Harold Boot Company

The Harold family has a boot-making history originating in Leicestershire, England, in the 1400s. In 1912, Frederick Harold migrated to Australia and set up a factory utilizing Australian leather. During both World War I and World War II, the factory produced combat boots for the Australian military. In 1925, the manufacturer introduced its first one-piece upper, elastic-sided boot, a design that preceded the Grazier model. The business remained with the Harold family until 1988, when Ian Harold sold it to Ken Watkin. In 2013, production shifted to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Harold Boot Company uses traditional boot-making methods. The company sources materials from Australia. Its factory in Vietnam employs workers trained in established boot-making processes.

Harold Boot Company employs several construction methods for its boots. The Fairstitch welt machine sewn and brass wire screwed method is used in models such as the Gardener, Grazier, and Hunter. This process involves cement-lasting the leather upper to a butt leather insole, including Poron foam, and securing the midsole and sole with brass wire screws.

The company also applies the Goodyear welt construction method in the Jackaroo range, including Archer and Wilton models. This method involves cement-lasting the leather upper to welt ribbing and stitching it to a waterproof composite insole with Poron foam, cork filling, and a carbon-fiber shank.

Littleway construction is used in models such as the Murray and Namoi. This technique employs a cement-lasted leather upper on a composite breathable insole, with a carbon-fiber shank and a gel-padded footbed.

Harold Boot Company produces several models of boots. The Grazier is a one-piece upper, elastic-sided boot introduced in 1925 and based on the Chelsea boot design. The Gardener model was developed for use on demanding terrain. The Archer and Wilton models are part of the Jackaroo range and feature Goodyear welt construction. The Murray and Namoi models use Littleway construction.