October 2, 2024 Stitchdown Shoecast episode interviewing Brian Truong
Notes
The Shop
- “downtown Los Angeles”, some say “central LA”
- close to Staples Center
- grew up in North Hollywood, but grandma lives near the shop
- moved to Torrance
Start
- 15 years of Role Club now
- came to repair shop for materials to customized sneakers
- grandma told him to try the shop for materials
- gave him thread for free
- asked to watch him work
- Vibram 4014s on Nikes
- thinking about hybrid sneakers
- come on Sundays, since owner doesn’t want to be liable if he got hurt
- grumpy old man
Mentor
- Ignacio Palacios
- born near Leon
- village made boots
- learned from brother
- migrated to US
- moved to LA to join brother
- made vaquero boots in the 1980s
- when Bryan joined, were doing lots of resoles
- could do lots of customizations
- make own job easier
- lockstitches welts
- wire lasting of toes
- efficient
- helps lasting heavier leather
- had to work that way to make money on what they were charging
- charged $1275 for first pair of besoke boots, in 2014, engineer boots
- today: $2k
- life goal: perfect the fitting
- hopes he can travel with him someday, show what he built with his help
- small life there in the tiny shop
Experience
- looking up old brands as he saw the brands come in
- repairing old vintage boots
- came to appreciate wear, resoling, lasting a long time
Social Media
- client: “you should post your work on Instagram”
- initially resistant
- went to school for aviation maintenance
- someone asked where they can send in boots, sent from Canada
- started building a garage workshop
- started posting on forums
- Iron Heart Forums
- Fedora Lounge
- many clients for custom were already repair clients
- stepping stone: repair to custom
- a lot of “repair” was really a lot of customizations
- rewelting
- converting constructions
- word of mouth
- 1940s and 1950s style revival
- people brought new design ideas
- wants to make two-tone engineer boots with shearling tops
- vintage world: give them their holy grail boot, they’re done
- now: people want different leathers
- vintage:
- know what they want and can’t get it
- people didn’t have fifty pairs back in the 1950s
- released engineer design in 2014, took off
- many clients are business owners or creatives themselves
- patience, understand the struggle
- Real McCoy video about one best t-shirt, one best jacket, one best pair of boots
- wait for next generation to come back for the styles
- will come around again
- wants to make classics
- make the best you can
- e.g. Alden Indy, Doc Martin, Air Force 1
- people with these boots have ten pairs
- custom makers can inspire companies to step their game up
YouTube
- worried would make the brand seem cheap
- took the risk
- but knew everybody watched YouTube
- got lots of resole work from YouTube
- show the craft
- tons of time and effort into the videos
- two days to shoot and edit
- one first impression
- wanted to create Bob Ross, Mr. Rogers energy
- had a kindergarten class see the videos, did a field trip to his shop
- people e-mailing
- occasional Q&As, going through comments
Branding
- building brand with branded soles
- didn’t want to have Vibram like everybody else
- vintage resolers would use Cat’s Paw
- found the right buckle after trying 50
- gave it his all
- “Brian the Shoemaker” when started on Instagram
- need to be committed, want to make boots
Interest
- still loves making boots
- community of support maintains the interest
- has gotten burned out, felt like a machine
- loves vintage boots
- loves cheesy workwear slogans
- loves industrial colors
- cheesy slogans in part inspired by hip hop