SAN ANTONIO - It's a boot company that's lasted more than a century. Worn by politicians and movie stars, Lucchese began here in San Antonio.
KENS 5 traveled to El Paso where Lucchese Manufacturing is now found but was first made in San Antonio.
They've graced the feet of politicians like Ronald Reagan, movie stars like John Wayne and even more recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"We get a lot of celebrities that want our product and desire our product," Mario Vega, director of marketing said.
Lucchese boots have made their appearance for more than a hundred years. Not only are they beautiful to look at, the quality of the boot is what makes them so special.
"This is our very first step in how we check quality," Vega said.
Lucchese boots are completely made by hand and about 300 employees work at a factory in El Paso, Texas. However, the company has deep roots in San Antonio.
Italian brothers, Salvatore and Joseph Lucchese immigrated to San Antonio in 1883. They had a fascination with the human foot and began making boots for troops.
Then word spread.
"The soldiers would get stationed somewhere else - and they'd say hey! I know where you can get a great pair of boots," Vega said.
Demand for the boots grew as did need for skilled-workers. That’s when the company made its move to the border city nearly 40 years ago.
"El Paso had a tremendous amount of textile labor, people who knew how to sew and work with leather and other garment-like materials," Vega said.
For many people that work in the factory, making boots is a family tradition. People like Pedro, who has only ever known the craft of boot-making. He nails the soles to each boot, each one by hand.
It's this type of attention to detail that makes the boots so unique along with the type of leather they use.
"We source leather from all over the world,” Vega said. “We make sure it’s the best leather that you can get your hands on."
Depending on what you'd like, from ostrich to crocodile and even most unique an amazon fish called peruca, these boots can cost you anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
Vega said it's the quality, and these hard-working craftsman, that keeps big names and regular folks coming back for more.
"No machine can replace that understanding of how leather works and it contributes to why our product is valued the way it is and it's lasted so long," Vega said.
If you were interested in getting your very own pair of Lucchese boots you don’t have travel too far. There is still a store here in San Antonio located at the Quarry.