Before you say anything, let’s introduce you to footwear manufacturer Padmore & Barnes who have been making shoes in Kilkenny, Ireland since 1934. Some time ago now, in 1964 the company was acquired by an English firm C&J Clark (ring any bells?) to manufacture a new style they had created, called Clark’s Wallabees.

As Solovair is to Dr Marten’s, so is Padmore & Barnes to Clark’s. In the late 80’s as Clark’s sought to move manufacturing to Asia, it was management at Padmore & Barnes who bought back the company in order to continue their footwear legacy. Whilst Clark’s moved overseas, P&B continued to manufacture their own version in Kilkenny on the original lasts used to make Wallabees for decades.

Throughout this time a cult grew around mythical “Irish Wallabees”, whose svelte toe shape and luscious suede were the stuff of folklore. If you were a true connoisseur these were the ones you wanted, but even if you knew about them it was almost impossible to source a pair. Such was their stature that even a notoriously picky Supreme design team worked with Padmore over 20 years ago, for one of their earliest footwear collaborations.

In recent history production shifted outside of Ireland but Padmore & Barnes remained committed to European manufacturing. The iconic moccasin stitch is hand-sewn by local craftspeople in their own home, in lieu of large-scale factory production and each pair still sports a natural latex plantation crepe sole. Padmore & Barnes may have had to relinquish the Wallabees name but in every other sense they continue their original legacy.

These iconic moccasins have graced the feet of nerds, yuppies, hipsters and hip-hoppers. There’s something about them that seems to transcend cultural and trend borders, whether that be on the feet JFK or Ghostface Killah.

New to the store but definitely no newcomer on the scene, we’re excited to introduce you to this iconic brand. You can shop the classic P404 Boot in-store and on our website now.