The cowboy is not exclusive to southwestern North America, but is a starring role in cattle driven areas demanding horseback riding to traverse terrain, and more importantly, hard wearing boots. Camargue, a marshy region in the South of France, is lush with wildlife and home to free running bulls, horses, and the gardian - the French cowboy.
Since 1958, La Botte Gardiane has been handcrafting boots expressly to outfit these herdsmen, with comfort and durability being a necessity to brave the wetlands. Notwithstanding utilitarian origins, the boots produced exhibit elegant curves and supple leathers, a departure from some of the harsh points and squares that you’d find in American counterparts. More subtle in design, the gardian boots have a definite air of chicness about them - it’s that kind of nonchalance you can only expect from a French cowboy boot.
La Botte Gardiane still produces all of their footwear in the Camargue to this day, with a high priority placed on utilizing domestically sourced hides to the fullest. Their roster has since expanded far beyond their classic ropers, given our introduction to them was through fisherman sandals, but their heritage savoir-faire is evident across all styles.