A Boot Collector Feature
A self-taught Oklahoma City bootmaker who learned his trade by deconstructing worn-out boots, scavenging tools from an abandoned repair shop, and studying Lisa Sorrell's instructional DVDs.
Josh Duvall, who builds boots under the name Duvall Cowboy Boots, started out of a home shop in Oklahoma City in 2015 with no formal apprenticeship behind him. He taught himself by taking apart older, well-worn boots to see how they were built, working through D.W. Frommer's bootmaking instructional book, and studying Lisa Sorrell's instructional DVD series — rounding it out with guidance picked up from boot and shoemakers around the world. His initial equipment came from an abandoned repair facility in the Oklahoma City Stockyards.
Bespoke boots in exotic skins built for clients nationwide, including pieces in American alligator with calf tops and kangaroo inlay, and others in African warthog with a kidskin top and collar — work that's been shown at Penland School of Craft's juried exhibitions of contemporary bespoke footwear.
Self-taught, exotic-skin bespoke boots out of Oklahoma City.
Pairs from smaller, custom, or long-closed makers rarely come up for sale, so this search may not find anything. It’s worth checking back now and then.