I wasn’t expecting to find a connection between Naang Boots and hip-hop while working on boot designs the other day. But one line in a Czarface track brought back a memory from more than 20 years ago, right around the time I started getting serious about my feet.

It’s a six-degrees-of-separation kind of story, so stick with me.

This weekend I went out looking for new sole sheets for our zero-drop boots.

Fortunately, Bangkok has an entire section of the city dedicated to leatherwork, shoemaking, and bootmaking. It’s not far from Wongwian Yai, and it has become one of my favorite places to wander around when I’m looking for materials, tools, or ideas.

Shoegazing recently published the second half of its rundown of all the competition boots, which means we finally got to see Zissou sitting there at number 13 alongside some seriously good shoemakers from around the world.

still wear the very first pair of Winnfields we ever made.

They were prototypes, built long before the Winnfield became the boot we sell today. I’ve worn them almost daily ever since, and I haven’t been particularly kind to them. I’ve worn through the soles, scuffed the leather, nearly worn a hole through the tongue, and even managed to rip out an eyelet.

A boot last is a foot-shaped form used by bootmakers to create the shape, fit, and structure of a boot. Every part of the boot is built around it. In simple terms, the last is the foundation upon which the entire boot is made.

Before Naang Boots was even a blip on your digital radar, Allan and I were already in the trenches of high-end bespoke shoemaking. For three years, we’ve collaborated on his entries for the World Bespoke Shoemaking Championship, even cracking the Top 5 last year. But 2026 is different. This is the first year we’re officially crashing the party as Naang Boots, bringing our signature rugged Thai craftsmanship to the global stage.

Most boots are foot coffins. They cram your toes into points and jack up your heels. We don't do that here. Naang Boots are handmade in Thailand for people who actually move.

We use a natural shape for your feet. Both our lasts have a massive toe box. Your toes can spread out and do their job. The only choice is how much heel you want.

For as long as I can remember, boots have been the one piece of gear that never let me down — or, when they did, I remembered it. Hiking, mountaineering, camping, motorcycling... all better done in the right boot. I spent years figuring out what that meant — what kind of sole made sense, how a boot needed to break in, how it had to hold up when things got rough.

Some of that came from experience. A lot came from trial and error.