Type Apparel Website mukluks.com | Owner Patti Steger Founded 1986 | |
Headquarters | ||
Steger Design, Inc is a privately held maker of winter boots and moccasins based in Ely, Minnesota. The brand Steger Mukluks was founded in 1986 by Patti Steger when friends came to her with their own piece of leather to be made into mukluk boots. Over time boots made from Patti's factory in Ely, Mn were worn from the top to the bottom of the earth.
Contents
Design
The term mukluk is often used for any soft boot designed for cold weather. The word "mukluk" is of Inuit origin.
There are many different styles of Steger Mukluks, which are made from tanned moose hide and a unique, flexible, treaded rubber sole. Some are made completely of moose hide and others have a canvas upper. There are also Moccasins for warm weather wear all the way to the waterproof Extremes with a more aggressive tread and a multiple insole system which allows many options to insulate the wearer from the ground. And for the hands they make chopper style Arctic Mitts made of deer hide, with a shearling patch on the top of the mitt for wiping your face.
All Steger Mukluks have the flexible light weight rubber sole that flexes when wearing allowing blood to flow keeping feet warm and dry with the feeling of being barefoot.
History
While on an Arctic dogsled expedition in 1982-83 with then Arctic explorer husband Will Steger, Patti Steger studied native culture and the respective skills. It was during this time Patti Steger experienced wearing mukluks, marveling at the warmth and comfort and learned to hand-sew mukluks and moccasins from the native women. Steger Mukluks are made in the Northern Cree Indian style with a rubber sole.
Steger Mukluks have been worn by team members on numerous expeditions with Will Steger to the North and South Pole and contestants in the Iditarod Trail Race in Alaska.They have appeared in several movies Antarctica,Iron Will, Grumpy Old Men, and the TV series Northern Exposure.
The first mail order catalog was circulated in 1988. In 2008, the catalog was revamped as a "smart" catalog on the order of a brochure to minimize paper usage and be more ecological. The first website was published in 2000, a shopping cart was added in 2004.
After more than 27 years, the factory in Ely, Minnesota currently produces more than 10,000 pairs of footwear every year.