What Timberland is known for
New England bootmaker whose Original Yellow Boot debuted in 1973, developed by Nathan and Sidney Swartz's Abington Shoe Company using injection-molded waterproof leather construction; adopted by 1990s New York hip-hop culture and still produced today.
Timberland's Original Yellow Boot was introduced in 1973 by the Swartz family's Abington Shoe Company, a Boston-area footwear maker that Nathan Swartz had acquired in 1955. The boot used injection-molding to bond a waterproof leather upper directly to its sole, designed as work footwear able to withstand harsh New England winters. The boot's popularity spread through Italy's 1980s Paninaro subculture and London rave culture, then decisively through 1990s New York hip-hop, where artists including The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur wore the boots regularly. The boot remains in production largely unchanged from its 1973 original.
Best for — The 1973 yellow waterproof boot, a hip-hop and workwear icon
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