Sheepskin Boots

For winter warmth and cosiness sheepkin boots topple the competition. Not only are they extremely comfortable but they are also exceptionally warm. Nor do you need to wear them with socks, stockings or tights - slipping your bare foot into a snug sheepkin is a sensual pleasure.

Sheepskin boots have been used for chilly feet since around 500 BC, though perhpas not in the fashionable variety of styles we have today. An ancient Chinese Mummy was discovered wearing a pair and in ancient Greece people used to wrap their feet in sheepskin to protect them from the winter cold. They have also been worn by the innuits and the people of Tibet - it seems anywhere the climate has been exceptionally cold, the sheepskin boot has made an appearance. This is because they really are very effective against cold. When you think about it, sheep live outside in all kinds of extreme weather conditions, so by necessity they have had to develop an amazingly practical and thickly textured coat.

Australia is famous for it's fine quality wool and sheepskin products. In fact it used to be said that "Australia rides on the sheep's back" - meaning it was our primary industry and the one we put the most effort and care into into. At the risk of bragging, it's a widely acacknowedged fact that the industry supplies the world with the most luxurious, superior-performing woollen fibre available.

We've been making sheepskin boots for a long time, though perhaps not as long as the innuits, despite the fact that most Australians live in a warm climate. We still feel the winter cold, and Ugg boots offer an irresistable comfortable solution to cold feet in the cooler months. Synthetic materials simply cannot match the feel, texture and insulation properties of natural sheepskin.

Some call them Ug boots, others Ugg Boots or even Ugh boots but as the saying goes... rose by any other name would smell as sweet. The slip on Ugg boot was first developed in Australia in the 1960's as a solution to the problem of surfers getting cold feet after being in the cold winter sea and were also taken up by pilots as a warm solution for frosty feet in the air.

Although no-one seems to be quite sure where the name comes from, some have suggested it derived from the way the boot 'hugs' the foot. The boots were eventually exported to surf shops overseas but caught on as a general fashion item in the wider community, worn by celebrites and houswives alike.

Two of the biggest brands are Ugg Australia and Emu who vie competatively for supremacy in the sheepskin boot market. However both companies produce high quality, terrific boots, so there is little to choose between the two..

Ugg Australia was created in 1978 by a young Australian surfer called Brian Smith. legend has it Brian took a big bag of sheepskins to the US, where he felt at home with the California surfing culture.

it was there the Ugg vision took shape and took and in 1998 it was acquired by Deckers Outdoor Corporation and the company continued to grow, catering to the high-end footwear market with a luxurious, quality product. In 2003 Ugg was named "Brand of the Year" and largely credited with creating a whole new style of footwear.