A Visit To Kay Knipschild’s Red Wing Shoes Archive
Last week, I visited Berlin for the denim fabric trade show Denim Première Vision. As always, I planned a retail tour myself to experience all the (denim) stores that are located in this exciting city. Part of this tour was a visit to the personal Red Wing Shoes archive by Kay Knipschild, the owner of the Red Wing Shoes stores in Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg. On top of that, he’s also the owner of the denim store Burg & Schild in Berlin.
The Kick-Off Of Collecting
Kay Knipschild is already collecting Red Wing Shoes since 2007, and during the years he collected a very impressive collection. The kick-off to start collecting started when he co-founded the Burg & Schild store, and one of his first pairs was the iconic Irish Setter 877 boot from the 1960s.
300 – 400 Pairs Of Vintage Red Wing Shoes
His collection has grown into approximately 300 – 400 pairs of vintage Red Wing Shoes boots and shoes ranging from the 1920s to nowadays. In addition, he also owns hundreds of old Red Wing-related items such as old cardboard store signs, advertisements, pins, etc. A very special piece in his collection is an early 1920s Red Wing cardboard sign. The imagery is really ornate and embodies the essence of the brand.
The Rare Boots And Footwear Collection
Next to that, specials as an 888 Irish Setter ‘Sport Pac’ (This set consists of an Irish Setter boot made of Australian green Kangaroo, a pair of green and yellow Irish Setter Sport Socks made of wool, and one can of leather conditioner.) from 1964 in mint condition and a deadstock pair of Red Wing Skytrooper boot from 1957 with its original packaging and tags are just a few highlights. Expect in his collection many original vintage Moc Toe’s from the 1950s to nowadays, so a version from each decade since this true classic Red Wing Shoes style was introduced.
A True Red Wing Shoes Museum
Kay Knipschild’s archive is a true Red Wing Shoes museum and shows you perfectly the rich and long history of the American footwear brand that is already active since 1905. Thanks for your time, Kay! Enjoy a few snaps from his must-see Red Wing Shoes collection.
Tip! Explore of Kay Knipschild in previous article: Meet The Collector #11 Kay Knipschild (Red Wing Collector) – Long John (long-john.nl)
