The Blundstone boot is an Australian icon. Well renowned for its long-lasting durability and its ability to dress up any outfit, much is known about the Blundstone boot as wardrobe staple, but not so much is known about the origins of the Blundstone boot and how it came to be the ever so popular boot it is today.


The Blundstone story begins on a 93-day boat journey from England to Hobart, Tasmania back in the 1850s. After years of planning, testing and finally producing, John Blundstone and Sons was finally founded in 1870. At the conception, Blundstone started to import boots made in England before finally making his boots from locally sourced leathers in 1878.


From humble beginnings, Blundstone finally had their defining moment when at the International Exhibition in Hobart in 1894 their boots were deemed “exceptional” and “second to none”. From then on, Blundstone supplied every description of men’s, women’s and children’s boots.


Blundstone really started to boom when World War 1 occurred, being one of twenty manufacturers contracted to make boots for the Australian army. Shortly after World War 1, the Great Depression hit and Tasmania was not sheltered. Due to this, The Cuthbertsons, a family synonymous with quality footwear and leather tanning, acquired Blundstone. The original business name was retained due to its reputation of quality and reliability. 

Fast forward to today and Blundstone boots are worn and loved around the world by people of all ages for both work and play. Blundstone really started to make a name for itself in modern media by sponsoring athletes at the Sydney Olympic Games back in 2000. This international exposure continues to rise, with Australian athletes proudly wearing Blundstone’s thermal boots at the Winter Olympic games in Sochi 2014. 


By the mid-2000’s, Blundstone was producing one million pairs of boots per year out of its headquarters in Hobart, Tasmania. Today, Blundstone’s products are manufactured in six sites around the globe, including Hobart.


The 2020’s mark 150 years of Blundstone. Still proudly family-owned and headquartered in Tasmania, Blundstone continue to grow their footprint around the world; and while the boots themselves won’t change the world, the people wearing them just might.