Trevor Brazile Collaborates On Ariat’s Tech-Focused Cushioned Western Boots

Trevor Brazile, record-holding 26-time World Champion cowboy, had an idea. His seven-year partnership with Ariat allowed that idea to break him from his comfort zone while staying true to the roots of western boots.

Brazile and Ariat collaborated on the recent Relentless Futurity launch, a collection of men’s and women’s boots designed for competition, riding or everyday wear, filled with the brand’s technology, but created in a throwback cut offered in a mix of bold colors.

“It is just hard to get out of a comfort zone, but I saw some vintage styles making their way back into the industry,” Brazile says, “slowly but surely, on custom levels, and I just knew that it was time to make that change. I was excited about putting Ariat’s new technology twist on an old trend like a narrow cut. To have that type of look with the technology and comfort that Ariat brings to the table, it made for a fun collab.”

Ariat, the first western boot maker to offer heel-to-toe cushioning instead of only a leather insole, used the Relentless Futurity collection to add in a list of technologies in a traditional silhouette. Along with the full-foot cushioning, the collection incorporates torque stability technology, additional cushioning with an insole and a Duratread heel with a genuine leather outsole.

The cutter toe, Futurity heel, Duratread heel and veg-tan leather outsole for the women and Butyl leather outsole for the men combines a traditional boot style making a comeback—Brazile says it was before his time, but he was excited when it came back around because it is such a “good look”—with some future-forward colorways.

“It does have some bold colors, and some aren’t as bold, but they all offer the same exact comforts and technologies,” he says about the five colors offered for men and five for women. While Brazile gravitated toward the black-on-black style or the dark copper, he also puts the blue in his rotation. “The blue was a little forward for me at the time,” he says, “but now that I have got to wear it, I like it and wear it way more than I thought I was going to.”

Brazile says the look of the boot, with the change to the “narrower, faster toe” is totally new and a “move forward with boldness.” He also appreciates the roughout leather design of the foot. “To finally get that done, the roughout, that was a lot of fun to see that come together,” he says. “I had tested them in the past and got so many compliments, but they weren’t to the public yet, so to see it get all the way to full circle is pretty rewarding.”

Brazile says the sneaker-like technology is the key, calling it a game changer. He worked with Ariat designers to define the right sole, with the blend of leather and treatments to get the feel of a leather sole and the durability needed, but with the addition of technology to up the comfort. “Ariat brings that heel-to-toe cushion, and it really married the tennis shoe world to the boot industry,” he says.

“Trevor is one of our most treasured partners and continues to bring his exceptional technical expertise from a variety of rodeo disciplines to the products we develop together,” says Susan Alcala, Ariat’s vice president of partnership marketing. “He challenges us to push the envelope.”

Ariat and Brazile have worked together on various projects in the past, but the Relentless Futurity was the first born from him. “It was more my baby, but they believed in me enough to come on board and try this with me,” Brazile says. “This is your core western boot. Our main thing in building this boot was to never leave the core cowboy and to always make sure we were meeting the needs of the guys living it every day.”