An executive of the Timberland Company — at the time a rising brand whose nubuck leather boots were becoming synonymous with cool in New York City, especially among young African Americans — told The New York Times that the company was scaling back distribution to cater to its "target customer. Like many of Timberland's Black customers, who took "target customer" to mean wealthy, white customers, John saw the statement as a sort of rejection.
For John, who at the time, owned at least seven pairs of Timberlands and wore them with everything "I would wear Timberlands with a bathing suit. Literally," John says , "I felt pissed off. For Timberland, a company that had built its image around rugged, outdoorsy New Englanders and "the Wall street man," it provoked a reckoning with the influence and staying power of Black consumers, who had embraced the shoe as a fashion staple.
And it changed the brand's identity. In , Abington Shoe used an innovative molding technique to produce a waterproof, 6-inch Nubuck leather boot that could withstand harsh weather.
The company called it the Timberland boot. So in , the company changed its name to Timberland, according to a article from The Boston Globe.
By the late '80s, the boots' popularity was surging internationally. The New York Times reported that teens were robbing people for their Timberlands in fashion capital Milan and that American flight attendants were buying dozens of Timberlands to resell for double the price in Italy.
The boot was a favorite in places like the UK and Japan too. By , Timberland opened its second flagship store the first was in New Hampshire, where the company is based on New York's Upper East Side — peak real estate for pricey fashion brands.
New York City residents with a taste for quality and prestige began purchasing the boot en masse. But the customers weren't who Timberland had expected. Timberland's emergence in "urban" markets is treated like folklore. They had more money to go uptown or downtown to look at the more prestigious brands," John says. According to Walker , young people in Harlem would travel to Midtown to purchase Timberland boots, which grew to have a signifier value in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
At the same time, hip-hop was gaining traction in New York City and by the '90s was becoming more mainstream. And to my beautiful black queens, Whose creative womb has become barren, I am confused because your face says Nefertiti, But your sweater reads Donna Karen,. My people reclaim your status in this world and in your life, F.
She is aware of it and is very disappointed. Rappers such as Notorious B. The American manufacturer was in fact founded by Nathan Swartz in and has never been affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan.
In , the company was acquired by VF Corporation, an American worldwide apparel and footwear company founded in and headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. In other words, while you should stay away from fake Timberland boots , the racism rumors circulating online about the brand are not true. The more rap grew—and grow it did—the further afield Timberlands reached.
He has since sought to correct this impression, but it seems that especially in the early days of hip-hop, that the brand was reticent about being tied to the young folks who were well outside their traditional white, blue-collar customer base. Timberland is now owned by VF Corporation, a huge conglomerate that owns many of our favorite brands. There are premium collections and made in USA collections, but your run of the mill Timberland boots are likely no longer made stateside.
Wikipedia states that the uppers for Timbs come from Horween , but again, that has been difficult to confirm. What can be said for the brand is that its boots are now a wardrobe staple. Along Sk8-His and Chuck Taylors, this simple work boot is now a must-have. Obviously, Timberland has rap to thank for its success.
Although the boot stands on its own merit, the world at large may never have snatched up the style had it not been for Biggie and his ilk. Also known as the Original Yellow Boot, this is the Timberland boot.
Originally released in , this iconic style uses waterproof seam-sealed construction with a padded collar, rust-proof hardware, and a hardy rubber lug sole. Essentially a lowered version of their Original Yellow Boot, the Nellie is a sleeker version primarily marketed toward women.
Using the same waterproof, direct-attach seam-sealed construction as its bigger brother, the slimmer padded collar and lack of quadruple-needle stitching set it apart. Available in full-grain leather options, key details include a degree rawhide lacing system, leather lining, and cement construction.
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