Why Is Timberland so Expensive & Popular? Is It Worth It?

Many times, customers or brand loyalists wonder why a ‌brand sells its products at such high prices yet remains widely popular locally and globally.

This is the case for Timberland, a clothing and footwear company mostly known for its boots, whose products sell at high prices and are still popular around the globe.

For example, the average price of Timberland boots is around $150 with some models costing up to $250, but they are common all over.

In today’s post, we take a keen look at Timberland to explain why Timberland products are so expensive and popular and whether the products are worth the high prices.

Since the brand is mostly known for its boots, we will focus more on the cost and popularity of Timberland boots, or “Timbs“, the common name people use to refer to them. Let’s get started with a brief history of the brand.

1. History of Timberland

Timberland official website – Women’s boots

Nathan Swartz founded Timberland in 1952 when he bought a 50% stake in the Massachusetts-based Abington Shoe Company.

Born in 1902, Nathan Swartz was a shoe stitcher, a member of the fourth generation of a shoe-making family that migrated from Odessa in the Russian Empire to the U.S.

Nathan later bought the company fully, and his sons joined him in the business. The business was relocated to New England, with its operations based in New Market, New Hampshire.

In 1973, the company released the iconic Timberland Original Yellow Boots, which became so popular and synonymous with the brand that it led to the renaming of the company to Timberland in 1978.

The company that started as a maker of outdoor footwear rose to become a renowned maker of work boots, with its yellow original waterproof work boots shaping the footwear industry with the injection molding technique that ensures boots withstood the elements.

Timberland ventured into the apparel arena in 1988 and became a maker of clothes, leather items, glasses, and watches. Today, the company produces boots, sandals, sneakers, pants, sweatshirts, tees, jackets, and slides for men, women, and even children.

Like many other shoe and clothing companies, Timberland has changed hands over the years and is now owned by the famous VF Corporation since 2011.

Despite the changes, Timberland has remained true to its cause, producing high-quality work boots and other outdoor footwear even after transitioning into a fashion brand.

Don’t miss: Timberland vs Dr. Martens Boots: A Comparison

2. Why Is Timberland So Expensive?

Most Timberland boots sell at between $120 and $200, which is definitely on the higher side. Most of the shoes cost between $90 and $150, while clothing items like tees, baseball caps, pants, hoodies, and shirts can cost anywhere between $19 and $120.

Several factors, including quality, popularity, and social consciousness/community service, can explain the expensiveness of Timberland products.

For Timberland boots and shoes, for example, the company ensures each pair is of high quality and can be trusted as always by trade workers, outdoor enthusiasts, and even casual wearers.

Timberland uses high-quality materials in making its footwear. Such materials include nubuck leather, natural rubber, Polartec fleece, cotton, suede, Cordura fiber, leather, wool, and Thread Ground to Good™ fabric.

Besides the mentioned materials, Timberland also uses environment-friendly materials such as renewable eucalyptus, recycled plastics, organic cotton, foam from natural sugarcane and rubber, recycled leather, and recycled cotton.

The popularity of Timberland also contributes to the high prices of its products. When a brand is so established and popular globally, its products are bound to sell expensively because of the evergreen demand.

Since Timberland boots are ever-popular, there’s always a high demand for them, which means that the company has to work harder to maintain a supply that keeps up with the demand.

Besides popularity and high-quality products, Timberland’s expensiveness is also attributable to the company’s extensive social consciousness and community service.

Timberland has always been dedicated to community service and a greener world, with internal projects in paid voluntary service hours and external partnerships with entities committed to planting trees in Africa and restoring cotton production in Haiti.

When you buy a Timberland boot or other product, you are not just supporting the company but also its community service endeavors. Now, this is a good thing as you also get to play a part in instituting change and making the world a better place!

You might also like: 9 Boot Brands like Timberland: Our Top Alternatives

3. Why Is Timberland So Popular?

Timberland’s popularity is associated with several factors, such as innovative yet simple designs, stylish boots, durability, performance, and celebrity endorsements.

Timberland products have simple yet innovative designs that customers love because they make them stand out with simple sophistication. Timbs are stylish and are suitable for casual wear for the office or over the weekend.

Timberland boots are highly durable and last between four and five years or more if you take care of them well and per the company’s recommendations for caring for leather, nubuck leather, and suede.

Timberland boots with waterproofing properties are the most durable. They will remain in good condition for a long time, even with regular use. The rubber lug outsoles that are highly resistant to wear and tear also lead to a high durability rate for Timbs.

For most users, getting a product that lasts a long time isn’t the only useful parameter. Everyone wants an item that will serve its true purpose. You don’t want a boot to beautify your shoe rack, but one that you can wear for different purposes and events.

Timberland boots are known to serve their intended purpose well in their lifetime. From hiking to walking to trade working and casual wear, there will always be a reliable and functional pair of shoes or boots you can buy from the company.

Timberland makes boots, shoes, and sandals for women, men, and kids with functionality in mind. A boot meant for hiking is made to grip the ground well and a winter boot is made with PrimaLoft Eco Insulation for optimum warmth and dryness.

Timberland Yellow Boots on a Mountain Trail

The same performance and functionality are true of Timberland’s other products such as water-repellent coats, waxed jackets, waterproof jackets, and down jackets. Most Timberland clothing items are made for optimum breathability, insulation, comfort, waterproofing, and durability.

Timberland products are also popular because of endorsements by celebrities. For example, Timberland boots became famous in the ’90s because of hip-hop music.

Timberland boots became a fashion staple for many people in the U.S., with New York rappers like Biggie Smalls and Nas embracing and wearing them in performances and even rapping about them in songs like “Hypnotize” (Biggie Smalls, 1997) and “The World Is Yours” (Nas, 1994).

Some celebrities who have been spotted in Timberland boots or shoes include Khloe Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Joan Smalls, Julianne Moore, Drake, Pharrell Williams, Elle Fanning, Mark Wahlberg, and Rihanna.

Read also: Timberland vs Blundstone Boots: Which Brand is Better?

4. Is Timberland Worth It?

Timberland boots are well worth it. They are durable, reliable, stylish, comfortable, and functional. You can expect to use your boots for four to five years while they remain functional and reliable, depending on their intended use.

5. Is Timberland a Good Brand?

There is no doubt about Timberland being a good brand, even with the changes in ownership. It is currently owned by the VF Corporation, which also owns brands like The North Face.

Timberland has always been dedicated to its threefold commitment: stronger communities, a greener world, and better, low-environmental-impact products.

The company has remained true to its promise of better products with low environmental impact. As we mentioned earlier, the brand uses environment-friendly materials like recycled plastic bottles, organic cotton, renewable eucalyptus, and recycled leather.

Timberland is dedicated to making change by promoting a greener world through projects like tree planting. They’ve planted over 10 million trees since 2001 and hope to hit the 60-million mark by 2025.

One of Timberland’s most ambitious tree projects is partnering in the initiative The Great Green Wall, which hopes to grow an 8,000-kilometer tree wall along the entire width of the African continent.

The project hopes to improve food security, provide cleaner air, and ease poverty, famine, drought, migration, adverse climate change, and conflict.

Some of Timberland’s community service projects include:

• The Generation T pledge to support recent graduates and future students of the skilled trades;
• The Path of Service™ program where its employees can spend up to 40 paid hours in volunteer community service;
• Partnership with SkillsUSA that promotes the trades in the U.S. among young people.

6. Conclusion

A brand dedicated to producing high-quality products with great concern for the environment and commitment to serving the community is a good brand.

And it’s worth buying the brand’s products knowing that you’ll have taken part in bringing positive change, despite the high prices of the products.