A Boot Collector Feature

Murga Boot Co.

A musician who started out making boots for his bandmates built an Orange County custom shop where cowboy boots meet the motorcycle crowd.

The Story

Tony Murga, a musician, entrepreneur, and designer, founded Murga Boot Company in 1987 in Laguna Niguel, in South Orange County, California. He began by making boots for fellow musicians and local business owners, and built the business into a full custom shop. His wife, Lynnette Murga, is his creative and business partner. The shop has since moved to nearby Aliso Viejo, and Murga boots have been shown at motorcycle rallies, music and cowboy events, rodeos, and Cowboy Christmas in Las Vegas.

The motorcycle world shaped his work. Beginning in 1992, Murga designed a leather “Flame Inlay Boot,” and by fitting cowboy boots with Vibram soles he created boots that worked as well on a bike as in the saddle. His shop is credited with being among the first to combine traditional cowboy boots with functional motorcycle wear.

What They're Known For

Fully custom, handmade boots for men and women, built from a personal design-and-measuring session, in fine leathers and exotic skins such as stingray, lizard, alligator, and even hair-on hide. Alongside classic cowboy boots, the shop makes square-toe biker boots in mule hide, flame-inlay boots in French calfskin with a choice of Vibram or leather soles, short-top botines, shoes, leather jackets, and even guitars. Vintage pairs signed by Tony Murga turn up on the resale market, often in exotics with elaborately stitched shafts. As one longtime customer put it: “No one makes boots like Tony Murga.”

Labels & Markings

Two label styles from pairs in the TW Collection. Labels inside a boot are often curved, stitched, or worn, so each style is shown twice: a clean recreation, checked against the original, and the original label as it appears in the boot. Select a photo to see it full size.