Royal welly...Kate Middleton's favourite brand of boot

Country-loving Kate has her own ideas about which brand of boot works best for her and the makers of Le Chameau are duly grateful. Just in time for the festival season …
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Karen Dacre19 June 2012

Anyone who had the pleasure of hovering around the Lovebox festival in Victoria Park this weekend will be in little doubt about the capital’s love affair with the humble wellington boot. Once the saviour of fishermen, farmers’ sons and those who are partial to a half-hearted ramble across the Scottish countryside, the welly has come a long way in a short space of time — particularly where winning the approval of fashion consumers is concerned.

Of course, as with most long-running fashion phenomena, this is one that can be traced back to Kate Moss. In showing up to Glastonbury in 2005 wearing black Hunter wellington boots and a pair of equally unforgettable sawn-off denim shorts, our most trusted style-setter transformed the reach of a fledgling countryside outfitter into a fashion label every girl in the country wanted in her wardrobe. A summer festival style cliché had been born.

But while the popularity of Hunter’s boots continues to grow apace, the country’s best loved welly brand has competition from little-known French label Le Chameau, which is reaping the benefit of having another very famous Kate in its corner. A fitting ambassador for the posh countryside aesthetic with which Le Chameau is closely aligned, the Duchess of Cambridge is a loyal fan of the label, which founded its first factory in northern France 80 years ago. She joins her brother-in-law Prince Harry in her love of Le Chameau’s neoprene-lined Vierzonord boots and has been pictured sporting the style many times, including trips to the polo and walks on the beach at Anglesey.

Of course, the royal family’s preference for this brand is far from surprising: as well as being reassuringly expensive (a pair of boots such as Kate’s will set you back £140), the boots are discreet, unassuming and thus perfectly aligned with that well-to-do tradition of looking like you belong in the countryside. While a pair of Hunters are now instantly recognisable as the wellington boot of choice for city dwellers, Le Chameau offers an alternative for hard-core countryphiles — and those who are desperate to be perceived as such.

“Having the Princess regularly pictured in Le Chameau is great for us,” confirms Karl Waktare, managing director of LLC Ltd (UK importers of Le Chameau). “We are the brand of choice for true country people, like the Princess.” Of course, with the Middleton effect set to provide a major boost to Le Chameau’s sales figures, and the boots due to drop into store at Kurt Geiger’s concessions in Harrods and Fenwicks any day now, it’s unlikely to remain a brand saved for “true country people” for long. And quite right too. Which festival will you rule in yours?

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