Danner boots are made partly in Portland, Oregon, and partly overseas, depending on the specific model. Danner is owned by LaCrosse Footwear, which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of ABC Mart, a Japanese retail company.
This means an American boot brand with deep Pacific Northwest roots now sits under Japanese ownership, even though its most iconic models are still handcrafted at Danner’s own Portland factory.
This article covers who owns Danner Boots, where its boots are actually manufactured, its founding history, and how the Portland factory fits into the picture today.
So let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Who Owns Danner Boots?
Danner is owned by LaCrosse Footwear, headquartered alongside Danner in Portland, Oregon. Current styles are shown on Danner’s official website.
LaCrosse Footwear acquired Danner in 1994, combining Danner’s leather boot expertise with LaCrosse’s rubber and vinyl footwear business.
LaCrosse Footwear was itself acquired in 2012 by ABC Mart, a Tokyo based company and Japan’s largest retailer of athletic, business, and casual footwear.
Despite the change in ownership, Danner has continued operating from Portland, and company officials have stated the acquisition did not affect the brand’s domestic factory operations.
Where Are Danner Boots Made?
Only some Danner boots are made in the USA. A meaningful portion of the lineup is still manufactured at Danner’s own factory in Portland, Oregon, while other models are produced overseas.
Danner organizes its American made products into tiers on its website, including a Made in USA and Berry Compliant category representing the highest level of domestic sourcing, and a separate Made in USA with imported components category for boots finished in Portland using globally sourced materials.
Danner clearly labels which specific models fall into each category on its site, making it straightforward for shoppers to filter for domestically produced boots if that matters to their purchase.
How Does the Portland Factory Fit In?
Danner’s Portland, Oregon factory has remained the heart of the brand’s domestic manufacturing since the company’s founding, employing union workers represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555.
LaCrosse Footwear opened a new, expanded Danner factory in Portland in 2010, reinforcing the company’s investment in domestic production even as broader industry trends pushed more footwear manufacturing overseas.
When ABC Mart acquired LaCrosse Footwear in 2012, company leadership specifically emphasized that the Portland factory would remain unaffected, citing strong ongoing demand for Danner products in markets including Japan and South Korea.
When Was Danner Founded?
Danner was founded in 1932 by Charles Danner, who brought his boot making craft to the Pacific Northwest and built the brand around durable footwear suited to the region’s rugged terrain.
Danner built an early reputation supplying boots to loggers and, during World War Two, to the US military, which drove the company’s need for a larger factory in Portland.
The brand later expanded into hiking, hunting, and law enforcement footwear, becoming a household name well beyond its original logging industry customer base.
Danner remained independently owned until 1994, when LaCrosse Footwear acquired the company as part of a merger intended to create a combined business with roughly 100 million dollars in annual revenue.
Are Danner Boots Good Quality?
Independent lab testing from RunRepeat rates Danner’s leather hiking boots, including the Mountain Light, among the most durable on the market, citing strong resistance to wear in toe box abrasion testing and a build quality suited to long term use and resoling rather than disposal.
Long term owners of work focused models like the Acadia commonly describe a resole and keep wearing them for decades pattern, with reviewers noting the boots hold up well structurally even as leather naturally develops scuffing and patina over years of use.
Some reviewers on lighter hiking models like the Mountain 600 note the leather is thinner and prone to earlier wear on rugged, heavy backpacking terrain compared to Danner’s more rugged work boot lines.
Recent complaints on Trustpilot focus more on order fulfillment than the boots themselves, including slow shipping, unexpected customs duties on international orders, and one report of receiving older dated stock.
Overall, Danner’s core leather boots are widely regarded as long lasting, premium built footwear, with the main tradeoffs being price and, on some lighter hiking models, thinner leather than the brand’s heritage work boots.
Frequently Asked Questions About Who Makes Danner Boots
Is Danner owned by a Japanese company?
Yes, Danner’s parent company, LaCrosse Footwear, is a wholly owned subsidiary of ABC Mart, a Japanese retail company headquartered in Tokyo. ABC Mart acquired LaCrosse Footwear in 2012.
Are Danner boots made in the USA?
Some Danner boots are made in the USA at the company’s factory in Portland, Oregon, while other models are manufactured overseas. Danner clearly labels which category each product falls into on its website.
When did LaCrosse Footwear acquire Danner?
LaCrosse Footwear acquired Danner in 1994, combining Danner’s leather boot business with LaCrosse’s existing rubber and vinyl footwear operations.
Is the Danner factory still operating in Portland?
Yes, Danner still operates its factory in Portland, Oregon, which was expanded in 2010 and continues to employ union workers producing a portion of the brand’s domestic lineup.
I am Jack Neel, a mechanical engineer, researcher, and writer. I created this website to share my knowledge about different brands and products with you. I research the manufacturers behind the brands and provide you with the information you need to make smart buying decisions.