Camas cowgirl’s quest: Build a better, bio-based boot

Kristen Decker grew up on a farm in Camas and always considered herself a cowgirl. Yet her feet burned with discomfort every time she wore the signature boots. She said she woke up one morning in 2021, looked at herself in the mirror and uttered a life-changing thought: “I need to make some cowgirl boots. I’m going to start my own boot brand.” In 2024, she launched Desert Bloom Boots, which sells handcrafted, bio-based, leather cowgirl boots. The company is based in Vancouver, where Decker and her family own a home, although they now live in Mazatlán, Mexico. They travel back and forth between the cities several times a year. Decker had been in the property-management business since 2007, so she knew nothing about the cowgirl boot industry or even how to create a boot. She tapped Caroline de Baere, an independent contractor with nearly 40 years of experience in the footwear and fashion industry, who helped her find a development team called Global Brands in León, Mexico, where Desert Bloom does all its manufacturing. Sustainability model Decker had previously discovered that material from agricultural waste, such as corn and wheat, could be turned into different types of bio-based leather. She began experimenting with this material and said it was incredible how it felt and acted like leather, yet all the material came from plants. Decker proposed her idea of creating the boots from recycled materials, but she said the manufacturing team was initially uncertain because it had little knowledge about that material. Team members questioned why she didn’t use traditional leather like everybody else. But Decker wanted to do something different. Desert Bloom’s key objective has been to create a new category in the fashion and footwear industry. “We’re not trying to compete,” Decker said. “What we’re trying to do is build another option for people, because for decades, it’s either been all animal leather or cheap plastic synthetics. There’s never been anything in the middle, so that’s why we’re trying to build this category.” Desert Bloom was awarded the Global Footwear Award in the “natural material and vegan footwear” sustainability category in 2025 for its prickly pear plant-based cowgirl boots. “I think it is a huge, key turning point in revolutionizing the Western footwear industry,” said Kenya Decker, Kristen Decker’s son, who helps the company with marketing and publicity. “What people can’t believe is that our boots hold up just as good as traditional leather.” Comfort is key The Deckers said one question guided the development of Desert Bloom boots: What if cowgirl boots felt more like your favorite sneakers? “Cowgirl boots definitely have a bad reputation for being uncomfortable,” Kristen Decker said. Correcting that required attention to the boot last — that is, the foot mold that determines the shoe’s size and fit. The boots were inspired by a tennis shoe last and include a removable cushioned insole, which helps the boots feel comfortable as soon as they’re put on. Each Desert Bloom boot is individually handcrafted at its León manufacturing facility with “probably 200 different stations” and roughly 300 employees in the factory, Kristen Decker said. She added that attention to detail is important, down to the stitching and decorative fabric. All her inspiration, for both design and comfort, comes from natural elements such as tequila plants, agave and desert blooms. The boots are sold online at desertbloom.com. But Kristen Decker said her goal is to get Desert Bloom boots into Macy’s or Nordstrom and eventually establish a flagship store. In the meantime, Desert Bloom has been connecting with customers at in-person events, including the runway show for Planet Fashion TV in New York, the Country Music Association Fest in Nashville, Tenn., and Cowboy Christmas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. From Aug. 7-16, Desert Bloom will return to its home turf with a booth at the Clark County Fair. “I literally have been eating, breathing and sleeping boots for the last five years,” Kristen Decker said. “We just get one positive feedback after another when we’re at these events, so that’s really fun. That makes it worth everything.”

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