It’s a plain and simple fact, some things are just meant to work together, and the recent collaboration between country star Parker McCollum and Lucchese Boots is certainly a winner. Both quintessentially Texan, their beginnings over 100 years apart, the range of “Parker's Picks” has evolved from his long-time admiration for Lucchese bootmakers. McCollum, who has amassed around 50 pairs of cowboy boots to date, has his own select line of favorites. You can “shop his look” on the Lucchese website for a style that is comfortable yet tough, with more artistry than you can shake a stick at, and McCollum wears them from the stage to the ranch, and everywhere in between!
The Lucchese story began in 1868 when Salvatore Lucchese disembarked from a ship in Galveston on which he had sailed from Sicily. Utilizing skills he had learned from his shoemaker father, he opened his first boot-making business in San Antonio in 1883. Originally making boots for the cavalry, the military and later cowboy boots. Today’s boots have retained many of the original cuts and styles which make them a design classic, using an organic method the boots are handcrafted and created by accomplished artisans, who pass their skills down through the family of employees. These boots are a work of art and pass through 180 – 200 hands from start to finish.
McCollum has worked with Lucchese to create custom boots of his own, “I started having fun designing boots and had a couple of crazy requests at first to see what they’d pull off. I wanted blue king crocodile and they said, “Let’s do it!”, they’re awesome boots and I wear them all the time”. McCollum’s custom boots all have his signature embroidered on the pull tab, one of Lucchese’s many unique finishing touches.
The recent addition of a Lucchese store to The Woodlands Mall introduces the anticipation of a potential store visit from Parker McCollum, Conroe being his hometown, a large piece of his heart lives here. “I can remember graduating high school, sitting in the seat in the Pavilion thinking – if I ever get big enough, I can come back and play here.” McCollum has indeed played at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion more than once now as well as shows across the USA, one of the pinnacles of his career was performing at The Houston Rodeo in 2022.
With family living in Conroe, McCollum enjoys spending quality time with them, if he’s not golfing at Conroe’s Triple C Country Club with his 90-year-old Grandfather, or visiting friends, he’ll be enjoying the downhome cooking at Vernon’s Kuntry Katfish, Vernon's Kuntry Bar-B-Q, or at his favorite Outback Steakhouse where he would previously spend time as a kid after baseball and church. Raised with strong values and respect he tells me “I come from the best people in the world - I’ll raise my kids in exactly the same way, you really can do anything you want in life”
The McCollum/Lucchese collaboration brings together parallel core principles and practices, McCollum explains “Nothing’s rushed or forced, it all happens very organically – they’re extremely authentic, extremely genuine, their custom handmade boots which have been made the same way for over one hundred years, they’re really aware of their brand and what they stand for, that’s really important for me, that’s how I run my career”.
Parker McCollum will be performing across the USA during 2024 with his “Burn It Down” tour. Despite his huge success McCollum still has his feet on the ground, he says “I feel so normal and that’s a really good thing – everything got bigger and crazy and hectic and a lot more pressure, but I still sleep great at night, and I still love going to the ranch”.
McCollum is part of a long list of musicians, celebrities, diplomats and presidents who are Lucchese fans and clients, they select boots for their comfort, craftsmanship and quality materials. Lucchese recently celebrated 140 years with the release of 140 pairs of collectible anniversary boots, named “The Bluebonnet”, the design features The Alamo, Lucchese logo and date amidst an intricate Texas bluebonnet design.
Lucchese uses an extensive range of exotic skins “The final coloration would be based on a series of dyes, burnishing and finishing of the boots to get that final color, so they’re all a little bit different” Doug Hogue, VP of brand and product for Lucchese tells me. “There is an interesting secondary market for Lucchese boots, in particular boots that were made in San Antonio in our original location”. McCollum says, “They look even better the more you wear them”, the quality materials and exquisite workmanship make these boots timeless. Lucchese is now being worn by entire bridal parties at weddings, creating the perfect heirloom to be passed down through generations.
There are four Lucchese stores in the Houston area, “We like to meet our clients and our customers where they are” explains Angela Hahn, director of retail stores for Lucchese, “a lot of that involves events like The National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, The Houston Rodeo and different events that pop up like Round Top”. Special edition boots are exclusively available at many of these events.
We wait with anticipation to follow the step-by-step journey of this marvelous toe kicking, boot scootin’ covenant of two celebrated Texas leaders.
“A good work ethic and some good manners will open more doors for you than anything else” – Parker McCollum
"They look even better the more you wear them" - Parker McCollum
“A good work ethic and some good manners will open more doors for you than anything else” – Parker McCollum
