“Real men wear rhinestones!” This sentence from Nudie Cohn, Elvis Presley’s tailor, turned traditions on their head then and now. Cohn was known for his folksy rodeo suits, embroidered all over with sequins and rhinestones, so much so that all the flowers, sunsets and sombreros made one dizzy. The tailor’s name was Nuta Kotlyarenko and he came from Kiev before emigrating to America at a young age and looking for a name that rolled off the tongue more easily. With his work, he gave the traditional Wild West costumes an Eastern European touch; by his chain stitch style and the size and placement of the motifs, which were reminiscent of the traditional costumes of his homeland.
Cohn was in good company, not a few of the large manufactories of rodeo boots in America were set up by Sicilians, Poles or Ukrainians. They all came from countries that cultivated decorative, ornamental folk art. This is exactly where the intersection lies with the craftsmanship of the Mexicans, who shape the design in the American rodeo and cowboy boot business today.