In 1892, Milton Florsheim began producing shoes in a small factory located in Chicago, Illinois. The first pairs of Florsheim shoes were made by Milton and his father, Sigmund. From the very beginning, Florsheim shoes were a remarkable combination of style, comfort and high quality workmanship.

It was not long before Milton realized he wasn’t just building shoes, but a full-scale company. He began to develop a strong distribution network to ensure that his exceptional footwear found its customers. Milton took a lot of pride in his products, but even more pride in his company. It was something that he created on his own, an embodiment of the American Dream. For Milton, his customers were the most important aspect of his business—entrepreneurs and self-starters in big cities and small towns across a fast growing nation.

As a new class of working men and professionals emerged, Florsheim shoes came to symbolize success. This is a tradition that we continue today. Since Milton’s day we have expanded the products to include more casual styles, as well as specialty lines like Florsheim Imperial and Florsheim Limited. Though the specific shoes may change from season to season and year to year, all Florsheim shoes are made with our heritage in mind. If only Milton Florsheim could have known that the brand created would still be thriving over 120 years later!