Q&A BY GREG
DUTTER
FULL GALLOP
Ron Owens, vice president and brand manager of Dingo, a d i v i s i o n o f D a n Po s t B o o t C o m p a n y, o n w h y h i s l a t e s t r u n — in a career of big runs—is poised to be the biggest yet.
DINGO’S BUSINESS IS BOOMING. Over the past three years, sales have doubled annually—pandemic be damned—and are expected to do so again when the company completes its fiscal year at the end of July. The outlook for the next few years is even more bullish as Dingo rides a macro lifestyle shift while also expanding into a licensed head-totoe brand. In fact, Ron Owens, the man at the reins, believes Dingo has just burst out of the gate. In his half century of working in and on the fringes of western fashion, he’s never seen so much growth potential—for Dingo and the category overall. This is no fleeting Urban Cowboy craze or Yellowstone effect. Owens says western—and by extension Americana, vintage, boho and denim—is much broader and deeper, driven by an array of large-scale demographic and fashion trends snowballing like never before. “This is the first time I’ve seen any trend crossover ethnicities, age, gender, music, film. I’ve never seen one this universal in my life,” Owens says, noting that cowboy boots currently rank in the top 35 of all product searches. “This represents a much bigger and longer-lasting, lifestyle shift.” What is causing the tectonic tilt? Owens cites several key factors, starting with America’s great migration. Specifically, the millions of Americans who’ve moved or plan to move to destinations where western fashion is everyday attire. “People are moving in droves from the entire Northeast, and from big cities in the Midwest, California, Oregon and Washington to North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Texas,” he says. “These are people who never wore a lot of denim, and certainly never wore western boots. A month or so after moving, they are. Half of them end up buying hats, even.” Owens adds, “The South just brings with it a more rural feel and always embodies a stronger sense of Americana than other parts of the country, and that’s having a big effect.” Factor No. 2: It’s a Gen Z thing. “Western boots are the favorite shoe of that generation, as well as for a lot of Millennials,” Owens reports, adding that white boots are so hot now that they’ve developed into their own category. “The number of hashtag postings of these looks on TikTok is
unbelievable.” Owens adds that the definition of western footwear has broadened greatly; that’s to the benefit of the category and, especially, a hybrid fashion brand like Dingo. He cites the boots worn by Gwen Stefani at her wedding to Blake Shelton last summer as an example. The media described them as “western,” but the sky-high white Le Silla stiletto boots embellished with Swarovski crystals on the toe and heel could just as easily be deemed fashion. “I think fashion is fashion,” Owens says. “If it has western connotations or flair but isn’t really true western,
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