A Boot Collector Feature
He grew up in a family of lawyers and went to law school — then walked away to become one of El Paso's most recognized custom bootmakers.
Thomas Arditti grew up surrounded by lawyers and started down that same path himself, but law school didn't stick. "I found myself interested in design," he's said of the pivot that redirected his career. He began selling fine leather accessories in 1991, and as demand grew, moved into designing and manufacturing custom footwear, bringing in experienced bootmakers from families with multi-generational craft legacies to build out the operation from his El Paso shop.
A Texas Monthly nod among the state's Top 25 Custom Bootmakers in 2002, plus a client list that includes a commemorative pair made for Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1998 and custom boots for NYSE chairman Richard A. Grasso in 2002. His work has been featured in Southern Living, Cowboys & Indians, and The Robb Report, and his shop also produces private-label designs for Western outfitters in Santa Fe, Aspen, and Colorado.
A lawyer-turned-bootmaker whose client list includes a Soviet president.
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.