EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso’s boot legacy is stepping into the luxury spotlight, and it’s happening in a downtown workshop where leather, paint and a whole lot of patience still rule the day.
Rocketbuster Handmade Custom Boots, long known for its handmade, one-of-a-kind creations, has partnered with luxury fashion house Coach on a limited-edition collection that blends West Texas craftsmanship with high-end style.
“Everything we do is sort of a one-of-a-kind for people all over the world,” Nevena Christi, manager of Rocketbuster, said. “And it never gets boring, because we never make more of the same thing.”
Downtown El Paso’s Rocketbuster Boots teams with Coach on limited-edition
Inside the shop, the emphasis is on old-school, hands-on work.
“I just like people to know that things are still made the old-fashioned way,” Christi said. “People still make things by hand. People still get dirty.”
That commitment to craft is part of what made the Coach call such a moment. Faith St. Leon, an artist at Rocketbuster, became part of the team that helped make this collection what it is now.
“So it was really cool that Coach called us,” St. Leon said. “So when one day you’re painting landscapes, and then suddenly Coach kicks the door in and says, hey, you want to help us with a collab and paint butterflies? Well, yeah, absolutely.”
Faith St. Leon tells ARC El Paso, she painted over 50 butterflies for the collection.
The limited-edition pieces showcase detailed techniques and materials, including inlay and overlay work and crystals.
“And we also have Austrian crystals. So those are Swarovski crystals,” said Christi.
The project also brought new challenges, including working with materials different from what the shop typically uses. Design elements include butterfly and floral details.
“And so there’s the butterfly and the two different, you know, all the different flowers,” Christi said, adding that precision is nonnegotiable: “Every step has to be perfect when you’re doing something like what we do every day.”
For Rocketbuster, the collaboration also feels like a cultural moment for the city itself.
“I said it came full circle,” Christi said. “So now New York is looking at El Paso. And El Paso is the boot capital, of the cowboy boot capital of the world.”
Over the years, the shop has drawn a wide range of customers, from world-famous artists to Hollywood names.
“We have everyone from like the number one economist in the world to Yo-Yo Ma to Ethan Hawke to Sylvester Stallone,” Christi told us.
Downtown El Paso’s Rocketbuster Boots teams with Coach on limited-edition line
What ties them together, the representative said, isn’t a single profession or background.
“They’re just like-minded, interesting people,” Christi said. “And I always say the only thing, the only thing our customers have in common is that none of them are boring. Like, there isn’t a boring person in the batch.”
As RocketBuster takes its El Paso-made artistry to a global fashion audience, the shop’s approach remains the same: try the ambitious thing, then make it work.
“There’s just certain things you do because you wonder if you can, and it usually works out,” Christi said.
All the handbags on Coach’s website are now sold out. But Christi and the Rocketbuster team encourage you to sign up online for store tours or to buy some boots of your own.
RECOMMENDED: Coach taps El Paso’s Rocketbuster Boots for limited-edition Tabby Collection handbags
Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.