Releasing this Wednesday on Withered Fig and at Dr. Sole, June 26th at Noon EST, a special release of the Dr. Sole OZ Trooper Service Boots in a Black Roughout leather.

Last Christmas, we paid a visit to our motherland in Taiwan and made sure to visit our friends at Dr. Sole and their small workshop in Taipei, Taiwan. We wanted to catch up and see how things were doing at their busy workshop, but also spend some time watching Lin (founder of Dr. Sole in its current formation) construct a pair of these OZ Troopers. Our time was short, but well spent – giving us a a high appreciation of how these pairs slowly and methodically come together.

Thanks to Lin, we’ve been able to work on a second exclusive pair under their in-house Pioneer brand, the OZ Trooper Service Boot – a vintage-styled pair of boots modeled after the 10085 Army Ankle Boots, a WWII-era Australian military boot. Dr. Sole’s take on this pair comes with the addition of the U.S. influence of the Munson last for a true minimalist pair of boots with an excellent fit. One thing that we have come to appreciate more and more over the years, is the comfortability and the related foot health that comes with wearing a proper anatomical last. So of course we were on board with the OZ Trooper and its Munson Last. For more information on the Munson Last, check out this excellent article from our friends at Stitchdown on the Munson Last Origins.

This pair of OZ Troopers comes in full grain ~6-7oz black oil-tanned roughout leather that has a very nappy texture and feel, and the interior is canvas lined for additional ease of wear. Rather than a purely blacked out pair, we agreed to run their newest Coir Full Soles/Heels, which have a similar look as the Raw Cord Full Soles/Heels, but with an added textured appearance. These have yet to fully hit the market, but given the similar characteristics as far as wear and hardiness, and the additional aesthetics of the textured coir (coconut fiber), we’d expect to see more of these on new pairs in the future.

Each pair of OZ Trooper Service Boots comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and a custom-stamped boot box with alpha-numeric text signifying the starting years of both our companies (PF-OZ-11TPE-17VA), the first initials of the hands that made these pairs (EXJLL) as part of the Bench Re-Built team, and the date of production (29 FEB 2024).

Sizing: Dr. Sole’s Munson Last is considered an E-width and Dr. Sole generally recommends taking 1/2 size down from your Red Wing size. Based on our experience, we recommend taking 1 down from your Brannock size.

The Dr. Sole for Withered Fig OZ Trooper Service Boot in Black Roughout will be available in sizes 6.5-12 and will retail for $585.

Available Wednesday, June 26th at Noon EST on Withered Fig. Shop our Dr. Sole collection here.
Available Thursday, June 27th at 15:00 Taipei Standard Time at Dr. Sole. Shop Dr. Sole’s website here.