Palladium is a brand that may be new to you but we can assure you they’re not. They’ve been around for a while! First founded in 1920 to make tires for the fledgling aviation industry, there expertise was so advanced that soon the majority of Europe's aircraft were using Palladium tires.
After World War II, with aircraft manufacturing screeching to a halt, the demand for tires decreased dramatically. So they started producing footwear that was as hard wearing as their tires and so the legendary Pampa boot was born. We got chance to interview the brand manager Paul Ellis:
Tell us about the brand history and how it sits in the UK
"Palladium was founded in 1920 and originally made aircraft tires. After WWII the company decided to use their canvas and rubber expertise to make boots, so in 1947 Palladium became a boot company and was worn by the French Foreign Legion. Then in the early 90’s Palladium became one of the fashion staples of the day, especially in Europe, and sold over a million pairs a year before fading into the shadows again. We re-launched the brand in 2010, as a boot with over 65 years of authentic heritage, a legitimate military background, and modernized today as a boot for city terrain with a combination of style and function."
Who is your general customer?
"Well our old fans came right back, so there was a nostalgia immediately. Now we’ve got new fans, as young people who don’t remember Palladium from before appreciate the authenticity and the heritage, and see the boot as having something unique. We’re getting the boot customer and the sneaker customer, both seeing us as a sort of hybrid."
What's so great about your boots?
"This is an authentic heritage boot that’s simple and timeless. It has performance elements combined with great styling and a killer price point. Plus, it’s new and different, so we’re reaching people looking for the next."
If we could buy one item from the collection what should we get?
"If the sun’s out, our new monochrome collection takes the classic Pampa boot and applies monochromatic colors on canvas. If it rains, our 100% waterproof Baggy boot is our staple for performance and looks amazing with denim."
Any exciting plans for the next 6 months?
"We have a second colourway of our collaborative boot with Billionaire Boys Club coming out, and a burnished leather collection, which has a pre-worn vintage effect."
If your brand was a celeb, who would it be?
"Someone who has been around for a while and is as relevant today as they ever were.. someone with style and performance talent, living in a city environment. Our biggest campaign featured Pharrell exploring Tokyo, and I think that selection hit all those attributes perfectly."