Style + Tech = Burton Ion Leather boots

By The Manual Published October 22, 2013

presented-by-fiat-table-280x70 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Behold the first-ever content series between Digital Trends and The Manual. The Bromance has begun. Since there are a plethora of brands out there melding style and technology, we thought we would take this opportunity to profile one item per week for the month of October, breaking them down and offering each of our unique takes on their tech and style components.

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For the whole series, click here; for snowboard boots that will make you ride like a pro and look like a Brooklyn Hipster, read on …

The Manual:

Snowboarding boots can get pretty hectic in the design area. There are frightful neon colors, busy graphics and too many buckles, nobs, belts and velcro. So when we saw these new simple and minimal Ion Leather boots from Burton we felt like our eye’s just received a massage. Better yet, the leather comes from one of our favorite boot companies, Red Wing. We are sure ole Charles Beckman, who founded Red Wing in 1905 for loggers, farmers and miners never had a clue his brand would be gliding down pristine slopes, but we guarantee this slick technology melded with leather from his factory would have him smiling.

Digital Trends:

“Gliding down pristine slopes”? The Manual appears to have mistaken the Ion’s for ice skates. These things rank near the very top of Burton’s performance boot line, which ranks near the very top of snowboarding’s most bad-ass footwear. Simply put, if you ride well enough to worry about things like rebound and response in your boot’s tongue material, or a perfect balance between low center of gravity sole design and impact dispersal, then you’ll want to check these boots out.

If you like to try tricks in the terrain park, the Ion Leather can help you add 180 degrees of rotation to your 360. If you like to bomb untracked powder, the Ion Leather will let you open the throttle without coming apart at the seams.

As for Charles Beckman, he probably never expected that Red Wing boots would become the defacto foot uniform for every artisanal pencil shaper or mustache waxer this side of Brooklyn’s Bushwick (which is that side of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, if you’re wondering) either. The fact that his leathers now adorn some of snowboarding’s most exciting shredders like Mark McMorris and Mikkel Bang is just one more instance of modern whiz-bangery that would leave the poor old guy scratching his noggin.

Topics

The Manual is simple — we show men how to live a life that is more engaged. Whether it be fashion, food, drink, travel…

Fashion & Style

New Ming 37.02 Ghost watch draws inspiration from architectural finishes

Ming's latest platinum watch is reminiscent of architectural components

Ming 37.02 Ghost

Popular for its minimalist aesthetic, Ming is now setting the standards with a new titanium watch, based on a previous 2024 model, the Ming 37.02. While the latest model has the same design as the 2024 edition, it is accentuated by a brushed finish that reflects light stylishly, making the watch look more modern. Ming’s main inspiration for the new watch was metallic finishes from different architectural components—baffles, claddings, struts, and buttresses.

Every Ming watch aligns with a certain theme. The LW.01 model, for instance, is made from a lightweight material and holds the title of the lightest model from the brand. Given that architectural finishes inspire the new Ghost model, the casing is made of Grade 2 titanium, a material that can be molded to align with the architectural theme.

Fashion & Style

Travis Hunter’s NFL draft moment gets a luxury timepiece

Versatility is the keynote feature in this luxury watch

Travis Hunter, Jr.

There aren’t many sure things in this year’s NFL draft, but the early selection of Travis Hunter, Jr. is one of them. As a unicorn two-way player, the Colorado star won’t have to wait long to hear his name called. And if he wants to record his waiting time for posterity, he’ll be able to do it with a premiere luxury watch that’s specially designed to celebrate his unique versatility.
AXIA Time is the company behind the watch, and John Kanaras is the man who designed it. Axia specializes in producing custom timepieces for championship teams and organizations, and Hunter’s watch, the ORATOS, came about as a result of Axia’s partnership with the Heisman Trophy Trust.
“Travis Hunter and I met [during Heisman weekend in New York],” he explains. “As the official timepiece of the Trust, AXIA Time designed the Heisman DIASIMOS, a limited edition timepiece that the 2024 Heisman Trophy recipient, finalists, and honorees would receive.
“During the weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with Travis and the other finalists. Hunter was excited to be named the 2024 Heisman Trophy recipient and appreciated being gifted the Heisman DIASIMOS. We discussed the range of AXIA's ultra-custom designs and how taking it a step further to reflect [that] his versatility on the field could be an incredible design.”
Design-wise, the watch embodies the unique game-within-a-game process that Hunter has learned while playing both cornerback and wide receiver in college and excelling at both positions.
“There is a lot of symbolism in the design of the Oratos,” he says. “I aimed to create something that was ultra-premium yet versatile. It also needed to be sleek and durable, but most of all, it needed to be elite from a mechanical perspective, and I wanted to provide visibility into the precision of the mechanism.”
The versatility starts with a simple three-hand movement, but the watch also comes with multiple strap options that include a Titanium 5 bracelet, an alligator strap, or an FKM rubber strap. All three options feature quick-release mechanisms.
“Depending on the strap, the watch can be worn on the red carpet or even for a dip in the pool,” Kanaras explains. “And with the X1 grade Super Luminova, the watch will glow for hours. The Oratos will be the most premium watch we have released to date, but even at the higher price point [of $3,500], it remains a great value relative to watches with similar specifications.”
As pivotal as Travis Hunter has become in this year's draft machinations, he won’t be the only one to be honored with a new watch. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was a finalist for the Lott Impact Award, and that led to the watchmaker striking up a relationship with Downs.
“Caleb was gifted one of our watches when he was a finalist for the Lott Impact Award,” says Kanaras. “It was Caleb’s first ‘nice’ watch and he expressed interest in working together. As Ohio State progressed on the playoffs, we decided to work together to build awareness around AXIA Time and our timepieces via use of his NIL on social media and some podcast appearances. He’s becoming quite the watch enthusiast!”

Fashion & Style

Indochino looks to the Earth for inspiration in summer suiting

Indochino channels the colors of the outdoors for your elevated wardrobe

Indochino Green windowpane

The world is a beautiful place, filled with majestic vistas, unimaginable landscapes, and jaw-dropping experiences. The beauty you find in the world may often feel like it's a long way off, requiring a plane ride to see the Northern Lights or booking a cruise to experience a sunset over the ocean. And while those are incredible sights that every human should get an opportunity to experience in their lifetime, you don't have to go too far to see something amazing. In fact, for most of us, the majestic views can be right outside our door. The forests, deserts, mountains, open skies, and grassy fields all offer us something incredible to look at, and Indochino has channeled those nearby images into their suiting drop for the new season. The Indochino Summer Suiting 2025 collection draws inspiration from the Earth itself, featuring colors like sage green, tan, terracotta, and white. Reminding us that you don't have to book a flight for beauty, you can simply look out your back door.

Incorporating the color of the year