Chico Imrie
Chico Imrie is the footwear label of British bootmaker and designer Julian Imrie, whose approach was shaped by years spent learning directly from last makers, specialist workshops and heritage boot manufacturers in Britain and the United States. His earlier work includes collaborations with Double RL and Mister Freedom, including the development of the MF Road Champ.
Drawing on British and American service, field and work boots from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Imrie reinterprets historical footwear rather than reproducing it directly. Each design begins with a hand-carved last, with limited production carried out by small specialist workshops using carefully selected leathers and traditional construction methods.
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Kay’s Story
I’ve been involved with boots for a very long time. Before Burg & Schild, I opened the Red Wing stores in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, and over the years I’ve built up a fairly extensive collection of vintage and historically important boots and shoes. It’s a subject I’ve spent a large part of my working life studying, so when I met Julian Imrie, there was immediately a lot for us to talk about.
Julian comes at footwear from a perspective I understand very well. He’s fascinated by the history, but he’s equally interested in why things were made the way they were: the shape of a last, the choice of leather, how a boot moves on the foot and what happens to it after years of wear. His knowledge comes from spending time with the people who actually make these things, from last makers in Northampton to traditional boot factories in the United States.
I think that’s one of the reasons we connected so naturally. We both have enormous respect for historical footwear, but neither of us is interested in history simply for the sake of nostalgia. The interesting part is taking that knowledge and using it to make something that works today.That shared understanding eventually developed into the exclusive Chico Imrie styles we’ve created for Burg & Schild. Working with Julian isn’t a case of choosing an existing boot and changing the colour. We can talk about the historical reference, the proportions, the last, the leather and how we actually want the finished boot to wear, and those conversations become part of the design itself.
For me, that’s what makes the relationship special. Julian has spent years developing his own understanding of traditional bootmaking, while I’ve spent years collecting, wearing and working with many of the original boots that inspire it. When those two perspectives come together, we can create something that respects where this kind of footwear came from without simply reproducing the past.