New Trends in Exotics

There has always been a sort of push-and-pull between trends among custom boots and the "ready to wear" pairs. If people have seen something on the shelf they'll often want it with a custom fit, for instance the past popularity of the round toe, and the unexplainable fondness for the double stitched welt. Conversely, if a boot is popular enough to generate lots of custom orders, you are likely to see it showing up on the retail shelves...a good example of this is ostrich skin boots. Ostrich boots used to be an eye-catching luxury item, but now with inexpensive imports...they are well within reach for most boot wearers.

Ostrich is a good leather for boots. It's soft yet fairly sturdy...makes an ideal dress or everyday boot. One of the benefits of its growing popularity has been the increasing number of color choices. But with such popularity do we still get to call ostrich, an exotic leather?

When I looked up the word "exotic" in the dictionary, it gave two meanings. One was "exotic" meaning non-native, like a plant...the other was "exotic" meaning strangely beautiful or alluring, like an exotic dancer.

I certainly consider ostrich to be "non-native" to a cowboy boot. I would probably say this was true of any leather not indigenous to the cattle drive. What is "native" to a cowboy boot is probably a question that was settled back around 1880.

On the other hand, individual taste will always make the final decision about beauty. One thing I will say about ostrich is that it's lost its edge. Part of what makes a cowboy boot exotic is the What is it? factor. Do you remember when you saw your first ostrich boot...that What is it? moment?

When too many people can identify a leather...or when you see it silk-screened on swapmeet handbags, for many boot wearers it has lost its allure.

Bootmaker Luis Jovel and I agree about some trends we're seeing in exotic boots. Custom boot wearers who are dead set on something exotic are no longer satisfied with ostrich, anteater, or alligator...they want something DIFFERENT. Where will these new critters come from? Are we going to see a return of "novelty" leathers like bullfrog and rattlesnake? How long will it take before these fill up the shelves. Only time will tell.

And what about custom bootmakers? Where are their customers headed next? I predict a booming business for bootmakers offering "re-invented exotics"...new finishes and treatments of existing exotic favorites. New on the scene is shark in new matte finishes...also buffed and/or painted stingray. Each guaranteed to get a proper What is it? response from bystanders.

(NOTE: I saw the painted stingray when I visited Bangkok...sure to appear in the U.S. soon)