Nigel Cabourn partners CAT Footwear for second collaboration

British menswear designer Nigel Cabourn has once again teamed up with CAT Footwear on two boot styles for AW23, launching today, having first collaborated with the brand for AW22.

Nigel Cabourn’s website currently hails what it calls the "perfect match" and a "shared passion for durability, function and everyday utility", and this latest collaboration is inspired by Caterpillar Inc. machinery from 1941, when the company was a "right-hand partner for the US Navy Seabees" – embracing the Seabees "Can Do" motto.

Authenticity and industrial heritage are key to the new designs, with protective steel toe features nodding to traditional Caterpillar work boots.

As per the first collaboration, the two styles, ‘Utah’ and ‘Omaha’, are named after D-Day beaches cleared by the Seabees using Caterpillar machinery. However, there are new design details for the second iterations, ‘Utah Zip’ and ‘Omaha Lace’.

Built atop the outsole of the CAT work boot staple ‘Holton’, the ‘Utah Zip’ introduces a zip-up lace cover to the silhouette. Concealed draw-cord lacing beneath the zip brings additional warmth and protection.

Complete with a protective steel toe and traditional Goodyear welt around its outer edge, the new boot also has a classic padded collar and upper, this time finished in mixed materials offering defence against the elements. Finished with dual Caterpillar and Nigel Cabourn branding, the silhouette comes in ‘black olive’ and ‘bison’.

‘Omaha Lace’ is inspired by the drawcords and webbed waist-ties of Nigel Cabourn’s iconic ‘Expedition Parka’. The lace spans the entire instep, crisscrossing back and forth all the way to the mudguard. It’s then fed through signature quarter-webbing loops before wrapping and tying around the boot cuff. It’s a feature "designed for its hyper-functionality", while being aesthetically appealing with it.

The silhouette maintains the original Omaha’s over engineered outsole, as well as its distinctive industrial 3D moulded toe cap and protective mudguard, with the new addition of a quilted technical nylon for optimum insulation. It’s a boot that’s heavy-duty and resilient, but also lightweight and flexible, "offering ultimate wearability on all terrains".

It also comes in two colourways; an all-out black, and a multi-toned olive, both complete with dual Caterpillar and Nigel Cabourn branding in CAT’s signature yellow.

The ‘Utah Zip’ style is now retailing at £220 on the Nigel Cabourn website, while the ‘Omaha Lace’ is priced at £190.