Role Club Engineer Boots
Horween Black Chromexcel Horsehide
Brian’s 1940 last shape seems robust with a pronounced toe bump when new, but over time when the toes fully collapse they mature into the sublime epitome of profile perfection, the perfect sleek vintage engineer shape. Most of my boots are horsebutt , and for a while I was distinctly disappointed in the cxl horse hide that Brian loves so much. But the last month as the brown core triumphantly broke through his overdye, I could see its glorious pull-up breaking through like the sun shining through black storm clouds as the vamps finally started to crease and roll. This leather was so tough that by month five I was worried no wear would be apparent, that six months just wasn’t enough to wear down black chromexcel horse hide. But once the seal was broken the patina came flowing through in droves.
Taken on April 6, 2024
Maker
Role Club
Model
Engineer Boots
Leather
Last
Sole
Purchased from
Role Club
More about this item
Brian prefers to size his boots almost no room in the toe. While these do fit very well, I was hoping and expecting to have another cm of room in the tip of the toe for the toe box to collapse based on how most bootmakers size, but the fit is so spot on that my toes fill up the entire shoe. This is a personal aesthetic preference for me and is not a mistake in Brian’s part, but I would have liked to have been able to have softly more room in the toe, so make sure to bring that up if you have a similar preference.Why I Own This
I am learning to make handmade boots and have been lucky enough to have been invited by Brian to sit in and learn a bit in his famed shop in LA. He is my biggest inspiration, so for my Dome boots I asked him to pick the spec he felt best represented Role Club and make that for me so I could represent his work proudly in the Thunderdome. He said 1940 last, black hand dyed cxl hh engineer with a leather sole was his favorite build. I asked him if he could slap an embossed deco anniversary sole on it for a little flair and away we went. Shortly after I received mine, he introduced this exact makeup as a limited edition run on his website. These boots have become a guiding beacon for me, a tower on the horizon as I move through the sometimes murky fog of learning this archaic but essential craft. Watching the beauty of these boots bloom as I wore them and being able to sit down with my hero and inspiration and learn from him has kept me focused and hungry to learn as fast as I can and hopefully be able to match his monolithic craftsmanship some day. When I get to that level, I dream of one day celebrating by collaborating on a make up with the man himself.
How I Sized
Brian sized me in person. He took a traditional size 29 1940 last and built out the ball area for me as my feet are in between a D and E. Brian sizes in cm.
Ordering Process
I made an appointment with Brian and went to his shop and discussed my preferences in person.