— Cassidy Red —
Founded in 1853, Rios of Mercedes is a custom bootmaker.
Based in Mercedes, Texas, the company continues to make each pair of boots one at a time while preserving traditional methods.
Rios boots have a distinctive construction that uses cloth instead of the cork commonly found in a shoe’s insole.
As a result, the sole flexes easily, giving them a softness in motion despite their substantial Western-boot appearance.
Another defining feature is the upturn of the toe.
It is slightly raised when new, but as the boots are worn, the sole settles in and the upturn gradually becomes more pronounced. Rios’s signature “spring toe” is not a finished shape from the start; it develops through walking.
Cassidy Red.
This pair was created with Butch Cassidy, the protagonist of the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in mind.
An outlaw with humor and intelligence.
That character, impossible to describe through simple roughness alone, is expressed in a distinctive color based on RED with touches of PINK.
The upper uses thick calf leather.
Combination tanning preserves the leather’s substantial presence while giving it the suppleness to conform to the foot when worn.
The toe is the particularly sharp “A LONG TOE,” one of Rios of Mercedes’ signature shapes.
Because artisans shape each one by shaving the leather, they are never completely uniform.
Subtle differences between the left and right boots and slight variations in the outline remain, creating the character of handmade Western boots.
The shaft features embroidery stitching known as “JOHN PAT.”
Layering GOLDEN BROWN, GOLD, and CREAM creates depth that a single color could not achieve. Against the RED and PINK upper, the warm-toned threads blend in like a gradient.
The sole is leather.
Traditional lemonwood pegs are driven in, and the bottom is finished half-black.
While retaining the rugged construction of a Western boot, it reveals a refined elegance reminiscent of a dress shoe when the foot turns.
The tongue has perforations, although they may not be included depending on the size.
As the boots are worn, the once-vivid RED gradually settles, while the leather’s pull-up reveals varied shading ranging from PINK to BURGUNDY.
Creases form, the sheen increases, and the toe’s upturn gradually becomes more pronounced.
The vivid red is not left as merely a flashy boot.
Cassidy Red is made to deepen in color with time and become your own through wear.
※ Boots made in the American workshop may vary slightly from pair to pair. Please enjoy the marks and variations in color unique to natural leather, along with the differences in character created by handwork, as part of these boots.
We have written a BLOG about Rios of Mercedes; please take a look.
・“The Rios of Mercedes Genre”
・Cassidy Red / Sundance Gold ― The Last Rios of Mercedes
