The rise of the Hunter welly

I might be the only person who hasn’t yet bought a pair of wellies to wear in the snow. But when I do, it will have to be a pair of Hunters. Like the Havaiana brand of flip flops, it has risen to the top of the rubber style stakes, having successfully been adopted by every type of fashion-conscious consumer, with virtually no market competition. The past week’s weather has given way to a daily Hunter welly parade, with countless versions and colours on the nations legs.

An American entrepreneur named Mr. Henry Lee Norris patented and produced the first rubber Wellington boots in Scotland in 1856, starting the company North British Rubber Company now known as Hunter Boot. Till recently it was the sole reserve of the countryfile folk, but with the advent of festival fashion and the extensive celebrity adoption it was destined to explode. Who could forget those iconic pictures of Kate Moss in a gold lame minidress and muddy hunter wellies at Glastonbury.

I thought when people got creative with rubber, it was generally a private matter but not so. A quick search on the internet…led me to some astonishing Hunter welly loving material. Such is the passion for the brand, wearers have written in with poems about their wellies. They also share tips for recycling (seeing as you ask, planters are a favourite end use.) The Welly Wang or throwing competition is also popular.

Not sure what your wellies say about you? Why not read the colour interpretation. Lily Allen for example has a pair of pink ones and this means that she desires protection, special treatment and that she is  charming and gentle at the same time apparently….  No prizes for what Dame Shirley Bassey’s  bling ones say about her!