Hunter "The Original Green Wellington"
The brand
Landing on Scottish soil, the American entrepreneur Henry Lee Norris founded the North British Rubber Company, later to be known as Hunter. There he produced boots and other industrial items, using the newly patented and innovative vulcanisation process to create durable rubber products.
Production of Wellington boots was dramatically boosted under World Wars I-II. when the company was asked by the War Office to construct a sturdy boot suitable for the conditions in flooded trenches. The mills ran day and night to produce immense quantities of these trench boots, managed to manufacture over 1 million boots over the war period. Recognised for protective designs, the British Rubber Company was called upon again in 1939 after the outbreak of World War II and started to make safety boots.
The company's most famous Wellington, the "Original Green Wellington", was first made in 1956. Thought of as more up-market than the traditional black Wellington of the time, the 'Original' tended at first to be worn by middle- to upper-class rural people, who are still sometimes referred to as the 'Green Welly Brigade'.
In 1976, having continued to supply boots to the royal households, Hunter was awarded a Royal Warrant from the Duke of Edinburgh. This was shortly followed by another from the Queen in 1986.
At the end of 2004, Hunter announced that they would be releasing a range of seven different coloured Wellingtons to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Green Wellington Boot. Each different coloured boot, along with the kids' range, represented one of eight charities and were used to raise funds for them.
Alasdhair Willis was appointed Creative Director in 2013 and two new brand categories, Hunter Original and Hunter Field, were introduced. The launch of Hunter Original has seen four pioneering catwalk shows at London Fashion Week, showcasing new footwear, outerwear and accessories, alongside the Original boot.
Collaborations
In January 2009, Hunter announced that it would be collaborating with the fashion designer Jimmy Choo for a limited edition black Wellington boot. Another boot was then launched in 2011.
Since 2012, Hunter Donated has been providing fully functional waterproof wellington boots to its global charity partners, local non-profit organisations and communities all around the world. Hunter has donated boots to as far afield as rice farmers in East Timor, refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East, and communities affected by hurricanes in Haiti and Puerto Rico.
From pioneers and explorers to celebrities and icons, Hunter boots soared in popularity. They were worn by Lady Diana Spencer in her engagement photos in 1981 and later by Kate Moss at Glastonbury. Today the boots are instantly recognisable on the festival fields of Britain and across the globe.
The future
Hunter is proud to offer an end-of-life recycling solution online and in-store to all their UK customers. They are committed to ethical practices throughout the lifecycle of their boots, from rubber cultivation and materials sourcing, to boot-making, on through to the “end of life” , after Hunter customers have worn their boots for years with love. One recent initiative is their Hunter ReBoot programme in the UK, where customers can send back old boots to be ground up and given a new lease of life!
