El General Western Wear

Project Overview: The goal of this project is to elevate El General's product through a collaboration with Decierto via a full design takeover, including packaging. We decided to provide our point of view on an ankle boot that merges one of El General's longest-standing SKUs with contemporary elements inspired by luxury European design. Additionally, we are in charge of running communication with factory in Guanajuato, Mexico and sourcing finishes. Boot is in final sample stages and getting ready to go-to-market in 2-3 months. Design Elements: To preserve the fundamental wearability and all-purpose intention of the El General ankle boot, we dressed the upper panels in a beautiful yellow roughout cowhide. This gives the boot tremendous durability while also allowing it to develop a unique, lived-in patina bringing to life the vintage, worn-in aesthetic Decierto is known for. The original woven pull tabs were removed and zippers were added to the back of the boot to allow easier foot insertion. RiRi zippers were sourced to elevate the product with top-of-the-line finishes, including a custom Decierto-branded zipper pull. The outer panels of the boot feature a classic accordion panel, while the inner panels feature custom-designed paneling that merges design elements of Saint Laurent boots with original design work. The intention behind the paneling was to create different layers of design that tell the story of the collaboration's inspiration. Cuban heel was kept on the design to elevate the boot into something that can be dressed up and down.