Thievin' bloody Yanks!

[old man emu]

How's this for a load of BS from those thieving Yanks? UGG® | Timeline of the Brand

 

Everyone knows that ugg boots are Australian.

 

There are different claims to the origins of the ugg boot style. Artisanal sheepskin boots were known in rural Australia during the 1920s, and were reportedly worn by shearers as they found them resistant to wool yolk, which would rot their ordinary boots. However, the date of commercial manufacturing began remains unclear. The boots were reportedly being manufactured in 1933 by Blue Mountains Ugg Boots of New South Wales. Frank Mortel of Mortels Sheepskin Factory has stated that he began manufacturing the boots in the late 1950s.

 

Here's some original ugg boots, or shearer's slipper.

 

 

 

 

[willedoo]

Good looking pair of boots, old man emu. You don't happen to have the eBay link where I can get a pair by any chance?

 

 

[Yenn]

We all know that Ugg boots are Aussie, but someone decided to register the name, probably in the eighties and then the yanks decided that we couldn't use the name here in Australia. I think that decision was overturned by the Australian courts, so we do have Ugg boots made in Australia.

 

 

[old man emu]

Westhaven is an organisation based in Dubbo which provides employment for people with disabilities. They have been making and exporting Ugg boots since 1976.

 

Two Sheep | The Ugg Story

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Has anyone picked up the slight inconsistency in the story - 1976, Westhaven began production; 1975 was when the photo was taken. Sure one is a typo.

 

The Ugg brand is very big here. Very swanky. I came home one dayand the partner said I wouldn't be happy with that she bought our daugher - Ugg boots (Clarkes, I think). The Ugg brand is marketed as Australian, but I guess it is as Australian as Tim Tams - designed and made by Aussies, but owned by the yanks.

 

As an aside, I won't buy RM Williams anymore as it is now owned by one of the big Italian fashion houses. However, I think while they were still Aussie made they moved all but their moleskin shirt production to China. When I was in the Collins Street store, I was looking at a casual short and asked when they moved their manufacturing to China. It wasn't too long ago, but the shop assistant said they made them cheaper and better quality (to which I asked why didn't the retail price drop accordingly). Better! My posterior! I had the shirt less than a year and my son (then about 18 months) jumped onto my lap ans gave me a cuddle; the shirt ripped at the button ribbing from his chest rubbing on it.

 

Now, RM Williams is a "quality" clothier. The shirt was on sale and was about $80 and that was in 2004/2005. I called them up and they asked me to send it in for analysis. WTF? Who cares what the analysis is; even if I cut the thing up myself, the prices covered such problems (I did a gig at Ralph Lauren previously and the reason they charge so much for their non outlet stuff is if there was a problem, they would simply send another one). Anyway, they told me it was overwashed. I had a go at them at this point; I wore it most once a week, but even if I wore it and washed it 7 times a week, a quality shirt should be able to handle it (I had one RL shirt for about a year, working in the Czech Republic where they used really rough detergents, and though it was looking a little faded; went to a shop to buy anouther and guess what - it wasn't faded. He held firm and I suggested their China made shirts weren't quite as good as they thought. Anyway, in the end, my partner (who is a fashion designer by training and was a fashion buyer by job) yanked the phone off me and managed to wrangle a replacement moleskin shirt (that I have to this day).

 

So I still bought RM Williams (I don't buy clothes thaty much) but when they were taken over by the Italian mob it was time to move one.

 

 

[old man emu]

When I was writing post #1 above, I thought that the best place to find a picture of shearer's slippers would be on the RMW site, because back in the 1970's they had a very big mail order business and produced a massive catalogue. You could get anything for the stockman or station from a trouser belt to horse-shoe nails. What did I find on the current site? Clothes, clothes and Akubra hats. Not a single bit of gear that even a Pommie stockman would desire. At least they still stock Akubras.

 

 

[Geoff13]

At least they still stock Akubras.

Which they don't make and in fact are no longer even made out of Rabbit fur. And to top it off you no longer get a feather with your new Snowy River.