exitcreative

Strangely enough, I still get a lot of visits from one of my earliest posts about Rainbow Sandals.

I just got a new pair, thanks to my good buddy Kevin Panke, and I’m going through the incredibly painful break-in process with them as I type. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Rainbows are the most rewarding kind of footwear possible. The break-in is rough, bloody, and long, but the comfort you get after those two weeks is unparalleled. My current pair has lasted since my original post three years ago, and I’m reluctant to retire this pair entirely. But these fresh, Sierra Brown ‘bows await.

Crispy.

Getting tired, but still looking good.

I’m always intrigued by brands and products that can overcome relatively large barriers to use. In Rainbow’s case, the sandals are far more expensive than other alternatives and they take what seems like forever to break in. And they don’t seem to do much in the way of promotion for their brand, yet they’ve garnered a pretty significant distribution network. As far as I can tell, the reward for use is so high that the barriers mean little to fans of the brand. Pretty fertile ground for those of us in the communications industry.

On a similar note, I’ve just come into possession of an awesome new pair of Red Wing boots. They’re model 1907, and the color–get this–is “Copper Rough & Tough”. They look broken-in already, due to the tanning of the leather, but they’re still quite stiff and are just now beginning to become comfortable. But I’m sure they’ll give me years of service, and they’re a pretty big step toward completing my lumberjack aesthetic. Check out the Norwegian welt (where the sole attaches to the upper). Instead of hiding part of the welt underneath the upper as with a Goodyear welt, it wraps up onto the upper, and making the whole boot rather stiff and supportive. Not a bad thing in a work boot. So cool.

Look at those awesome details.

So cool. Gonna start writing a bit more about clothes, shoes and such. Hope you don’t hate it.