It is widely accepted that the term “boot” originated in Australia and this cozy, luxurious and stylish footwear has now become a treasured national cultural icon. There are several theories as to where the name came from.

One strong theory from industry veterans is that the boot started life as a low-cost footwear in the shearing sheds during the late 1800s and early 1900s. After a sheep had been used for food, rough boots would be fashioned from the skin to wear after work instead of the uncomfortable work boots of the day.

At that time, most every town had Mum and Dad corner store making make-shift boots. While most closed over the decades, some, like Blue Mountains Boots, continued the craft and moved with the times to help create the beautiful footwear we see today.

Another theory is that World War 1 pilots, who used to wear a lace up variety to avoid frostbite, called them “flying boots” with boots being short for ugly. Since then there have been many others who have come forward claiming to have invented the term.

In Australia, boot is a generic term used to describe soft woollen sheepskin fleece-lined footwear. Sometimes you’ll also see it written as ug, ugh or boots.

Boots later became very popular with surfers in the 1960s, as they are a great way to warm up cold feet after a surf, which helped create their fashion icon status.

Despite the origins of the name insinuating that they are “ugly”, boots have now become a worldwide trend and are worn by everyone from celebrities on the catwalk to kids and grandmas relaxing at home on a cold night.