Lugz History

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The Company Description of Its Time

Lugz describes itself as always an innovator and a leader in footwear, and its record dates the start precisely: the brand first made a name for itself in October of 1993, bringing its first line of boots to market. That initial product was small and telling - two styles of boots, a quilted vest and a pair of jeans - a footwear launch with just enough apparel around it to dress the customer the boots were built for. The aggressive reputation the company later summarised as built for the streets begins here, in a boot-first range aimed at a young urban customer rather than at the work boot or hiking boot buyer.

From Hip Hop to Motorcycles: The Birdman and Choppers Lines

Support from the music world then led to a collaborative line with hip-hop superstar Bryan Baby Williams, aka Birdman, with his own series of sneakers and boots. The step matters because it moved Lugz beyond boots alone: a collaborator's series spanning sneakers as well as boots is a range, not a single style, and it signals the brand broadening into the athletic-casual ground its later records describe. The pattern is consistent across the page - each endorsement is attached to product, a named line or shoe a reader could actually buy, rather than to advertising alone.

In 2006 the endorsers changed world. Orange County Choppers, described in the record as the world's premier builders of custom motorcycles, signed on to endorse Lugz shoes - which they were already wearing, so it was a natural fit, as the company puts it. With its aggressive built for the streets reputation, Lugz collaborated with Paul Teutul, Jr. to create a signature Lugz shoe, the Torx, which interpreted that reputation well. A motorcycle builder's endorsement works differently from a musician's: it vouches for durability and attitude at once, and the Torx gave that vouching a signature product of its own.

Into the Octagon, and the Wider Range

In the fall of 2008 Lugz shot onto the Mixed Martial Arts scene, signing its first two MMA fighters, Lyoto Machida and Houston Alexander, as endorsers. Machida captured the title of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion as he represented Lugz. With MMA becoming, in the words of the time, the fastest growing sport and entertainment platform with an increasingly growing fan base, Lugz was excited to be part of the trend and later signed Quinton Rampage Jackson. In 2010 Cain Velasquez became the newest endorser of Lugz, and immediately after signing he fought to become UFC World Heavyweight Champion.

The signings continued into 2011, when Lugz grew its team with UFC Welterweight Josh Koscheck and UFC Light Heavyweight Phil Davis. Two champions signed just before winning their titles is the record's proudest sequence, and it is kept here exactly as recorded, with no later career outcomes added. The closing summary widens the product story: from its inception, Lugz footwear has been an innovator in the footwear market, from its signature styles to creating trendsetting styles beyond boots, and it has added casual shoes and athletics to the mix for the Lugz men, Lugz women and Lugz kids lines. The official Lugz website is carried in the References for current ranges.

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