A good pair of boots can’t be compared to other shoes. A good pair of boots can be chucked on at a moment’s notice, ready to go anywhere. These boots can’t fail or make the wearer stumble – these boots have to handle ice and sand and dripping concrete and gallery floors. These boots are the originals, the real deal. These are Blundstones.
The story
It was a huge rush to walk into Sydney’s Barber Wars this year and learn the history of one of Australia’s oldest and most iconic companies.
Back in the 1870s a couple of cobblers started up shoe businesses in Hobart, Tasmania. A few years on, one of the cobblers bought out the other, but decided to keep the name for the business. That name was Blundstone. Today the same family owns the business.
The boots
Over the years Blundstones have come in all shapes and sizes for men, women and children on work sites and at play. They’ve got gumboots, steel-capped safety boots, school shoes, and the classic Style 500 loved the world over now has a range of contemporary coloured elastics and leathers in its tribe. But group marketing manager Greg Findlay told us what really makes the company stand apart is how much they’re part of their community – their support for their community and charitable works.
“We definitely pride ourselves on it, and it happens because we’re still a family owned business. That’s how we stay engaged, how we keep our family feel.”
Family feels
“It’s very much an open door place: Blundstone’s owners know everyone here and they’re genuinely interested in what’s happening. There’s not too family businesses like that any more.”
Future boots
Findlay explains modern Blundstones are diverse and the company puts the know-how of 146 years of crafting safety footwear into its casual range. The same materials and engineering used in their most rugged safety boots are built into their lifestyle boots. “The boots are made on the same machine – they just don’t have the steel toe. We use top end leather so the boots will stand up to the same tough environment as a general work boot. The shock absorption built into every pair helps heaps, meaning you can put them on straight out of the box and they’ll stay comfy throughout that whole first day.” Blundstones have evolved to be the perfect pick for the modern punter, Findlay says. “They’re great boots for a music festival. They look good and you can stand in them for days – they’re definitely moshpit-ready.”
When it comes to hard-working clobber perfected over almost 150 years, you can’t ask for much more than the best. And that’s Blundstone.
