Hunter: The Original Rubber Boot Comes Full Circle

As Hunter celebrates its 170th anniversary with Kate Moss as the face of its campaign, Charlotte Metcalf visits the brand's London headquarters to discover why the Cotswolds remain at the heart of its story.

After a hot, dry summer it's sometimes hard to remember just how wonderfully unpredictable the weather of Glastonbury Festival can be. One constant reminder is the 2005 image of Kate Moss, navigating gloopy acres of mud in hot pants and Hunter wellies, a quick snap that transformed Hunter into a hugely sought-after fashion brand overnight.

It's entirely fitting that Moss is the face of Hunter as it celebrates its 170th birthday in 2026 with the limited-edition 170th Anniversary Boot in iconic Hunter Green. 'It's a full circle moment,' says Oli Lewis, Head of Brand, when I visit him and Hazal Karasah, Head of Design & Creative, at Hunter's London headquarters. The Original Tall is 170 years old but its Hunter Green colour was introduced in 1956, which Hazal points out was revolutionary, before that all wellingtons were black.

To begin the anniversary celebrations of their 170th year, Hunter collaborated with Lick paint, creating the lush Hunter Green eggshell No. 170 colour, the same as the boot.

'I wanted to reintroduce Hunter Green in a more modern, out-of-the-box conceptual way to tap into different markets,' says Hazal, 'and it helps tell our story. It's all about honouring the past while shaping the future.'

Every anniversary pair is adorned with the Hunter logo, similar to the North British Rubber Company 1856 logo, and comes in a herringbone dust bag in a handsome cardboard box. They are being sold internationally and through outlets like Bredon Hill Country in the Cotswolds.

'Hunter's roots are in the Cotswolds,' says Oli. 'While we're a heritage brand, we can be practical and purposeful while also being aspirational and accessible. We're lucky enough to have both agricultural roots and a strong fashion heritage, and the Cotswolds is a wonderful place where those two worlds come together. We can be Pimms as well as pints. Hunter has always had connections to countryside and outdoor communities right across the UK, from the rolling Yorkshire Moors to the Scottish Highlands, where our story began, but we have a particularly long-standing relationship with the Cotswolds. For us, it has that same sense of charm and character that makes you think of the St Tropez or Hamptons of the English countryside. Hunter's rooted in Jilly Cooper's fun, quintessentially British world of Rutshire, and we've always had that Royal connection too — I think of Princess Di in her Hunters, Fair Isle jumper, pearls and cords.'

Each boot is handcrafted in Hunter's factory to a secret recipe involving 28 individual pieces of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) rubber. Most wellingtons are made using plastic moulds but Hunter hand-cuts each rubber piece then places it around an aluminium last, created for the original 1956 boot. 'It's exactly the same process as for a leather shoe except that it then goes into a vulcanisation tank to become waterproofed, then tested,' Oli explains.

Before taking up the reins at Hunter, Hazal worked for two and a half years at Burberry. She created bespoke shoes for Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Bad Bunny and a pair of white patent brogues with medallions for Stormzy. I ask her why she made the move to Hunter. 'I was part of Burberry's creative team, but I loved the idea of being in charge of design overall,' she says. 'I've always been interested in overseeing entire collections, so Hunter represented a career progression.'

Hazal is from Istanbul and did a Masters in shoe design in the Netherlands before arriving in London to do an internship at Mista shoes in 2016. 'As an outsider, I find that point where heritage meets fashion so interesting and the challenge is making heritage contemporary and fun for new generations. So many young people just want something fashionable like our Downpour brand, which was my first collection for Hunter last summer. It was the first boot we'd built from scratch for years and you can wear it to the pub and in daily life without the heavy heritage connotation of a wellington boot.'

The Downpour, with its square heel and a more commando, unisex, sturdy look than Hunter's signature kitten heel, was used for Hunter's collaboration with GANNI in September 2026. The boot was expandable with an adjustable strap and in GANNI's signature leopard print.

Hunter has also partnered with Soho House, Maison Kitsuné, ASOS, Harrods, Aston Martin, Represent (a Manchester street brand) and Wuthering Heights. For the latter, Hazal created a bespoke gloss-black boot featuring a lace-inspired pattern and 'Drive Me Mad' detailing. Originally created as a one-off competition prize and archive piece to mark the exciting partnership, a very limited number of the bespoke boots were subsequently produced to gift members of the film's highly acclaimed cast.

'Hazal has brought so much to the brand,' says Oli. 'She's a very considered, creative designer and has brought a real femininity to our women's range. We're a brand that services all genders but we have such a female following due to our icons like Princess Diana and the late Queen, alongside Kate Moss, Olivia Rodrigo and all our other superstars who wear them. We make the best wellingtons and the Original Tall was always, and will remain, simply the world's most iconic wellington boot.'

Read the full feature on pages 34–37 of our Autumn/Winter 2026 edition, available online HERE.