Taft's Kory Stevens on How to Accidentally Start a Hugely Successful Shoe Brand

The Stitchdown Shoecast

In 2014, Taft Clothing was selling camouflage and polka-dot no-show socks. One fateful Reddit moment later, Kory Stevens was somehow overseeing a shoe and boot brand that was absolutely on fire—and designing some of the most unique footwear you’ll ever see.
9 years later, we had Kory on the Shoecast to tell the honestly captivating tale of how Taft came storming in through the footwear world’s backdoor, the gap between what he personally loves vs what sells best, Taft’s new stitchdown construction service and Chelsea boots that are the by far the sturdiest product the brand has ever put out, and why Kory knows he’s not going to spend the rest of his career in footwear.
On top of it all, Kory is just one heckuva guy—this one is about as heartfelt as shoe conversations get.
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This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, which has taken all of the finest Japanese boots and brought them to Oakland, NYC, and Sante Fe, just for you
Theme Song: The Road by Punk Rock Opera