Stick to your last
Technical footwear specialists Dubarry now offer a wide range of other garments – but they are not allowing themselves to get distracted…
‘What we’ve found over the years has been that it’s easier for a footwear manufacturer to diversify to become a clothing manufacturer than for a clothing manufacturer to start making footwear!’ So says Dubarry’s marketing director Michael Walsh, who has worked at the Irish technical footwear specialist for more than 20 years, and claims that designing, engineering and making a reliable and comfortable sea boot is much harder than it appears.
Dubarry started out making boots for the marine market and have since branched out into the much bigger and more lucrative markets such as equestrian and country lifestyle. Rugby is also an important target market, not on the rugby pitch but on the sidelines which in Dubarry’s native Ireland can be a cold and damp place to stand for two hours. Warm, comfortable boots are a prerequisite for enjoying a Six Nations match in the depths of an Irish winter or when watching the kids from the sidelines at Saturday practice.
Whatever other markets Dubarry 66 SEAHORSE
may have unlocked, sailing is where the brand began and it remains central to the company’s DNA. For more than 30 years it has been the boot of choice for the world’s best offshore sailors. Walsh can recall when Lawrie Smith asked if Dubarry could make a boot that would match the purple of Silk Cut, the cigarette packet that propelled Smith around the planet in the 1997-98 edition of the Whitbread Round the World Race. It’s perhaps the first and only time Dubarry will ever make a purple sea boot.
Not that this company is averse to innovation. The Dubarry boot has a classic look but beneath that traditional exterior is some very advanced technology. Walsh highlights four key ingredients that contribute to the ongoing demand for their boots.
1. The NonSlip-NonMarking outsole
‘The first and very important ingredient is the NonSlip- NonMarking outsole,’ says Walsh. ‘That’s something that's been around for a long time, and in almost
Kids… please do not try this at home. All modern Imoca 60s (seen here) are set up so that the
skipper has to take the minimum of risks when up on deck, especially when racing shorthanded. However, there are still times – and when a leech line needs tending it can just be too tempting…
every independent test our boots invariably come out as best brand in terms of non-slip performance on a variety of different surfaces.’
2. Quick-drying leather ‘The second key ingredient for us is the leather that we use is DryFast- DrySoft leather. Not only do our boots dry out very quickly, when they do dry out they don’t become hard and brittle because of the quality of leather we use.’
3. GORE-TEX
‘The third key ingredient for us is GORE-TEX and, yes, there are other brands out there that have GORE-TEX as well, and that’s because it is the best waterproof breathable membrane available on the market.’
4. Design and engineering ‘GORE-TEX by itself is not the answer,’ says Walsh. ‘It’s about the whole design and engineering that have gone into the boots in terms of how well they fit. Now that might sound obvious and straightforward, but it’s an area the
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