What’s in a name?
If there was one brand I could associate with my childhood, or more specifically, my teen years, it would be Timberland.
I’ve been a fan of their iconic tan boots for as long as I can remember thanks to numerous American teen dramas and the like. Now, not all of those characters may have been wearing actual branded Timbs, but the product has become so much a part of the zeitgeist that the term ‘Timberlands’ have near enough become the eponym for tan, lace-up boots. From pop divas like Beyonce to hi-hop legends like The Notorious B.I.G, Timberlands have been name checked for decades.
I did begin with the cheaper alternatives, but I can still remember the day I bought my first pair of Timberlands with my birthday money. Maybe this was the beginning of my obsession with style, clothes and brands? Even though it still makes me chuckle that this is what I do for a living. I wore these boots almost day in and day out, they became a staple of my look and friends would ask if something had happened to them when I didn’t wear them.
In fact, I wore them so often, that my best friend, for my birthday, had a Build-a-Bear made for me in my likeness, which included a pair of bear-sized tan boots. He still sits pride of place on my wardrobe.
The pair in my photos are my newest incarnation - a pair I was lucky enough to have laser-engraved with my name. I know this is utterly narcissistic, but it’s just damn cool and my inner teen smiled with delight when I first saw them. The personalisation is something the company offers and can be done at their Regent Street store in London - hold fire while I check where else you can get them from.
These days, I may them less - I work in a fashion office and you need to swap it up a bit out of fear of judgement - but I still always have a pair in my collection.
There maybe other alternatives that are just as good in quality, but there just isn’t another brand that imbues you with the same sense of history and cool than Timberlands. As much as we may not want to admit it, there really is something in a name.
What do you think? Are you a Timberland fan? Is there an iconic piece in your wardrobe you wouldn’t do without?
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