The History of the L.L. Bean Duck Boot
Born in the wet and slog of Maine’s woods and fields more than a century ago, the L.L. Bean boot is an enduring icon of classic American outdoor style. And from humble roots, the instantly recognizable duck boot style has become a global juggernaut, powering the rise of the L.L. Bean corporation to $1.7 billion in revenue and gracing magazine shoots and runways even as it remains a classic workhorse for thousands of wearers in wet weather.
It’s no accident that there’s a 16-foot tall replica of the Bean boot outside of the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport, Maine. (It’s a popular photo spot for tourists.) Nor is it a coincidence that when the brand wanted to celebrate its centennial year in 2012 that it chose the Bean Boot to immortalize in a fleet of giant boot-shaped trucks — the dedication to the L.L. Bean boot runs deep. Here’s how we got here.
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L.L. Bean invents the duck boot
The LL Bean boot started with a pair of wet feet.
In 1911, avid outdoorsman Leon Leonwood Bean was tired of coming back from hunting trips with cold, soaking shoes. A year later, he created a solution: a hybrid boot style made for outdoor wear called the Maine Hunting Shoe, which married soft and flexible leather uppers with a rubber work boot bottom. The first shoe was sewed by Gertrude Goldrup — and the sewing machine she used can be seen today at the brand’s Freeport flagship.
Bean was confident that he’d created a winner, so confident that he warrantied all 100 pairs he made with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Unfortunately, the design had a flaw: The single line of stitching that united the upper to the bottom wasn’t strong enough to hold up during wear. Ultimately, 90 of the first 100 pairs came back.
Undaunted, Bean borrowed $400 from his family (roughly $13,000 in today’s dollars) and used the investment to create an improved version, with an upgraded rubber bottom that was triple stitched to the upper — the construction technique still used in Bean boots to this day.
The new and improved version was a hit. By 1917, L.L. Bean had sold enough of the Maine Hunting Shoe style to open a dedicated shop in Freeport, Maine – by 1951, an L.L. Bean flagship was open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, a tradition that continues to this day. In 2024, more than 110 years after its debut, the company sold between 250,000 and 500,000 of the Maine Hunting Shoe style,.
Bean boots through time
The Bean boot quickly caught on with hunters and outdoorsmen, including some notable names — Babe Ruth and Ernest Hemingway were both fans. During World War Two, Bean served as a consultant to the U.S. Army and Navy, and a version of the famous boot was created for American troops.
By the 1980s, the Bean boot entered a new era – not only was it an outdoor staple, it was starting to be acknowledged for its Americana style. The boot was an acknowledged essential of classic American style, with the brand being mentioned by name in 1980’s The Official Preppy Handbook.
While an exact date is hard to pin down, sometime around 1992, L.L. Bean started selling styles under the name Bean boot, which it had informally been known as by most shoppers anyhow. The company has continuously sold the original style as well.) The best seller is the 8-inch unlined tan boot, easily the brand’s most recognizable iteration of the style. You can even still buy the Maine Hunting Shoe, a 10-inch boot that aims to capture the moccasin-esque feel of the original style.
And continuing the way they started, both styles are still assembled in L.L. Bean’s factories in Lewiston and Brunswick, Maine.
The Bean boot today
In more recent years, Collaboration has kept the Bean boot relevant in fashion spaces.
In 2019, L.L. Bean launched its first partnership with Maine-based sailcloth backpack brand Flowfold, and in February of 2020, the boot took to the catwalk at Men’s Fashion Week in New York thanks to a collaboration with designer Todd Snyder, the fruit of a three-year design process. In addition to a special edition of the Maine Hunting Shoe, the collection included a crewneck knit sweater with a design of the signature boot front and center.
Most recently, the company debuted a collaboration with Grammy-winning Vermont-based singer and songwriter Noah Kahan. Released in October of 2024, the eight-piece capsule collection included a take on the Bean boot with a waxed canvas upper and a duck-print air mesh lining.
The appetite for the versatile, sporty style expanded beyond its American roots as well. In 1992, the brand took its first international steps, opening a store in Tokyo. (Today, the brand has 22 Japanese doors.) In 2018, L.L. Bean launched a Canadian website and expanded into brick-and-mortar in Canada in an exclusive partnership with Ontario-based distributor Jaytex Group.
Today, L.L Bean’s website serves more than 200 countries and territories, taking orders in more than 60 currencies. More than 100 years after the first model was created, the L.L. Bean boot continues to be an iconic American style and outdoor favorite.
Versions of the Bean Boot are made for men, women and children, in the classic 8-inch height, as well as low-cut moccasin and gumboot versions, 6-inch, 7-inch and 10-inch heights as well. Insulated versions, flannel lined versions and takes in a variety of colors and materials make the Bean boot a true franchise. No matter which style you chose, the LL Bean boot remains an instantly recognizable American classic.
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