Lucchese’s latest collaboration with Parker McCollum is made for the stage—and the barn.
There are few things more Texan than country music and cowboy boots. Except maybe the latest collaboration between Texas-based Lucchese Bootmaker and Parker McCollum, a country music star born-and-raised in the Lone Star State. When Cowboys & Indians editors first heard of the collaboration—complete with four pairs of cowboy boots, apparel items, and hats—we knew it was a match made in heaven. And that feeling was solidified when, according to C&I contributor Alison Bonaguro, McCollum showed up to an interview for the upcoming July 2024 issue looking “every bit the Texas cowboy he is, rocking a Lucchese dark denim pearl-snap Western shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of blue Lucchese boots.”
“My goal was for these boots to feel like me, so I approached it the way I write my music. Just like my songs, I wanted to create something that people can see a bit of themselves in, that would feel timeless and would inspire folks in their day-to-day,” McCollum said. “Something Lucchese is already really good at.”
Pictured left to right: Silhouette, Hollywood Gold, Evening Patriot, and Ruger.
Doug Hogue, Lucchese’s vice president of brand and product, echoed this sentiment. “He has a good product sense,” he told C&I. “He is an artist, so although the design and boot making process was new to him … how he creates songs and how he creates boots had some of the same thought process.”
After the interview for the July 2024 feature (coming in June to newsstands near you), C&I spoke with McCollum again—this time about cowboy boots, gold chains, and his identifiable personal style.
C&I: The boots in this collection seem to have a lot of sentimental value—there’s one pair named after your dog and another pair named after an album. Is there a pair that is extra special to you?
Parker McCollum: I think the Evening Patriot is. It has a good sentiment to veterans and the armed forces of the U.S., which is something that I talk about on stage every night. It’s something that I'm pretty involved with throughout the year in different avenues… It’s kind of just held in higher regard for me than everything else. But I mean, they’re all really special to me.
The Hollywood Gold was a championship cutting horse my granddad had years ago and had a crazy story behind it. My first EP was Hollywood Gold. I think the boot is gorgeous, and you look at it and really think Hollywood Gold is such a fitting name. The silhouette is probably tied for favorite with the Evening Patriot just because of that black silhouette look, the gray tops, the light blue stitching, the black suede bottoms. It’s everything I love in a boot.
“Lucchese’s ostrich Hollywood Gold romanticizes the West through flora-inspired design and rich color choice reminiscent of the horse’s shiny yellow coat and McCollum’s album cover.”
It's just cool how it’s come about and how we’ve kind of put it all together and been patient and taken our time. So to say I’m excited [for] when they come out is a huge understatement.
C&I: It sounds like you were heavily involved in the creation of this collection. You didn’t just stamp your name on the boots and call it done.
McCollum: Oh, no, no. I’ve turned down a lot of money for sponsorships that I just didn’t connect with. … Whether it's my songs or something that I’m endorsing, I just want people to spend their hard-earned money on a legitimate quality product that they’ll actually enjoy and feel like they got their money’s worth. I mean, Lucchese is the greatest example of that, and I was adamant about it. I was upfront about it in the process… I just want it to be good. I wear boots a lot and I think it needs to be quality.
C&I: Lucchese is known for boots that you can keep forever and even pass down.
McCollum: Yeah, well I think there’s certainly heirloom quality. The Evening Patriot and the Hollywood Gold are 100 percent heirloom quality. I don't know if the Ruger is just because it’s probably one you would beat up a little bit more. It’s a more functional boot that’s more practical for your day to day.
I didn’t even wear dress boots until [working] with Lucchese. The same boots I would wear on the tractor or ride my horse, I would wear on stage. That was probably because I didn't have a lot of money at the time and only had one pair of boots. They were really the people that got me into styling boots and wearing a dress boot. If I’m wearing a navy blue coat to an award show, I wear my Evening Patriots.
I don’t have much style, but I know what I like. And so it’s kind of fun with Lucchese. If I can match these boots with my outfit, I actually look like I know what I'm doing a little bit.
“The sueded caiman combined with a 5-Rose quarter inlay is a McCollum signature, making [the Evening Patriot] the lead style of his collection.”
C&I: You have created an iconic look for yourself. You have a bit of classic cowboy style with starched jeans and cowboy boots, but you mix it up with T-shirts and baseball caps. Can you talk about your personal style?
McCollum: I have just always tried to make it as easy as possible. We’ve always toured so much and played so many shows. I always tried to travel with the smallest suitcase and the least amount of stuff. Now it’s a little different. I have my own bus and my own wardrobe on the road—which can’t really be called a wardrobe, it’s the exact same pair of jeans with some T-shirts.
All the men in my family wore starched jeans their whole life. That’s just the way it was. As soon as I was old enough to afford to do that all the time, especially on stage, I started getting really particular. I wanted my jeans to fit perfect and look right. When you’re a performer, an entertainer, you want to look good and feel good up there. So the jeans kind of started to take on identity of their own.
And I love diamonds and gold. I mean, I’ve got a diamond Rolex I wear all the time that’s gold, I’ve got a commission of gold chains with diamonds in ’em, and I love gold sunglasses. I have a gold diamond horseshoe wedding ring.
The Quick Six Questions
We ended our conversation with some rapid fire questions.
C&I: If you could trade closets with anyone, who would it be?
McCollum: George Strait.
C&I: What is one thing you can’t leave home without?
McCollum: Zyn pouches.
C&I: Where is your favorite place in Texas?
McCollum: Right now it’s between my new ranch in Southwest Texas and my family’s ranch in East Texas.
C&I: What is a song you listen to on repeat?
McCollum: It’s an Alabama song I've been obsessed with lately. It's called “There's No Way.”
C&I: Stick with the classics or go with trends?
McCollum: Stick with the classics.
C&I: How many pairs of cowboy boots do you bring on tour?
McCollum: There’s probably eight to 10 pairs on my bus at any given time.
Thanks to our friends at Lucchese, C&I is giving away a limited-edition Lucchese x Parker McCollum script hat to two lucky winners. Enter the giveaway using the form below.
The limited-edition navy Lucchese x Parker McCollum script hat.
Additional reporting by Alison Bonaguro. Look for her upcoming print feature on McCollum in the July 2024 issue.
Shop the Lucchese x Parker McCollum collaboration here.
Click here for the full Terms & Conditions.
PHOTOGRAPHY: (Cover image) Chris Kleinmeier/Courtesy Red Light Management; (Product images) Gustav Schmiege III/Courtesy Lucchese
