Viberg x Division Road Collaborations
Among other things, we at Division Road pride ourselves on doing collaborations and carrying products that speak to enthusiasts; at the end of the day we’re collectors at heart and only wish to present pieces that we’d be pleased to have in our own personal cache of craft. With decades of combined experience in hunting and gathering rebuildable footwear, Division Road employs expertise to provide distinct designs distilled from various sides of this niche. This basis, industry knowledge, and graduated approach has informed an impeccable assembly of over 90 Viberg collaborations to date and has made Division Road an established destination for refined works of various style profiles. Core to the heritage market is the aficionado audience and client, who we relentlessly strive to guide in their journey to discover and acquire goods that are not just products, but exceptional additions that blend the past and present into a concoction of collectible and wearable craft for their unique wardrobes.
Viberg’s cult boot making formula has been complemented throughout the years, working and evolving with Horween. Both companies have become archetypical representations in their categories by working on recipes and processes that fuse formal with industrial, translating those into utilitarian products that manage to inspire while maintaining tradition. Hence, this week we bring you our Horween Heritage Pack Vol. 2 that uses patterns, materials, and specifications in unique methods to create an inspirational anthology of limited one-off collectables. Each style speaks to Viberg’s legacy as a workboot maker and to Horween as a premier, century-old American tannery, through their maturation into contemporary cult brands that remain true to their heritage productions. This Horween Heritage quint-pack utilizes some of our favorite signature leathers in true and new ways for a wild selection of stylish souvenirs in make-ups ranging from the Bobcat to the Hunter, which typify Division Road’s ability to deftly collaborate with Viberg to produce pieces with inspirations ranging from workwear to street style to militaria, alongside boots made for the boardroom or crime family bosses.
Mushroom Chamois Hiking Hunter
Starting this collaboration series, we bring the Hiking Hunter to the frontlines with a military commando boot inspiration on one of our most successful pattern developments with Viberg. Coming in the heavily oiled and war-ready Mushroom Chamois leather that has a dusty olive undertone, this Hiking Hunter is designed for minimal care for all conditions. The earthy Chamois leather is coordinated with black components from the padded roll collar and fully gusseted tongue in an oil tan leather, gun matte eyelets, and murdered 360 storm welt and midsole that complement a Commando Sole to provide a Jungle Boot aesthetic in a fully functional hiker. Soon to be put on hiatus, this Hunter pays respect to the original throwback inspiration from the trail trekkers of the 60’s to the city stoppers in the 90’s in a style piece that performs better than anything in its class.
Olive Waxed Flesh & Natural CXL Bobcat
To take the series firmly to next-level status, we bring you a Bobcat that will maul all others with flavor from the street to the workshop, inspired by our original NW Pack capsule collection piece that launched Division Road, way back when. To hallmark the original and show how well-worn pairs have developed over the years, this two-tone design uses an Olive Waxed Flesh that will reveal the reverse nap through vicious use and will color meld to the grain-side Natural CXL for a unifying Northwest-meets-military, earthy palette with variations in tone and texture. In keeping with the original, we utilized character correct specifications of brass eyelets for some workboot bling, a fully gusseted tongue that grants backwoods utility, and the natural leather midsole and Vibram 4014 Christy Sole with stitchdown construction to represent the Viberg way, from up north to down south. For a soon to be extinct Bobcat, this collaboration is certain to be a grail in any collection as an homage to both Viberg and Division Road’s individual and collective debuts into the heritage market.
Brown Olive Tan Service Boot
A Horween Heritage Pack is not complete without that which boot buffs refer to as the 1950’s Service Boot, using the 310 Last from Viberg’s archives that the aforementioned devotees admittedly don’t see nearly enough. Keeping things classic with an update, this dusty walnut Brown Service Boot comes in a new Olive Tan from Horween that uses olive oil in a formula that replicates an industrial grade oil tan, enhanced with natural and pull-up characteristics that are bolstered by air drying for a tonal and textured irregular pebbled shrunken grain. For that rockabilly workman aesthetic with proportional balance and robust utility, we used our signature refinements of tonal antique brass eyelets, a straight cap toe, a natural leather midsole, and the Vibram 705 Split Sole with a slight sculpt to the heel. Proving that keeping things simple has its benefits, this Service Boot is structurally and stylistically sound for those gents wanting to add to their collection or those who are keen to introduce an appropriately bold and built 310 to their line-up.
Charcoal Chamois Roughout Service Boot
Next, we took inspiration from our own private collection in the form of an archive Viberg that embodies a classic, simple, and impeccable make-up in all regards. With some new school adaptations for the next era of collectable classics, this Bad Seed Service Boot redux, uses a better than original Charcoal Chamois Roughout leather with an oily nap that reads like the burnished coal Santa will give the wearer. Based on the original, we used nine small nickel eyelets and a newly refreshed cap toe with pinking that provide a little flash when paired to the traditional natural leather midsole atop a modernized smoke colored Lactea Hevea Crepe Sole to create a highly wearable walker for all those bad seeds in back alleys. While easily overlooked in an assembly of more dramatic designs, this Service Boot is a slick style piece for habitual use in any collection, with a cleanly coordinated look in an industrious build that allows for immediate comfort and traction for all of us surefooted slackers.
Petrol Chamois Roughout Chukka Boot
Last and certainly not least, this Viberg Chukka Boot inspired by the WWII desert campaign original swoops through like a nighthawk in what might actually be the unexpected favorite of the squadron, in a palette and material combination inspired by our style maven comrade Jeff Depano. With an ivy-meets-evergreen style influence, this iconic pattern comes in a dark as midnight Petrol Chamois with a greasy nap that reflects a cool blue to black, from day to night. For those looking for a unique and evolved iteration on an historical boot, we utilized toast brown contrasting upper stitching that stylistically syncs with rawhide laces, a natural leather midsole, and a sand colored Vibram 2060 Sole for street to trail troopers. This Chukka Boot pays homage to our vintage veterans that inspired the appropriate use of a military pattern and Last combination that stands proud and firm on foot, all in a casual classic that will inspire those with well-armed collections to induct a new recruit, and those new enthusiasts to enlist.
