The Red Wing Oxford 9895 Returns But It’s Not All Good News
Red Wing’s Oxford 9895 Is Back For 2015, Kind Of
The good folks over at Red Wing Heritage have been digging around in their archives for this one. Originally designed and released in 1954, the Japanese branch of Red Wing Heritage has launched this special edition Oxford, the 9895, as part of the Spring/Summer collection for 2015. The leather, the details, and the fact that most of you will have to travel around the world to try it before you buy it makes this shoe worth the while.
Same Same But Different
The 9895 Oxford shares many details with the 9877 boots that we’ve already covered. The woven “Irish Setter” tag is behind the tongue, the extra rectangular stitch has returned for the classic look and a bit of extra strength, the triple stitch is Mahogany and Sage, and the shoe is made from the beautiful Golden Russet “Gold Sequoia” leather to give it an overall classic look.
And, those are not the only details that make the 9895 different from the regular Oxfords that Red Wing make.
The Four Stand-Out Details
The first detail that makes the 9895 stand out is the absence of the Norwegian Welt. Not that it has a negative effect on the fit. In fact, using the normal Goodyear welt like on the 6” Moc boots, it gives a more familiar feel and comfort to it. And, because it still sits on the comfortable white Traction Tred outsole, you can’t go wrong on this when it comes to comfort and strength.
The “dog tail” detail on the heel is also “missing.” With the regular Oxfords having a dog tail shaped joining, the 9895 has a similar looking layering and detail seen on the 6” Moc boots but in a shorter version, of course. Using this type of joining, it covers the seam that would normally be visible. With this, the 9895 has a more solid look.
The third detail is the extra eyelet used for the laces. On the regular Oxfords, you have four rows of eyelets, but on the 9895 Red Wing have gone for five eyelets. With this extra eyelet, the silhouette is slightly longer and more well-balanced making it less chunky.
Finally, all this is packed up in the “Irish Setter” inspired shoebox with the Sports Boot decals on the front to accompany the 50s-inspired theme of the shoes.
And Now For the Sucker-Punch
The only thing that isn’t positive about these Oxfords is that they’re only available in Japan. If, like us, you’d like to see these gracing as many feet as possible, you can join us in hoping that the European management team will be trying to get a few pairs over to Europe like they did with the 9877 boots.
Photography: Michael van Hal
