R.M.Williams

If you want a boot that can genuinely last decades, the Craftsman makes a strong case. R.M.Williams' most successful products have always been its handcrafted boots, and because each is built so it can be remade, the soles are stitched by hand to allow replacement years down the line. That repairability, plus heavy use of real leather, is why owners treat a pair as a long-term investment rather than a seasonal buy.

The price comes from materials and method. Each boot uses a generous amount of leather and is handcrafted using roughly 70 hand processes, including hand-lasting and hand-burnishing, finished with the Longhorn logo and a Master Craftsman's signature. Built so they can be resoled and remade rather than thrown away, they are priced as heirloom footwear, not disposable shoes.

Both share the iconic one-piece-leather Chelsea silhouette, but the sole sets them apart. The Classic Craftsman wears a leather sole and reads dressier, while the Comfort Craftsman uses a hard-wearing, shock-absorbing rubber sole and cushioned insole built for all-day, everyday wear. Choose the Classic for a sleeker, more elegant look and the Comfort for grip and long days on your feet.

It is the heart of the design. The boots are made from a single piece of leather stitched at the rear, a distinctive variation on the Chelsea boot. With fewer seams there are fewer weak points, which boosts longevity and makes the boots more water- and weather-resistant. The elastic-sided models have been particularly popular.

The company was founded by R.M.Williams, who learned leather-working in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia from an Aboriginal stockman, Michael George Smith, known as Dollar Mick. Together they developed the distinctive one-piece-leather variation on the Chelsea boot that became the cornerstone of the business. Williams started a small factory in 1932 with money earned selling saddles to pastoralist Sidney Kidman.

They are made in Australia. As of 2022 R.M.Williams crafts its leather boot range, belts, small leather goods and a growing share of its apparel and accessories in its Adelaide-based workshop. The company's headquarters sit in Salisbury, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide, where a new combined workshop, factory and distribution facility opened in October 2025.

The company brand is a Texas longhorn cattle head, a fitting emblem for a label born from saddlery and stockwork. You will see that Longhorn applied to the boots as part of the finishing process, alongside a Master Craftsman's signature that marks the handwork that went into each pair.

R.M.Williams is owned by Tattarang, the investment company of Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest, which acquired the brand in October 2020 for $190 million. Ownership has changed hands several times before, including a period under LVMH and L Catterton, but it is now back in Australian hands.

Yes. The actor Hugh Jackman has been a brand ambassador for R.M.Williams since 2015. He also briefly held an ownership stake: as of April 2020 he owned around 5 percent of the company before Tattarang's acquisition later that year.

Their roots run deep into the Australian outback story, from the Flinders Ranges where the design was born to the workshop still operating in Adelaide. The boots are often worn by Australian politicians, and pairs have even been given to foreign leaders by Australian prime ministers. In 2013 the Craftsman boot was selected as the Australian Army's standard parade boot, sealing its national-icon status.

Treat them as the long-term investment they are designed to be. Keep the leather clean, conditioned and protected so it stays supple and weather-resistant, and let them rest and dry naturally between wears rather than forcing them dry with heat. Because the boots are built to be resoled and remade, having them repaired by a skilled cobbler when the soles wear can extend their life by many years.