Chris Stapleton and Lucchese Partner for Boot Collection
Chris Stapleton has his own distinct style.
The Grammy Award-winning country music artist has become highly recognizable for his long hair and scruffy beard, ubiquitous cowboy hat and Lucchese boots.
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So it’s no surprise that the Western bootmaker is teaming with the singer/songwriter on a collaboration that will launch Thursday.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Doug Hogue, vice president of product for Lucchese. Although Stapleton had worn the brand for years, it wasn’t until 2013 that the singer visited Lucchese’s El Paso, Texas, factory to see first-hand how his favorite boots were made.
“He had these vintage boots with him that he’d bought online,” Hogue said.
Fast-forward to 2018 when the conversations between the two got more serious and they began to toss around ideas for a collaboration.
“We lost a couple of years with COVID[-19],” Hogue said, “but it’s really been a fun process. Chris is very specific in what he wants and the way he thinks about product and details. He has a very clear aesthetic.”
The Lucchese x Chris Stapleton collection will consist of three boot styles in two colorways each. The first is the Old Friend, a rugged style based on a vintage design made from Italian suede with classic mule-ear pull straps, a Torero side seam and a French toe. The San Antonio is a dressier cowboy boot in black cherry or burgundy with Seville cord patterns and mule-ear straps. And the final is The Original, a reinterpretation of the boot Stapleton had worn to his original meeting with Lucchese. It is made from calfskin with Del Rio cord patterns on the quarters, which have been modified to be shorter than the vintage boot at 11 inches.
“I ran so many miles in that particular boot [The Original].” Stapleton said. “When I think about my journey, Lucchese has been with me every step of the way. It’s very, very meaningful to me to be able to collaborate with them.”
All three of the models are handmade in Texas and feature a replica of Stapleton’s signature inlaid into the pull tab, Hogue said. They will retail for $695 for the Old Friend, $995 for the San Antonio and $1,195 for The Original.
But while the product is paramount, what truly sealed the deal for the collaboration was its charitable component. Under the terms of the deal, a portion of the sales of each piece will be donated to Outlaw State of Kind, a foundation formed by Stapleton and his wife Morgane in 2016 that supports a number of charitable organizations such as Feeding America, ACLU and Habitat for Humanity.
“Collaborations have to be mutually beneficial,” Hogue said, noting that Stapleton was determined to give back through his foundation while Lucchese benefits by gaining a higher profile with the singer’s large fan base.
In addition to Stapleton, Lucchese also has a relationship with Parker McCollum, another popular country artist. Hogue said that McCollum serves more as an ambassador and at this point, there is no product offering with him — although that may change in the future. In McCollum’s newest music video for his single, “Burn It Down,” he sports two different ballcaps with large Lucchese logos on the front.
Returning to Stapleton, Hogue said that while there is no other collection in the pipeline right now, he hopes the relationship will be long term and the two are currently in discussions about the future.
The Chris Stapleton x Lucchese collection will be sold at Lucchese’s 21 retail stores as well as online.
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