Texas
How Two Sisters From Texas Bootstrapped A Luxury Cowboy Boot Brand, Miron Crosby
Miron Crosby flagship studio in Highland Park Village, Dallas
There’s a certain class of ultra-luxury brands that only a select few know about. These cognoscenti brands are ultra-exclusive, ultra-authentic and often ultra-expensive but also handcrafted for those who value ultra-quality.
That was the original definition of “quiet luxury,” until it morphed into a no-logos fashion look that everybody seems to be wearing these days.
Miron Crosby is such an original “quiet luxury” brand, but the product it makes is anything but quiet – bespoke, luxury cowboy boots. Miron Crosby serves a narrow niche within the wider luxury boot market, but that’s the thing about ultra-niche luxury brands. Its niche clientele pull others who want to be in the know into the brand’s orbit.
In true “quiet luxury” fashion, Miron Crosby whispers, it doesn’t shout. It’s become a thriving business that has grown into three stores, called studios, since its founding in 2017.
Its flagship studio is located in Dallas’ exclusive Highland Park Village. Houston opened last year in historic Lamar River Oaks center and in its first venture outside Texas, it has a studio in Aspen, CO where the quiet-luxury crowd flocks in the winter. Miron Crosby also has a thriving e-commerce business where you can design-your-own boots in your private jet.
“We are a fashion brand that makes cowboy boots and the fashion component is what really differentiates us,” shared co-founder Lizzie Means Duplantis with me.
“There was a total void in the market for handmade, hand lasted cowboy boots that were really ‘luxe’ and fashion forward, particularly for women,” though the company also offers boots for men and kids too.
Boots In The Blood
Lizzie is joined by her younger sister Sarah Means in the Miron Crosby adventure. They grew up on a far-flung cattle ranch outside Marfa, TX, which their family has run since 1884 – just a year after the fictional Yellowstone Dutton family set off from Texas to Montana, but I digress.
The company name is a take on their great-grandfather’s, Marian Otis Means, with Crosby coming from the name of a pasture on the ranch and it’s also their favorite street in SoHo.
Growing up, cowboy boots were part of the sisters’ ranch uniform, but being girls with an interest in fashion, they never settled for standard styles. They had a special insiders’ connection where cowboy boots were concerned.
Their cousins owned the Rios of Mercedes Boot Company in South Texas and the girls were able to design their own boots and play with colors and materials at an early age.
Rios remains one of Miron Crosby’s three valued manufacturing partners operating on both sides of the Rio Grande.
Winding Road Back To Texas
After attending an Austin boarding school, both sisters graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, then headed to New York City to make their way.
Lizzie’s first gig was as an intern in the marketing department at Forbes, which she turned into a full-time gig for five years. After that, she moved into finance at Goldman Sachs. Sarah followed a path in fashion, working for Loeffler Randall, which specializes in footwear.
But both women brought their cowboy boots along to NYC. “I was kind of Uptown and Sarah, as the creative one, was more Downtown, but we both wore our cowboy boots to work,” Lizzie said. “So I’d go to Goldman in my pencil skirts with my cowboy boots and Sarah did the same. Always people would stop us on the street and ask where they could get a pair.”
Sisters Sarah Means (L) and Lizzie Means Duplantis (R) in Miron Crosby flagship Highland Park … [+]
That early market research sat idle for a while as Lizzie returned to Texas, married, started a family and launched a furniture rental business. Sarah followed back to Texas shortly after, but to pursue a law degree at Texas Tech University.
“Being the bossy older sister, I finally sat Sarah down to talk seriously about the cowboy boot idea. I sold my rental business and used that money to fund Miron Crosby,” Lizzie said.
Sarah added, “It was a crazy time. Lizzie was pregnant with her third child and I was in law school so I had to commute back and forth to the store on the weekends.”
That was in 2017 and Sarah completed her law degree in 2018. But practicing law wasn’t in the cards. She immediately went full time to work at Miron Crosby.
Timing Right
The sisters’ instincts proved right as “cowboy chic” became a thing with the premiere of Yellowstone in 2018. “People are thinking about the West more than they were before, which only helps our category. We’re of the belief that rising tides lift all ships, and the more exposure to western wear the better,” Lizzie said.
While the company offers off-the-shelf selections, it’s known for bespoke personalization – having one’s initials or special date sewn onto the boot’s ear pulls or having a handwritten note transcribed into the liner of the boot.
The website also offers a design-your-own app where a customer can design their boots from a variety of features, colors, materials and styles. And a custom concierge service is available in studio or by phone to walk the client through creating their custom boot from the sole up.
Customization takes a bit longer for delivery, but then, the wait is part of the brand’s authentic luxury.
Taking It To The Bank
Miron Crosby has enjoyed remarkable success. Year-to-date, sales are running nearly 50% over 2023 and it increased the number of new customers by 69% in that time. About two-thirds of revenue is generated at retail, with the remaining one-third from e-commerce.
Growth like can strain an entrepreneurial venture, especially as the company was opening a new store in Houston last year. They found themselves strapped for cash but instead of turning to the venture capital markets, which Lizzie with her background would have no trouble navigating, they went to the bank for a loan instead.
“It was an interesting time trying to figure out what to do,” Lizzie shared. “We put a deck together and entertained the notion, but at the 19th hour we secured a bank loan and we’ve worked past that now. We ultimately decided we didn’t want to go the VC route and kept it in the family.”
Not being a cognoscenti in cowboy-chic style, I asked how many cowboy boots a woman can own and Lizzie said, “You’d be surprised. You can wear them any where, from work to date night to a wedding and knocking around town. But you’ll want to change them up depending on the occasion.”
Miron Crosby’s data proves that point. Some 47% of sales are generated from repeat customers.
Kicking Up Their Heels
Marilyn Monroe famously said, “Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” Boots are even more empowering and with the right pair of cowboy boots, she’s ready to take on the universe, just ask English-actress Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton in the Yellowstone series.
Beth is truly a kiss-@ss character and how better to do that than in a pair of cowboy boots. And what professional woman doesn’t want a bit of Beth to rub off on her? I don’t mean the conniving, vengeful, brawling Beth, but to have some of her fearless strength and take-no-prisoners attitude.
That’s what Lizzie channeled in her Goldman Sachs days when she made cowboy boots part of her work uniform. Now she and her sister Sarah are giving women the chance to feel that same cowboy-boot power through Miron Crosby.
After getting through Clemson in the opening round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, the fifth-seeded Texas Longhorns now play the No. 4 seed and Big 12 champion Arizona State Sun Devils. Arizona State and Texas will meet in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the Peach Bowl as part of the CFP quarterfinal round.
The Peach Bowl kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day, the first of three quarterfinal games on the holiday.
The Sun Devils earned a first-round bye as the last of the four highest-ranked conference champions. Texas missed out on a bye due to a heartbreaking overtime loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game. The Longhorns cruised past Clemson, the ACC champion, in the first round with a 38-24 win on Dec. 21.
Although Arizona State received the bye and higher seed in the CFP field, Texas comes in as the favorite, higher-ranked team throughout the regular season. Texas finished ranked No. 3 in the CFP standings, while ASU was ranked No. 12. In the AP poll, Texas is ranked No. 4 and ASU is ranked No. 10.
This year marks the Sun Devils’ first CFP appearance. The Longhorns make their second appearance after they made the field last year before falling to Washington in the semifinals.
Now, Texas and Arizona state will battle in Atlanta to advance to this year’s semifinal. The winner will head to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl game.
Here’s what it costs to watch Texas and Arizona State in person at the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day:
As of Tuesday, the get-in price for the 2025 Peach Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Texas and Arizona State is pretty affordable. The cheapest pair of seats on GameTime are $19 each in section 327, row 20 which is in the upper section behind the end zone. SeatGeek has seats in the upper corner for $23 each while TicketMaster has seats in the upper corner near the sideline for $25.
To sit in the lower level, TicketMaster has seats available for $40 each in section 102, row 47 which is behind the end zone. GameTime has similar seats available in section 101, row 51 for $42 apiece. Club-level seats, which provide access to all-inclusive food and drinks, start at $189 a seat on TicketMaster.
To have a premium seating experience at the Peach Bowl, you’ll need a club-level ticket which provide access to the handful of clubs on the sidelines at Mercedes-Benz stadium.
If you’re an Arizona State fan, you can sit in the second row behind the Sun Devils’ bench at the 50-yard line for $447 a seat, which you can find on SeatGeek. Tickets drop down to $249 each a section over, in section 111, row 3 on GameTime.
For Texas fans, seats can be found in the club-level toward the front of the opposite sideline for $399 each in section 127, row 2, which is behind the Longhorns’ bench at the 40-yard line. Texas fans can sit in the front row behind the sideline for $581. Those seats are all found on SeatGeek.
The quarterfinal round has arrived for the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, and the nation will finally get a look at one of the biggest Cinderella stories of all time — the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in their first season in the 16-team Big 12 by the media. They were projected to win 4.5 games by the oddsmakers.
And at the beginning of the 2024 season, the Las Vegas oddsmakers had ASU +10,000 to win the Big 12 Conference. That’s 100 to 1 odds. If you had wagered $100 on the Sun Devils to win the Big 12 in August, you would have walked away with $10,000.
How improbable has Arizona State’s run to the Peach Bowl been? According to Vegas Insider, the Sun Devils winning the Big 12 is the sixth-greatest upset in betting history, just behind the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004 (+12,000).
The oddsmakers continue to doubt the Sun Devils, listing them as 12.5-point underdogs to the Texas Longhorns in the 2025 Peach Bowl.
Arizona State is used to being in this position, and running back Cam Skattebo has unwavering confidence in the Sun Devils’ ability to compete at the highest level.
“They continue to keep saying that people are going to try to stop me.. There’s nobody out there that can stop me,” Skattebo said on Monday. “We played in 13 games, and I’ve been the target on each one, so I’m not too worried. We’re going to play our game and play ball and see what happens there.”
Here are details on how to watch No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas on New Year’s Day.
Arizona State vs. Texas TV channel, live stream
The oddsmakers have Texas as 12.5 to 13.5-point favorites. Here are the latest betting odds, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Who: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal
Spread: Arizona State +12.5 (-112)
Kickoff Time: Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 11 a.m. MST
Our Prediction: Arizona State 24, Texas 21
TV Channel: ABC, ESPN
Live Stream: Stream Arizona State-Texas live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Arizona State On SI for live updates, in-game analysis and big-play highlights throughout Wednesday’s matchup
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
Texas
Texas returns to Atlanta less than a month after losing SEC title game to face Arizona State in CFP
ATLANTA — The Texas Longhorns were in Atlanta less than a month ago, playing for a championship.
That one didn’t go as planned.
Now, the Longhorns get an A-T-L do-over when they face Arizona State at the Peach Bowl in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game on New Year’s Day.
Fifth-seeded Texas (12-2) insists it has gotten over the disappointment of losing an overtime thriller to Georgia on Dec. 7, a result that denied the Longhorns a title in their debut season as a member of the SEC.
“Of course we’re going to kind of feel that a little bit, but we kind of want to move on and just get ready for Arizona State,” Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. said. “They’re a good football team and we kind of don’t want to think about that (Georgia) game all over again.”
The Longhorns showed no signs of a hangover when they held off Clemson in the opening round of the expanded 12-team playoff.
If they can knock off Arizona State — Texas is a two-touchdown favorite — it will be back to their home state for a semifinal game against either Oregon or Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
Texas wide receiver Silas Bolden (11) runs against Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker (11) during the first half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/John Bazemore
Fourth-seeded Arizona State (11-2) has been one of the nation’s most surprising teams.
The Sun Devils went 3-9 a year ago in Kenny Dillingham’s first season as head coach. Making the move from the disintegrating Pac-12 to the 16-team Big 12, Arizona State was picked to finish dead last this season.
Instead, it was tied with three other teams for the top spot during the regular season and claimed the title all to itself in the Big 12 championship game, rolling past Iowa State.
This is a chance for Arizona State to prove to everyone that its stunning season was no fluke.
Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) celebrates alongside the mascot after the team’s win against Iowa State in the Big 12 Conference championship NCAA college football game, in Arlington, Texas, Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: AP/Julio Cortez
“We’re going to face one of the best teams in the country, if not the best team in the country,” Dillingham said Tuesday on the eve of the game. “It’s a really tall task for our guys. But by the same token, if you’re a competitor, you want to compete versus the very best in the best environments.”
Ewers vs. Leavitt
Quinn Ewers has a stellar resume as the Texas quarterback.
Sam Leavitt is out to prove he’s the better man.
The Arizona State QB has been a major reason for his team’s unexpected success. He’s eager for a head-to-head showdown with Ewers, who has passed for 2,867 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.
Leavitt has put up similar numbers, with 2,663 yards and 24 TDs.
“I’m just excited for the opportunity,” he said. “People keep counting me out since Day 1, and I’m going to go prove why I’m the better quarterback.”
Skattebo’s big stage
Cam Skattebo is Arizona State’s biggest star, a bowling ball of a running back who has become one of the rare players in FBS history to put up more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
He doesn’t lack for confidence, either, calling himself the best runner in all of college football.
The Peach Bowl provides a prime opportunity to back up his bravado, especially against a defense that has struggled with missed tackles.
“I feel like I’m the best,” Skattebo said. “I’m excited to play those guys because I’m going to present to them something new that they haven’t seen before. I’m excited, and hopefully they’re ready to play some football.”
Exes from Texas
The Longhorns will see plenty of familiar faces when they look across the line.
A half-dozen players on Arizona State’s overhauled roster used to play at Texas. They all ended up in Tempe through the transfer portal.
The list of ex-Longhorns players also includes receivers Jake Smith and Troy Omeire, defensive back Xavion Alford, defensive ends J’Mond Tapp and Prince Dorbah, and defensive tackle Zac Swanson.
“All those guys, obviously, they’ll be extra fired up to play the Longhorns,” Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe said. “Anytime you leave a school and you know some people, it’s always fun to play those guys.”
Dillingham said the Texas transfers have made a huge impact on the Arizona State program.
“We know what we’re getting when we’re getting a guy from that program, and that’s a guy who has worked really hard, competed and been pushed,” the Sun Devils coach said. ”Those are the things that we like to bring in.”
Turning it over
Turnovers usually play a key role in big games. It will be interesting to see how that works out in the Peach Bowl.
Arizona State has coughed up the ball only eight times, tied for the second-fewest turnovers in the FBS. Texas, on the other hand, has forced a nation-leading 29 turnovers.
Dillingham said it will be important to keep the pocket clean around Leavitt.
“It all starts with pass rush,” he said. “They get pass rush, they get tipped balls. Their defensive line gets in throwing windows.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian praised Skattebo and the rest of the Sun Devils for losing only three fumbles all year, to go along with five interceptions.
“You just don’t not fumble the ball. You work at not fumbling the ball,” Sarkisian said. “They’ve done a great job of controlling football games by not turning it over.”
Suspended star
Arizona State will have to play the first half without star defensive back Shamari Simmons, who is suspended for the first two quarters after being ejected for targeting in the Big 12 championship game.
“Shamari is a leader on our team,” Alford said. “It’s very unfortunate that he’s not going to be with us in the first half in the game, but he’ll still be there as a leader and as a teammate on the sidelines and things of that nature.”
Redshirt freshman Montana Warren will take Simmons’ spot in the lineup during the first half.
“God always has a plan, and I just feel like his plan right now is just basically showing who Montana Warren is to the world,” Simmons said. “He’s going to be a great defensive back for Arizona State for a long time coming.”
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