a boot building shop
Wintz Boots is a handmade custom boot shop in Mohkinsis (Calgary), Alberta. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work, and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Iyarhe Nakoda Nations, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation within Alberta District 6, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta. As visitors we appreciate the area’s natural beauty and the inspiration it brings us.
FIND OUR WORKSHOP IN OGDEN -CALGARY'S HISTORIC RAILWAY NEIGHBOURHOOD.
our
process
The cowboy boot plays a significant part of the history and culture of Calgary. We make artisan crafted boots that are as resilient as they are exquisite. Our boots are built to be repaired and resoled to last for decades. We specialize in making boots that blend traditional practices with a contemporary approach. Each pair of boots is a collaborative project involving the client and resulting in a tailor fit to a unique vision. Our work has been in films and on stage. We showcase custom bootmaking and shoemaking as a multidisciplinary art form and work with visual artists to explore footwear as wearable canvas.
our
tools
We use heritage tools in the process of making our boots. There is a story in every tool that makes up the workspace, a lineage that speaks to generations of use from past shoemakers. From the hulking heavy machinery to the legacy hand tools, each tool has been passed down from shoemaker to shoemaker.
A cordwainer is someone who constructs shoes from raw materials, such as leather. The craft has been refined for centuries and the construction methods used by custom shoemakers and bootmakers today are not much different from ages ago. We hope to sustain the craft of shoemaking in Canada and honour the tradition of cordwaining.
