From the SEA-DRA
Division Road was created in Seattle, and the solidity of our foundation has been made possible by our numerous and valued members of the Seattle Battalion. We’ve developed some deep and meaningful relationships with many of our clients, from the very first to very last days in our original home base. It’s true that we’re moving to expand and elevate Division Road’s content, geographic breadth, product offerings, and to have more robust physical and virtual channels. However, that does not mean that we’re changing what and who we are as an organization, our aesthetic approach, foundation of design and curation, high level service standards, or any of the other things that make us what we are in the marketplace, all of which are informed by our roots in Seattle.
As an homage to our loyal and regular core customers, we called all ranks to present our Second Edition of the Wardrobe Patina Post to document and exhibit some trademark and well-worn DR collaborations and pieces that represent our clients’ style profile and our single uniform aesthetic to the fullest. As we believe style is a reflection of self, this is a tribute to our SEA members of the Division Road Army who we’re grateful to serve and who are a part of the brand as much as we are. Enjoy these pieces from the curated closets of tech innovators, artisan coffee roasters, fine furniture makers, doctors, businessmen, and gritty underground workmen that are signature to the wardrobes of a collection of characters. Here’s to commemorating the last five years - these relationships will remain crucial to our core.
Obviously, we’ve got to start a Patina Post of our Division with a couple of boot wars. First, the now long gone and forever treasured Tan Washed Horsehide Chelsea Boot was our first collaboration on that pattern soon after Viberg refined and launched the style. Many of our members have this make-up from either the first or second run, and for a patina monster that really communicates a deep character, it’s a hallmark make-up of boots that only get better with age and wear. From two innovative gents separated by a generation, these horsehide beauties have traveled the globe to prove that taste is not trend.
Next up, we bring the Natural CXL Roughout Service Boot, which was a Division Road original collaboration that’s remained in the core-exclusive line-up for years by using Viberg’s signature formula of street-meets-industrial with a unique refinement and execution. Horween’s Natural CXL Roughout, a.k.a. Marine Field Leather, is a robust hide and tannage that takes a while to break-in and captures the best levels of patina in the nap while always looking fresh despite any lack of care. Also known as the “Broadway Boondockers” or “East is the Beast Boots,” take a look at the reflection of two gent’s journeys with these classic DR Service Boots.
Last up on the boot battles, we have a newer collaboration that’s becoming immensely popular. The White’s x DR Black CXL 350 Logger speaks to this maker’s build DNA and aesthetic with a Division Road approach. Designed for a marked patina, the Black CXL with a natural core begins to ebonize while the welt-to-stain matched midsole and sculpted logger heel brilliantly burnishes. A perfect example of how a foundational pair of rebuildable boots will reflect one’s lifestyle, breaking in rather than breaking down, this style will have a subtle and sophisticated patina when used casually, and the other shows an indestructible nature as it’s been ceaselessly utilized for heavy duty workwear in the harshest conditions of Seattle’s underground.
As we all know a wardrobe is something personal, and the reasons most of us are driven to legacy production pieces is that these goods are made with materials and techniques that allow them to be enhanced with wear to communicate our lifestyle through quality. Each one of these items was chosen not only because it wore in dramatically, but to us it said something about the Original Gentleman to whom it belongs in terms of style and evolution.
We will always identify with Mark’s Brogues and Side Zips, Bob’s Chukkas, and Andre’s Black Waxed Flesh Service Boots, thinking about the collaborative inputs and how they have been done justice by these gents. We’ll remember when Ben grabbed his full G’d up Ten C Parka and Shearling Liner, when Kevin stepped up to grab one of our first and still elite Corridor Olive Waxed M65 collaborations, and when Scott added the Belgium Linen French F-2 Fatigue Jacket to his fine outerwear arsenal.
What makes us Division Road, is that we can promptly recall the conversation we’ve had with Joe about grabbing those Iron Heart Double Front collaborations and ensuring him they would hold their own in his woodworking shop, that Bob could do whatever he wanted to with his denim and how they would react when drying them on alarmingly hot settings, and that Mark’s Iron Heart shorts were really made for camping and anything else he could throw at them.
Let this Patina Post Edition serve as an encapsulation of our Seattle era and all those we’ve become close with personally; we’re proud to provide professional assistance in the building of their wardrobes to reflect their personality and lifestyle. We will continue the journey with all of you, look forward to a new era, and no matter where we are the Division Road Army is beyond a geographic location, it’s global and for life.
