RM Williams’ fake leather shoes should be given the boot in the sprit of Reg himself

Give fake leather RMs the boot, in the spirit of the man who started it all, writes Xavier Duff.

RM Williams will surely be turning in his grave. News has emerged that Twiggy Forrest, whose company Tattarang owns the iconic bush outfitter’s brand, is planning to invest in plant-based synthetic leather for a line of the famous RM Williams footwear.

No doubt RM aficionados everywhere will be quaking with outrage in their classicly-crafted elastic-sided riding boots.

Surely only a boot made from the unique one-piece kangaroo or yearling calf leather is worthy of the distinctive RM Williams tugs?

Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest, in front of the iconic RM Williams logo. Picture: Keryn Stevens

What would Reg make of this attempt to attach his name to a pale imitation of a boot which has clad the feet of generations of loyal fans – from pastoralists to prime ministers, from Boggabri to Brunswick?

It was in 1932 when he and his mate Dollar Mick worked out a way of taking a single piece of kangaroo leather and cutting and shaping it into a boot upper and nailing it to a leather sole. No way did Reg envisage his boots being made from anything other than proper full-blooded animal leather.

The boot of choice for those boots on the ground at stations and farms around the country, their sturdy construction often outlasted their owners.

Gradually their appeal widened to the cities. At first it was Collins St cockies looking for rural cred (and a tax deduction) and then anyone enthralled with their unique style were wearing them to the office.

Oh how the times have changed: An advertisement from the 1960s for “the stockman’s outfitter”, as it used to be.

Admittedly not many jack-and-jill-aroos can afford a pair of the $500 plus boots these days and often the only paddocks many pairs of RMs will see are those at Flemington or Randwick.

But anyone who has owned a pair can vouch for their slipper-comfort, style and longevity – thanks to the ability to have them resoled and repaired, something sadly absent from today’s throw away footwear.

One pair I owned lasted 30 years and I still can’t bear to give them a decent burial despite the spent elastic that looks like elephant ears and cracked leather finally parting from the soles to leave gaping holes.

But there’s no way some cellulose-derived imitation of the real thing would last that long – they’d turn up their toes at the first stomp of a sheep’s foot or an attempt to grub a thistle.

Faux leather is the latest in a long line of interlopers, riding on the coat tails of animal-based industries such as almond milk and test tube T bones. The move seems aimed at vegans or those wanting to reduce their carbon boot print – even though leather will be around as long as we eat steak and is the ultimate form of recycling.

So, let’s stop this nonsense in its tracks. Vote with your Cuban heeled- clad feet and say no to plant-based leather for RM boots.

It is the thin edge of a wedge. Who knows what item of iconic bush wear will be next for a monstrous makeover – Driza-Bones and Akubras made from recycled plastic bottles?

Xavier Duff is a contributor for The Weekly Times.