Manitobah Mukluks: Behind the scenes with Canada’s fastest-growing footwear brand
Browse the gallery of celebs and top fashion bloggers wearing Manitobah Mukluks »
Well, it’s officially freezing outside, which can only mean one thing: boot season. No, not those hanging-on-by-a-thread motorcycle boots you use to dress down skirts in the fall, but boot boots. The ones that keep you alive when the temperature drops to unspeakable lows. Enter: Manitobah Mukluks.
The Winnipeg-based company is bringing mukluks and moccasins, traditional Aboriginal footwear, into the mainstream and is the fastest-growing footwear brand in the country. Manitobah Mukluks founder and CEO Sean McCormick is rooted in a foundation that is all about being authentic and proudly Canadian. In fact, along with selling Manitobah products, the company also sells original mukluks by Aboriginal artists in an effort called “The Storyboot Project,” where 100% of of sales (yup!) goes right back to the artists who hand-made the gorgeous pieces—which, by the way, is a true test of patience and perfectionism. Between hunting to tanning the leather to crafting the shoe and finally beading, the process can take up to 100 hours.
McCormick, who comes from an Aboriginal background, is committed to giving back to his community and teaching younger members about the importance of staying connected to their roots. That’s where The Storyboot School comes in, a workshop that teaches young Aboriginal kids and teens how to create their own mukluks. We got a chance to meet McCormick and Waneek Horn-Miller, Manitobah Mukluks ambassador (and member of the Canadian Women’s Waterpolo team that won a Gold Medal at the 1999 Pan-Am Games in Winnipeg!) and go on a tour of the factory and sit in on a Storyboot School workshop. McCormick started out by tanning leather and trading it for hand-made footwear from local crafters that he would then go around and sell to souvenir shops, and only established the global brand office in 2008, so it was pretty mind-blowing to watch the artists of Canada’s most rapidly expanding footwear brand at work.
Celebs like Kate Moss, Megan Fox, Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake are all fans of the brand, as are some of Canada’s top fashion bloggers, and it’s not hard to see why. Manitobah Mukluks are, warm as hell, yes; but the gorgeous hand-beading is what we can’t stop fawning over. We asked McCormick when he’ll feel he’s accomplished what he set out to do with Manitobah Mukluks; his response? “When every Canadian knows about us.”
Manitobah Mukluks are sold at Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom, Town Shoes, gravitypope, Free People, Cabela’s and Victoire. Browse the gallery below for some of our favourite Manitobah Mukluks, and the celebs and bloggers who love them.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://fashionmagazine.com/style/manitobah-mukluks/&title=Manitobah Mukluks: Behind the scenes with Canada’s fastest-growing footwear brand&picture=https://fashionmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/manitobah-mukluks.jpg&description=
Browse the gallery of celebs and top fashion bloggers wearing Manitobah Mukluks »
Well, it's officially freezing outside, which can only mean one thing: boot season. No, not those hanging-on-by-a-thread motorcycle boots you use to dress down skirts in the fall, but boot boots. The ones that keep you alive when the temperature drops to unspeakable lows. Enter: Manitobah Mukluks.
The Winnipeg-based company is bringing mukluks and moccasins, traditional Aboriginal footwear, into the mainstream and is the fastest-growing footwear brand in the country. Manitobah Mukluks founder and CEO Sean McCormick is rooted in a foundation that is all about being authentic and proudly Canadian. In fact, along with selling Manitobah products, the company also sells original mukluks by Aboriginal artists in an effort called "The Storyboot Project," where 100% of of sales (yup!) goes right back to the artists who hand-made the gorgeous pieces---which, by the way, is a true test of patience and perfectionism. Between hunting to tanning the leather to crafting the shoe and finally beading, the process can take up to 100 hours.
McCormick, who comes from an Aboriginal background, is committed to giving back to his community and teaching younger members about the importance of staying connected to their roots. That's where The Storyboot School comes in, a workshop that teaches young Aboriginal kids and teens how to create their own mukluks. We got a chance to meet McCormick and Waneek Horn-Miller, Manitobah Mukluks ambassador (and member of the Canadian Women's Waterpolo team that won a Gold Medal at the 1999 Pan-Am Games in Winnipeg!) and go on a tour of the factory and sit in on a Storyboot School workshop. McCormick started out by tanning leather and trading it for hand-made footwear from local crafters that he would then go around and sell to souvenir shops, and only established the global brand office in 2008, so it was pretty mind-blowing to watch the artists of Canada's most rapidly expanding footwear brand at work.
Celebs like Kate Moss, Megan Fox, Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake are all fans of the brand, as are some of Canada's top fashion bloggers, and it's not hard to see why. Manitobah Mukluks are, warm as hell, yes; but the gorgeous hand-beading is what we can't stop fawning over. We asked McCormick when he'll feel he's accomplished what he set out to do with Manitobah Mukluks; his response? "When every Canadian knows about us."
Manitobah Mukluks are sold at Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom, Town Shoes, gravitypope, Free People, Cabela's and Victoire. Browse the gallery below for some of our favourite Manitobah Mukluks, and the celebs and bloggers who love them.
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