Dubarry - Recognised, Respected and Loved Countrywide

Dubarry. 

For those of you that haven't heard of it - where have you been?! (Joking!)

Dubarry is one of the largest current 'lifestyle' brands to hit the market. Established in 1937 in Ireland it began as a co-operative to provide work for the local men and women, taking its name from the famous french courtesan Madame du Barry. 

"Dubarry’s reputation as one of Ireland’s most respected and successful companies was born out of the workforce’s deep-rooted pride and ambition to produce footwear of the very highest quality." www.dubarryboots.com

What started as a small company producing good quality shoes and boots for the local population and drawing on the expertise of the local craftsmen is now a booming lifestyle enterprise offering stylish and practical clothing and footwear for men and women. 

"Inspired by our home on the rugged west coast of Ireland, we have created a range of clothing and accessories that perfectly complement our footwear, so you can be appropriately kitted out from toe to head at the races, in the field, in the mountains, indeed anywhere you want to be dry and stylish." www.dubarryboots.com

Starting with their classic Galway boot and based on the extreme popularity of it here at Hoads we have extended our collection to include the following:

Dubarry Erin £199 - This Dubarry thigh-length quilted coat is 100% polyester with a nylon lining. Made with a PrimaLoft® filler for extra warmth and a removable faux fur collar. Machine washable.

Dubarry Boot Liners £26

Dubarry Longford £335 - The Dubarry Longford is a knee-high boot with stylish double buckle details and a GORE-TEX® 100% waterproof and breathable liner. Made from Dubarry’s water resistant DryFast-DrySoft ™ leathers and featuring a stylish double buckle detail combined with side panel beading. A direct inject bi-compound unit that consists of a PU inner fill with mounded bi-colour rubber outer shell offers underfoot comfort and shock absorbancy. The elasticated heel panel assists foot entry and creates an elegant boot silhouette.

And for the men:

Dubarry Kildare £265 -  The Dubarry Kildare boot is a versatile, calf-height, all-round boot with a Gore-tex lining making them 100% waterproof and breathable. Made with dryfast-drysoft leather uppers and a calf height lycra stretch adjustable leg top for wide entry and easy fit.

Dubarry Wexford £349 - The Dubarry Wexford boot is GORE-TEX® lined making the boot 100% waterproof and breathable and made with DryFast–DrySoft™ breathable leather uppers. A full, heavy duty zip with bellows allow for ease of entry while the button fastener acts to hold the zip in place. Made with a maximum grip outsole and ExtraFit™ width around the foot which helps with foot entry into the boot and increases comfort.

We also offer a selection of Dubarry care products, boot bags, insoles and socks in-store. 

Whether you are walking the dog, training your horse or on a lovely country weekend getaway Dubarry fits into your lifestyle comfortably. 

Have you tried Dubarry yet? What do you think? We love the comfort and simplicity of the styles!

MUSTO Clothing

Last year we took a big step after the success of the Dubarry footwear in store and added Dubarry clothing to our repertoire; this year we are taking it up a notch and adding MUSTO!

In 1964 Keith Musto fed up of the uncomfortable and unsuitable “sailing clothes” of the time decided to take on the mammoth and aspirational job of designing appropriate, comfortable and water proof sailing attire. MUSTO & Hyde started production in 1965 in a former prisoner of war hut in Rawreth, Essex. Initially the business was focused on sail making, with just two full time staff and family members helping out whenever they could. Slowly but surely the company and its employees grew along with the popularity of sailing which produced more demand for their products. In 1974 their famous “three layer system” was produced based on the idea of having the ability to move freely while keeping protected and warm.

Having established MUSTO's reputation (by word of mouth to begin with) for producing technical sailing clothing of the highest order, Keith Musto’s eye was caught by a new range of fabric that was growing in popularity in the United States and Canada - In 1978, prototype garments were made of a fleece shirt and a blouson jacket called The Snug.

“MUSTO was one of the first companies to bring fleece into the UK. We thought it was perfect for us, particularly as we were starting to branch off into the country markets with the equestrian and shooting areas.” Keith Musto.

MUSTO were also the first the produce and bring to market the ‘one piece dry suit’ and were recognised for this by winning an award in 1988.

After becoming a well known name in the sailing industry Keith Musto, along with the help of his daughter’s passion, took the company into new territory – equestrian clothing. MUSTO’s equestrian range along with the help of key industry figures (such as William Fox-Pitt, Tina Cook and Zara Phillips) became a hit in no time and MUSTO’s customer base increased dramatically.

“MUSTO was always product-led. If you’ve got the right product you’ll succeed. And we did.” Keith Musto

In 1992 MUSTO developed a prototype for a dry suit with the aim of keeping a sailor dry and warm for up to two hours, at the time the maximum was 15minutes and these suits were only worn in very extreme circumstances. The relationship between MUSTO and the leading sailors in their field has been crucial right from the beginning. Not only have they tested the kit to its very limits, but their diligent and extremely detailed feedback has helped MUSTO push the boundaries of innovation. Skip Novak even gave the MUSTO staff a slideshow to illustrate just how important their work was in keeping him and his crew safe and warm.

In 1994 MUSTO collaborated with WL Gore to develop a new range of clothing that was breathable and waterproof even in the toughest of conditions – their MUSTO HPX range with Gore-Tex.

Having established a reputation in the sailing and equestrian markets, in 1999 MUSTO decided it was time to adopt the innovative approach to its country clothing that had made it the best-loved brand in sailing. So knowing how important it is to take part in the activity and research your target audience properly they went shooting and within a short time recognised the challenges, embraced tradition and adopted MUSTO’s renowned reputation for innovation by producing their country range.

In 2006 MUSTO launched their Evolution collection of sailing wear comprising of 3 layers for men and women. An entirely new take on clothes for boating, the capsule collection included fabrics from WL Gore, Polartec, Primaloft and incorporating Lycra, Spandex, SPF technology.

MUSTO was the official technical clothing partner to the British sailing team in the Olympic and Paralympic classes, Skandia Team GBR. The partnership is the perfect illustration of the long journey that began nearly five decades ago when Keith Musto set out on realising his own personal Olympic ambitions.

“Sailors today, they’re very, very good. I’d still like to have a go at them if I was sixty years younger.” Keith Musto.

Below are some images of the clothing we are stocking from Musto – going along to their stock room and viewing the pieces was very exciting, we got a background talk on the brand and our rep who has been working there for 10 years knew every aspect of the clothing pieces she was showing us – making our buy a lot easier! After trying on numerous coats, jackets and jumpers we can confirm that the fit is very good – snug and cosy on all levels! To view our full range please click for Men's or Women's.

We really hope you give MUSTO a try if you never have before or continue to shop with them in one of their new locations, Hoads!

Our Barbour Winter Collection

A new and exciting brand we are adding to our collection this year is Barbour - the Barbour story began in 1894 in the Market Place in South Shields. Still keeping it in the family now the 5th generation family owned business remains in the North East. Although Barbour sources products from around the globe, their classic wax jackets are still manufactured by hand in the factory in Simonside.

“Nevertheless, in whichever area the company now operates, it remains true to its core values as a family business which espouses the unique values of the British Countryside and brings the qualities of wit, grit and glamour to its beautifully functional clothing.” (http://www.barbour.com/barbour-history)

 

Barbour have always been known for their shooting and lifestyle attire however in 2011 they collaborated with Grenson Shoes to create their first footwear collection along with a selection of boots produced from a further collaboration with Rockport. Now their footwear collections are almost becoming as popular as their clothing and we thought what better time to jump on the Barbour band wagon than at the very early stages; therefore we bring to you our collection of Barbour’s Autumn Winter footwear offerings…

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