Ford has been leaning harder than ever into the apparel game recently. Last year, the American automaker partnered up with a custom belt buckle maker to develop the “Truckle,” a belt buckle that also doubles as a secure storage location for your truck’s key fob. Then, last month, it launched a whole clothing line with Zara, which included stuff like jackets, shirts, and hats.
Today, Ford revealed its next apparel partnership, and aside from the Truckle, it’s certainly the weirdest partnership-product I’ve seen in a long while. The automaker has teamed up with Timberland, the well-known maker of utilitarian footwear, to make a pair of F-150-themed work boots.
Normally, I wouldn’t really care about a pair of car-themed boots. There are plenty of car-themed shoes out there. Puma works with Ferrari and BMW to sell Ferrari- and BMW M-themed sneakers, each with their own respective color schemes and logos. Porsche has an entire lineup of sneakers, running shoes, slides, and cleats to choose from.
But unlike most car-themed shoes, Timberland’s F-150 Pro Boondock boots are far more than just a color scheme and a Ford oval on the side. There are specific design changes made to the boot to make it physically look like an F-150, including embossed badges on the back and a molded rubber section near the toes designed to look like the grille. Here, just look at this:
That’s a whole-ass grille, embedded right into the front of the boot! While there are no headlights, the slats and the honeycomb pattern are there, just like they are on the real truck. There’s even a big Ford emblem in the middle. While not quite on the same level, it sort of reminds me of the kid-size Lightning McQueen slippers, which resemble Lightning McQueen more than they do an actual piece of footwear:
It doesn’t stop there. While the boots don’t have a pickup bed or tailgate, they do have a large F-150 badge embossed into the rubber at the heel area, just like you’d see on the tailgate of the real truck:
There are numerous flashes of Ford Blue throughout the shoe, including a strip along the sole, braided into the laces, and on the “Pro” logos found on the sides and underneath of the boot.
The upper part of the shoe’s interior, meanwhile, is fully blue mesh.
There are, of course, logos everywhere. In addition to the grille and the F-150 badge at the heel, you’ll find another Ford oval at the base of the laces, and an F-150 badge on either end of the top portion, near where your foot enters the shoe. There’s also Ford script branding on the inside, just above the Timberland Pro logo.
As for what Timberland expects people to use the F-150 boots for, it feels like they’re unsurprisingly targeting the same people that buy F-150s, using lots of utilitarian-themed buzzwords in their description:
This season, two American heritage brands come together. Taking cues from the tires that power through dirt to create boots that stand firm in it, this collab proves that strength comes from the ground up. Rugged Timberland PRO® Boondock Work Boots bring durability and resilience to the jobsite, with styling details inspired by Ford’s legendary pickup.
For what it’s worth, these boots do have a pretty solid list of features. They have anti-fatigue tech in the footbed for shock absorption, a waterproof exterior, and meet the American Society for Testing and Materials standards for protection against live electrical circuits. But they’re not steel-toe boots, so if you handle heavy or sharp things often, I wouldn’t recommend them.
If you aren’t a fan of the color but still want to rep your loyalty to Ford, Timberland also offers an all-black version, complete with all of the same moldings but none of the blue flashiness.
Whether you go for the standard style or the all-black version, Timberland’s F-150 boots are priced from $240. That’s only $20 more expensive than the standard Boondock work boot, which is shaped the same and has the same features. Personally, I’m not sure whether this is cool or goofy, but if I had an F-150 and I was in the market for a pair of nice boots, I’d probably buy a pair of these, just to see if my friends and co-workers on the job site would notice. What’s life without a bit of whimsy?
Top graphic images: Ford; Timberland
$240 ! Guess I’m staying with Food.
Timberland’s always been crap for me. I’ll stick to my Red Wings.
Also the fack that these ‘Celebration of two iconic american brands” are imported isn’t lost on me. At least the F-150 is still assembled here.
The grille doesn’t look as tacky as I suspected, but it also doesn’t look good.
Not being steel-toe seems like an oversight, until I realized it’s the F-150 so they’d need to be aluminum-toe.
As a piece of swag from some corporate event, they’re quite droll.
Otherwise…
I like the blue tone on them; it’s a neat change from the orange highlights on my boots! Really surprised they’re not steel-toe, with the bulky looking front on them. No interest in the Ford tie-in otherwise
Eddie Bauer is to irrelevant any more?
Bankrupt.
“But they’re not steel-toe boots, so if you handle heavy or sharp things often, I wouldn’t recommend them.”
That’s weird since like their namesake they look like they were designed for crushing.
They should have at least made them the Raptor grille, would have been better to match the knockoff Raptor grilles on the owners’ trucks. They should also put the regulatory 3 lights in them that illuminate while walking
Was so jealous of those light-up shoes as a child. Which may date me as a ’90s kid.
I have young nieces and nephews and can confirm that light up shoes are still a thing and kids still like them.
My question is why can’t I get them in adult sizes? 😉
We got light up roller blades for my youngest a year ago. LEDs inside clear wheels that light up when rotating. They actually look pretty cool in the dark!
I’m a huge Ford fan boy but even this is a little much for me (this is also coming from someone who owns one of those ferrari branded pumas i use for autocrossing). I mean they are not terrible looking but im not sure i really want to tempt fate by wearing a steel toe boot with the same reliability as my F-150, which is coincidentally in the shop again as I type this. That fact may or may not be influencing my feelings on this
Well you’re in luck because these are not steel toed. Feel free to crush your tootsies with abandon.
Thats my fault for getting lazy and not reading the end of the article.
On an unrelated note, Recalls on Timberland boots have increased dramatically.
Timberland CEO, when questioned, stated “Quality is Job 1”
If you wear these to a worksite you’re going to get bullied. And perhaps rightfully so
Let me ask you something when you come into work on a Monday are people wearing car branded boots?
No, no, shit no, you’d get your ass kicked wearing something like that
Eh, I don’t think anyone will care, other than the site safety guy. (these apparently aren’t safety toe.) Ford drivers might even get a chuckle. On the other hand, wearing dress shoes, a suit, and tie won’t exactly earn respect…
Oh man, I can’t wait to annoy my husband with this knowledge.
See also: I share screenshots whenever I see Carhartt clothing for sale on higher end fashion sites.
I didn’t realize that identity politics wasn’t enough for some people so we had to step it up with identity work wear. Lowest common denominator I guess…
Oof. I have worn Timberland work boots for decades and swear by them, but those F150 boots are just…yuck. CAT made some tacky tie-in work boots too when they first got into the work boot arena, but even they weren’t as silly as these F150 work boots.
I was looking to see if they had metatarsal guards and was disappointed to learn they don’t even have safety toes (steel, at least, there’s also composite) at all. Most worksites and industrial jobs require that.
I dropped a piece of steel on my foot behind the toe last year. The medical professionals I went to see all were amazed I hadn’t broken anything by the severity of the bruising and swelling. Make sure you have good protection and that your boots fit right. Mine didn’t fit quite right and I got off lucky.
Glad to hear they’re “Pro”. After the whole Members Only debacle in the late 80s, with all those non-members wearing them, I’m a still a little cautious though…
That’s dumb, according to literally all of my coworkers, there’s no such thing as boots with toes in any shape other than square
Wouldn’t wear them if you gave them to me. In fact, you (probably) couldn’t pay me enough to wear them!
This might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.
I don’t know that it’s really any stupider than HUMMER cologne, now that I think about it
Dodge gave me a bottle of Dodge Charger cologne when I was in VT. I hate how good it smells. lol
It’s probably a good quality Rite Aid smell-alike of some reputable brand
Did you see that cursed Ram cologne commercial?
I’m not sure how much I care about either mfr in particular, but as tie-ins go…I think I kinda like it.