As much fun as I had learning how boots were made at Anderson Bean, I loved the extra magic that goes into making a pair of Rios of Mercedes boots. For those of you who are familiar with Rios of Mercedes boots, you know that they come at a much higher price point. They are the Chanel, the Louboutins of the cowboy boot world & this is because of the way that they are handcrafted.
Here are some of the hides in the Rios of Mercedes factory. Be sure to check out the Anderson Bean factory tour here, again there is no way that I could share all of the photos or even begin to do the tour justice but I’ll do my best.
The general cowboy boot making process follows the steps of Anderson Bean boots. But again the big differences, one of them being these lasts above. If a person orders a custom pair of Rios of Mercedes, an individual last is made for their foot size to ensure a perfect fit. In the back of the factory I got to see boxes & boxes of old lasts (they never throw anything away) from people who had worn Rios of Mercedes boots.
Here the shaft, or top part of the boot is being stitched. That’s right, each boot is done individually instead of mass-produced on multiple machines, one person takes care of all the boots.
Finished boot tops.
Another workstation where patterns are cut out. Fun fact for you, only about 50 pairs of Rios of Mercedes boots can be made in a day because of the lengthy process.
This is a pretty cool pair of custom boots that was created at a trunk show, they are drying & waiting for their soles.
Any brand, any image can be put on a boot. I’ve also decided that since I have so many photos I will be uploading them to my cowboy boot board on Pinterest so follow it if you want to see more photos.
A finished boot waiting to be boxed up.
Be sure to check out the videos of the Rios of Mercedes factory tours too, they are pretty cool.
tracy says
Those purple and teal boots are amazing. I am learning so much about cowboy boots from you.
Melissa says
I would love to have a pair of custom boots made some day!
Ashley @ The North Carolina Cowgirl says
Didn’t know they would make custom boots..glad you told me b/c I would love to someday have a pair of boots with my brand on them. 🙂
Sharon says
Nice. I love the art of handcrafted items. Once you learn the work it takes to make a handcrafted item you learn to appreciate why they may be a bit more pricier.
How neat is Ashley’s idea?
Marti says
I love that these boots are handcrafted what an art, makes sense that they’re price point is higher. Why is it that I never see any cowboy boots with a heel 2.5 inches or higher?
Marti
joe rocha says
Do you have access to some of the old Rios of Mercedes pictures showing the leather workers? A friend’s late father worked for them about 50 years ago, his dad’s last name was Guevara. This man also made working horse saddles for the King Ranch. There is so much history that gets lost and finding pictures for him would be a great gift.
Thx,
Joe
Raquel says
Hi Joe, unfortunately I do not. I took these photos while visiting the factory, but perhaps Rios of Mercedes might have some. Have you visited them before or called to check? So much amazing history is there.