During World War I and II, Red Wing Shoes was the leading boots contributor for the US soldiers.
This historical century-old shoe company now handcrafts its boots in its production facilities in the United States. The production facilities are Red Wing, Minnesota; Danville, Kentucky; and Potosi, Missouri.
However, the materials and components used to manufacture Red Wing shoes come from outside the United States. The shoe components are made in Red Wing’s plants in China, Korea, and Vietnam.
Read the following text to discover more about the historical shoe company, Red Wing, shoe pricing, governing body, and many more.
Which Red Wing boots are made in the US?
Red Wing manufactures its Heritage footwear lineups in the United States.
Are you a big fan of American-made shoes? Well, Red Wing’s Heritage lineup can be on your choice list. Heritage footwear lineup is handcrafted and needs to do more than 230 steps before finishing a pair of shoes.
Red Wing does all the processes from scratch for its Heritage lineup inside the country.
The leather for Heritage shoes comes from the company’s tannery, S.B. Foot Tanning Company. This plant is in Red Wing, Minnesota.
After completing the tanning process, Red Wing Shoe transports tanned leather around a mile or two to its shoe factory. In that factory, the workers do the following procedures serially, such as
- Cutting
- Fitting
- Lasting
- Bottoming
- Shoe finishing
Interestingly, Red Wing Shoe does not use any machine for these Heritage shoes’ mass production. Thus, the price of Heritage lineup’s shoes is way out of the range of an average person.
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Are Red Wing boots made in China now?
Yes, Red Wing makes its boots in the Chinese region as well.
If you visit Red Wing’s LinkedIn profile, you will see that the company distributes its shoes in 110 countries. On the contrary, this shoe manufacturing industry has only three plants in the US.
Therefore, it would be tough for a company with only three plants to supply shoes in 110 countries worldwide. Thus, Red Wing has some regional manufacturing facilities outside the United States, such as,
- China
- Vietnam
- South Korea
You know, China is a perfect country for manufacturing at a relatively lower price than the US. Besides making shoes for other countries in China, Red Wing manufactures some shoe components in China to use in the US facilities.
You may have known Red Wing Shoe for its durability and traditional style. However, consumers complain that Chinese Red Wings are less durable than the boots made in the United States.
But seeing the price difference, we can say why so. The US-made Red Wing prices are massive compared to Chinese-made.
Who makes Red Wing boots?
Red Wing Shoe Company, LLC is the manufacturer of Red Wing boots.
Unlike some shoe brands, Red Wing manufactures its boots in its manufacturing facilities. Not only that, this company manufactures its shoes by hand. It does not use any modern machines for mass production.
Besides, Red Wing manufactures the components and parts needed for production in its facility. The company has its tannery factory from where it processes leather.
Therefore, no third-party brand is involved in the whole process of Red Wing boot production.
However, there is a slight chance that Red Wing does sub-contracting to manufacture shoes for countries other than the United States. I am claiming this because some international consumers complain about the quality of Red Wing shoes in China.
Related: Where Are Xtratuf Boots Made
Who owns Red Wing?
Red Wing Shoe Company is a privately family-held company, and Sweasy Family is the proprietor of this shoe brand.
As of this writing, Allison Gettings is president and CEO of Red Wing Shoe. She is the 4th generation of the Sweasy family and runs the company perfectly.
In October 2022, Allison Gettings took over the position of president from Mark Urdahl, 3rd generation of the Sweasy Family. Before getting to that position, she worked in this company for 14 years straight.
Besides Allison Gettings, there are other Sweasy family members on the governing body of the Red Wing. The personnel in the responsible position of Red Wing are listed below:
- Brian Ross, Executive Vice President (CFO)
- Mike Noonan, Senior Vice President (COO)
- Sarah Erickson, Executive Vice President (General Counsel)
Why are Red Wing shoes so expensive?
Many reasons have made this shoe expensive. But the most significant reason is that this company’s shoes are handcrafted.
Ask any person why they are not buying Red Wing. It’s simple. Red Wing shoes are way too expensive for an average person.
The price of Red Wing shoes varies from 150 dollars to 400 dollars. This pricing is high. But it is still low compared to brands like Nike, Adidas, etc.
Aside from the pricing, if you see how rugged a Red Wing boot is, you will understand why the price is this high. Besides, the traditional vibe of handcrafted shoes will force you to buy this company’s shoes regardless of the expense.
Every shoe Red Wing makes needs to go through more than 230 steps, and it is by hand. So, you must honor craftsmen for this level of dedication.
Are Red Wing shoes going out of business?
The answer is no. Red Wing is doing fine with its business.
Red Wing does not go for mass production. That is why the company’s profit did not catch the billion dollars. However, the popularity of this company’s shoes is top-notch.
According to Statista, Red Wing’s sales have increased significantly compared to the last ten years. So, Red Wing going out of business is a big no.
