A blog relating to Jeepers Shoes for Men in Second Life by Eponymous Trenchmouth.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

New Chukka-Booty insulated boots!



The Duluth Boot Co. Ltd., of Minnesota, USA, has been making boots since 1841, and Jeepers Shoes is proud to present their Chukka-Booty insulated boots. Yes sir, Chukka-Booty insulated boots are the official footwear of MIFCA (the Minnesota Ice Fishing and Curling Association), so don't you know they're good! Presenting the latest in faux-fur technology, and non-slip tread engineering, the Duluth Boot Company is the leader in insulated footwear*. Chukka-Booty is available in black, olive, sanguine and umber.
    *Not liable for leaks due inclement weather.
These ankle boots are Unisex and fitted with a built-in ReSizer from XS to XXL. Copy OK, Transfer OK, DEMOs and a fatpack are all available at Jeepers Main Store.

Honestly, I don't know what I enjoy most: creating the actual shoes, their shape and appearance, or creating the mythology and marketing of them. As part of my policy updating of old shoes (in this case Rigger boots), I knew I wanted to make an insulated ankle boot with a fur cuff or collar around the top, and a simple side zipper with a hanging tag to make it easy to grasp with gloved fingers. Instead of the usual sole with the arch in front of the heel, I created a flush sole like a sneaker. This would improve grip and traction on slippery surfaces e.g. ice. Ice made me think of the newly popular Olympic sport of curling, where large granite stones are slid across a sheet of ice towards the target area. Somewhere, in the northern latitudes of the US, an old-fashioned (fictional) company would produce such footwear for local consumption. Thus was born the Duluth Boot Co. Ltd. of Minnesota. When it came to choosing the name, I started with Chukka and added Booty (note to self, keep mind on job at hand). But what would advertisements for Chukka-Booty look like? I'm guessing they wouldn't have changed much since the company was founded in 1841. So I found an ancient winter scene and embossed it onto a planked background. I added a scroll on which to display the name "Chukka-Booty". Then I had the idea that this particular boot would become the Official Footwear of local curlers, which lead me to the creation of MIFCA (Minnesota Ice Fishing and Curling Association), and their endorsement required another scroll. I had earlier decided that the hanging tag on the zipper should look like a commemorative plaque for the Duluth Boot Co. This reminded me of those old ads where companies display the medals they'd won at various events. So I added two medals between the two scrolls. Now it was looking really old-fashioned! All that remained was to add the words "Free Curling Stone with Every Purchase" (can you imagine buying shoes and finding a curling stone in the box?), and the Ad was complete.