The Ever Changing Trends of the Wellington Boot

As fashion confounds most of us over 25, the move towards vibrant and sometimes gaudy designs in wellington boots has exploded in recent years and left specialists wondering where it goes next. Children's wellies now come in every design imaginable, but despite this phenomenon, the quality of 100% rubber boots in a simple design still proves the most popular. Aigle, the world renowned boot and clothing manufacturer based in France, still produces children's wellies from rubber, putting aside the temptation to follow other lesser manufacturers producing PVC boots that are hard on a child’s feet and have a short life span. I am amazed that responsible parents will spend time having their children’s feet accurately measured and a great deal of money buying the correct footwear but then spends £5 on ill-fitting and uncomfortable plastic wellingtons for long walks and playtimes!

The trend in fashion boots has, of course, also spread to the adult market. Despite the resistance to sport frog eyes or Super Heroes, the range now available for adults (and principally women) is enormous. Every conceivable color and pattern has been tried, with the ‘serious’ manufacturers also dipping their toes into this burgeoning market with mixed success.

The most prominent of these in the UK has to be Hunter wellies, who have moved from their original market place rooted firmly in the countryside with both the workers and the gentry as regular customers, to the glitz and glamor of the High Street. Supermodel are regularly seen in the tabloids and popular magazines (as are royalty) sporting colored Hunter wellies, causing youngsters to dash to their nearest wellington boot retailer and marvel at the array of colors (in Hunter wellies over 20!). Wellies have become items to wear when there is no sign of rain or mud – in fact some will not wear them out for fear of dulling the extreme hues!

If your looking for a somewhere to by Hunter wellies and bought a pair from here, good service they also have a great selection of children's wellies as well.

As with the children's wellies, this increasing desire to be seen in ever brighter and outrageous boots has spawned the dreaded PVC invasion into the marketplace. Again the budget prices drive sales, putting comfort, practicality and durability to one side as is so often the case in fashion. The only saving grace is the original wellington customers who work and live in their boots, recognizing the need for practicality and still seeking out quality rubber footwear from respected manufacturers. They may now glance (and even consider) the subtler but still different ideas of a fashion boot from these producers but will not stray from the path of a guaranteed 100% rubber boot that is good to wear and will far outlast its inflexible and garish cousin being worn in the supermarket or the festival by those grimacing as they try to stay one uncomfortable step ahead of their peers.