to.
I really love the Chippewa shape and look,better than most others ,except the RW that look nice as well but i don't like the heel color much and the plastic in it.
For me ,the Chippewa are the iconic engineer boots , worn by Brando and James dean, the ones which made those boots become so iconic.
I suppose you could have the Red Wings shine as well though .
I might order the 17" Chipp but i have the feeling the shaft circumference is bigger unfortunately ,as they are mostly worn with the trousers inside ,what is not what i look for .

 

[PeterRocco]

Hi
Chippewa Stopped making their Heritage Line of Boots Also. I contacted them also and said no plans to make a lot of older style boots. So Sad.

 

[PeterRocco]

It seems Chippewa ( Justin ) has decided to stop manufacturing their iconic 11" engineer boots and harness boots ,so i was wondering what people would think about signing a petition and send it to Chippewa to ask them if they could still manufacture some ,even if it's a smaller production .
Chippewa is the brand who made the first engineer boots in the 1930's and who manufactured them for many other brands ( Harley ,Sears , Branson to name a few ) during decades.
They were really good quality for the price and had the best look ( with the Red Wing ) in that range of prices ( and to my taste ,of all the engineer boots ) .
Their steel toe 27863 and non steel toe 97863 were really beautiful and really good quality , were goodyear welted ,so they could be resoled and their harness boots were also the nicest ( Frye look nice but their quality is far from good compared to what they did in the past and the regular model is not even goodyear welted anymore ! Wesco are great quality but the appearance is not the same ) ,with great leather quality and good minilug vibram soles . I understand some might prefer other appearance but they certainly were among the best .
Chippewa has manufactured some engineer boots since the 1930's ( even if the very first were not the 11" but some taller , 17" ).
They still manufacture the 17" models ,so they could keep manufacturing the 11" which must be made with the same equipment as the 17" models , so it should not be that difficult for them to keep manufacturing the 11" boots .
Those engineer and harness boots are as iconic as Schott Perfecto and Levi's 501 , so it would be really sad to see those boots disappear ( knowing Red Wing do not sell anymore their engineer boots in USA ,only in Europe and not even in Japan anymore it seems . ) !
Maybe if we send them a request signed by enough people ,they would accept to keep manufacturing some !
Much of their production is not made in USA anymore ,whereas these were made in USA ,so it would be really sad to see all their made in USA boots disappear (with all the jobs as well !) .
After all ,they were the original engineer boots manufactured before some other brands ( based on the infos i could find ) like Santa Rosa ,Buco ,Wards and other well known brands ,although it seems Wesco made some Early as well ; they are among the few still existing today .
Fashion is one thing ,it comes and goes but those boots are timeless and are a piece of America history used by workers, bikers, rockers,punks ( yes, Sid Vicious had some engineer boots, with orange and black outsoles ,like the ones used by Double H harness boots i believe ! For the history ,He had left a note that he wanted to be buried with them ) new wave , hipsters and so many men and women for decades and generations !
Marlon Brando wore some engineer boots in The Wild ones ( Chippewa it seems ) and James Dean as well in Rebel without a cause ...

HI
It's So Sad they also stopped making their Heritage Line and Their Cap Toe Homesteads and their Service Boots.
I e mail them and they have no good reason.

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ Shareholder Value. likely the "reason" to stop spending on a line of boots that has long been out of popularity, since in the end, it's all about sales & profit to them. Harsh, perhaps, but reality of corporate life these days.

I have tried on Chippewa Engineers in stores in various sizes, and have never found either the fit or the "walk" to my liking.
On edit - Vintage Style please see your PM, I talked with the shop I had tried these on at and they have one pair left.

Instead, I am quite happy with my Wesco Mr. Lou's, which are Horween CXL Horsehide and fit my slightly narrow foot perfectly in the "12D" size. In fact, I have never had such a great fit off the shelf in pull-on boots. The walk characteristics do take some getting used to in those. They are stitchdown constructed in the USA so certainly worth the money.

At another order of magnetude of price are John Lofgrens, these are back to Goodyear welt construction, and are made in Japan. They run wide for the tag size. Mine were purchsed "used" (Just barely even tried on) here on FL for a signifigant savings off the new price. These are made of Horween CX Steerhide leather, and once I am approprately double-socked, fit and walk very well.

In otherwords, I've moved on from the Chippewa's. Apparently others have as well.

 

[Aloysius]

Not to necropost, but I figured this would be of interest to those seeking them out.

I'm almost certain the Schott engineer boots they've just started to sell are a rebadge of the Chippewa boot in question.

 

[jglf]

I owned a few pairs of Chippewa’s and wasn’t impressed. Lots of man made materials used in the shoe (e.g. foam filler , poron insole, fabric lining), and their qs wasn’t the best for the price.

 

[Aloysius]

I owned a few pairs of Chippewa’s and wasn’t impressed. Lots of man made materials used in the shoe (e.g. foam filler , poron insole, fabric lining), and their qs wasn’t the best for the price.

Yeah I'm not endorsing the boots, just linking that they're available again now.