State of the Truman 2022

We’re very excited for 2022. And, we’re not the New Years resolution type of people, but for us, we do measure our success by a calendar year. It gives us a good stop/starting point. Looking over our production and sales, 2021 has been another really good year for both, but we’re setting goals for 2022, and not taking much time to enjoy the achievements of last year.

The single biggest take away of 2021 is that “ready to ship” products are key in the success of Truman, and any other start-up footwear brand for that matter. Wait times on “built to order products” are frustrating, inconvenient, and difficult to manage. While it’s been a really great way to bootstrap our company, it’s time is really up and we’re putting a huge amount of focus on leaving it behind us. It is very difficult, however; as we come out with new releases of in-stock makeups, they sell faster than built to order, and as a result we end up chasing our tail in trying to keep as much product on the shelf as possible. Obviously, not something anyone would complain about. But, it is our biggest challenge of 2022, and we’re dead set on achieving a goal of primarily ready made boots for 2022.

Our releases this past year have been built off of what we do well, and just expanding on that. Horse rumps, waxed flesh, ramblers and mohawks. We brought colors never before seen to the table in 2021 and we are set to do the same this year. We are finding a good middle ground and sticking to it with our selection.

We are not a work boot company and we are not a dress boot/shoe company. 

We make a boot for both occasions, and this is the reason that we don’t have “collections” of boots. They can do everything, they were built for everything, and they should be the most versatile pair of boots you own, but they won’t be stuck in one class or collection. That’s the whole point of the brand.

ON SHELL

We get asked often about shell. After working with both shell and horse rump, we found that our preference is strong for horse rump, and as such we have no intentions to run shell anytime soon. 

We are going to be ending some products for good. Leathers like Dublin are not coming back due to their excessive wrinkling, and also calf hides from any tannery, because they lack character and depth, and fine suedes and nubucks, as these leathers do not fit our market.

For the better half of ‘21 our women’s line has been suspended. This is due to nothing other than some equipment changes on the floor that don’t allow us to easily switch from men’s to women’s lasts. The women’s boots have been well received and my own personal opinion is that they are one of the best options for women’s Goodyear footwear on the market. We’re hoping some time this year to relaunch them once we have time to do an entire week or two of production with them.

Going into 8 years gives us a lot of data. We know what works and what doesn’t. It’s one thing to have this information, but another thing to apply it and feel confident in moving towards or away from something. Seeing boots come back for resoles after 8 years is really a good feeling, and it’s also giving us the ability to critique things and improve our production process. Not something every industry gets to do.

Our branding will be hitting a new level this year. Last year our line of leather care products were released and we’re continuing to build on that. Expect additional products, kits and care guides. We have a whole lineup of belts ready to launch once we have built to order boots cleared out of the way. One belt I am looking forward to myself is Java Waxed Flesh.

Happy New Year everyone and thank you for your continued support. Cheers!

-Vince, Owner