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Blundstone is a company that was born more than 150 years ago, more precisely in 1870, when John Blundstone began making footwear capable of handling all kinds of challenges; from the streets of metropolises, to rough terrain, to wooden floors to the most unstable places in Tasmania, the place where everything began and everything continues for the brand.
John’s business has evolved a lot over the years, but the constant that has never altered in all this time is his working philosophy. A big turning point in fact came in 1894, when Blundstone participated in the International Exhibition in Hobart, Australia, where their footwear was judged as excellent and extremely well made. From there it began to establish itself as an important emerging brand that could succeed in bringing about a revolution in the footwear scene… and it did.
With its tenacity, passion and quality, the brand has managed to give footwear to people from all kinds of backgrounds: soldiers, Everest expeditioners, soccer players, factory workers, farmers and many others.
The brand has established a set of values over the years that it wants to respect in order to ensure social policies and practices that are manifested both internally and to its customers. Some of these goals may be caring for its workers by striving to create a large, cohesive family that knows how to enhance everyone’s abilities; they constantly strive to listen to, understand, and meet the needs of their customers so as to find a match between them and the products.
Ethics and morality are two cornerstone aspects of the brand, especially from the perspective of environmental impact. The Group has won honors and awards over the years particularly in the areas of health, occupational safety, vocational training and on product quality.
Still having, after all these years, its headquarters in Tasmania, Blundstone places emphasis on respecting and protecting the environment by pursuing development policies that emphasize sustainability in manufacturing and packaging, such as maximizing the use of recycled and recyclable materials or using cardboard boxes for footwear that are made from fully renewable resources.
How are these boots?
Tough, unique-looking, adaptable.
Photo credit: blundstone instagram
For Blundstone, there is nowhere their boots fail to adapt-from the unstable, rough terrain of Tasmania to the sidewalks of the largest metropolises.
The reason this brand is still one of the mainstays of the industry is precisely because it has managed over time to create a timeless line of footwear that can adapt to any need and reflects people’s tastes and needs.
Their ankle boots, in general, are characterized by the absence of laces and zippers, end at the ankle and have only a side elastic band that helps in wearing them. The company has managed to gain an international reputation mainly due to the clean, simple design of their footwear and a style that manages to adapt to many contexts thanks in part to its neutral tones.
Let’s find out together some models of boots
Blundstone offers a significantly wide range of products,demonstrating how it has succeeded over the years in bringing ever-original designs while maintaining the identity and core of the brand.
Photo credit: blundstone website
The Blundstone 500 can be defined as the classic Blundstone par excellence. It is made of leather, water-resistant and with classic elastic side straps. It features a smooth upper with decorative stitching, a rubber sole and a raised heel that has excellent grip. It is a lightweight and comfortable shoe that fits well with all kinds of outfits, from everyday to more elegant events.
The 1960 ankle boots feature a 5cm heel and are made from nubuck leather, which is different from suede despite the fact that its surface is sanded and buffed by machinery that is intended to create a soft, velvety surface to the touch. They feature a Chelsea-style design, with a non-slip sole, a front and back tongue for easy donning, and a polyurethane midsole and outsole.
Photo credit: blundstone website
Photo credit: blundstone website
Heritage 152 is one of the best sellers in the men’s section of their shop. These boots are made with high quality leather that is used from the upper to the sole and have a footbed with XRD technology that gives comfort. It is a boot that manages to perfectly combine a classic and at the same time contemporary style that fits well with both formal and more casual looks.
Boot care is key for Blundstone
If we navigate and learn more about the brand and their online shop, one of the first things that may jump out at us is definitely the price of their products. We go from boots that can go up to more than 350€, but the average price is around 200/250€.
Since it is also a product that is meant to last a long time if kept in good condition, Blundstone has also created a “product care” section to get the message across to their customers that despite the durability of the boots, it is important to take care of them in some way.
How?
Since their boots are mainly made of leather, suede, nauk and canvas, Blundstone offers this section on their website where they go into detail about how to clean and care for their footwear depending on the material they are made of. For example, for leather they recommend using a cream or spray shoe polish after removing dirt with a brush, or for suede to moisten a suede brush with water and leather cleaner.
A brand that looks to the future with a 100-year history and a steady philosophy
The success and consistency that characterize Blundstone certainly do not come by accident. The brand, from the very beginning, has been committed to developing a clear and solid philosophy that could create a foundation for a product that could unite a thought, a need, a story and a requirement so that it could continue to evolve and live in the long run.
Photo credit: blundstone instagram
Thanks to all this, today Blundstone can be defined as one of the cornerstones in the world of footwear, especially boots and ankle boots for both men, women and children…
How about you? Do you happen to have a Blundstone boot?
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