Shoe expert cuts one in half RM Williams boots and says what he thinks of Hugh Jackman’s shoe 

Are your $600 R.M. Williams boots really worth the price? American leather expert slices a pair of the Australian boots in half before giving his verdict on their quality

  • A leather artisan cut the handmade craftsman boots down the centre
  • The leather expert filmed himself running a scalpel down the length of the boot
  • He then used an electric saw to cut through the boot’s thick, leather sole
  • The man regularly makes YouTube videos of himself cutting up luxury footwear
  • X-Men star Hugh Jackman owns five per cent of the iconic Australian company

A shoe expert has declared R.M. Williams pricey boots to be worth their hefty cost after cutting a pair open to examine their materials and construction.

The shoe artisan, who works for American leather goods store Rose Anvil, filmed himself slicing the handmade $595 boots down the middle.

‘I bought a pair to cut in half to see if they live up to the hype and the price or if they are just a celebrity-sponsored, overpriced boot,’ he said.

Rose Anvil regularly shares videos of employees cutting expensive footwear in half to assess their quality.

An electric saw was used to cut through the boot’s thick sole, which is made of leather and a composite of other materials.

 

The leather artisan, who works for the American leather goods store Rose Anvil, filmed himself slicing the hand-made Craftsman boots down the middle so he could study the quality of its materials and construction

He then continued to rip apart the boot's sole with his bare hands, pulling off the cork and leather

He then continued to rip apart the boot’s sole with his bare hands, pulling off the cork and leather

‘Looks like we’ve got some pretty good stuff going on in here,’ he said while holding up one half of the boot.

‘We’ve got some cork in there. That’s going to help conform to your foot faster and it’s going to give it a more custom fit.

‘The heel stack is full leather, except for the very bottom piece… It looks pretty good in here so far. I’m pretty impressed.’

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He then continued to rip apart the boot’s sole with his bare hands and a pair of pliers, pulling off the cork and leather.

The expert said the boot’s back inside lining was made of yearling leather, which comes from a cow up to two years old. 

‘There’s not really a cap near the heel, so you might get some slipping on your heel when you first start wearing these in because this leather is really smooth,’ he said. 

‘Overall it’s a really good boot, I’m pretty impressed.

‘But there’s a few things I wished were a little different. I wish there wasn’t some composite material inside the heel stack… just being nit-picky.

‘Other than that, it’s a solid boot. I don’t really have many complaints other than that it’s so hard to tear apart, it took me two hours.’

Hugh Jackman (pictured with wife Deborra-Lee Furness) owns five per cent of the iconic Australian company and became its brand ambassador in March last year.

Hugh Jackman (pictured with wife Deborra-Lee Furness) owns five per cent of the iconic Australian company and became its brand ambassador in March last year.

R.M. Williams was founded in Adelaide in 1932 by the famed bushman of the same name

R.M. Williams was founded in Adelaide in 1932 by the famed bushman of the same name 

R.M. Williams was founded in Adelaide in 1932 by the famed bushman of the same name.

The company’s iconic boots are a popular item both locally and overseas, and the brand has stores in New York, London, New Zealand and in Scandinavia.

Hugh Jackman owns five per cent of the iconic Australian company and became its brand ambassador in March last year.

Jackman, 50, became involved with the company as an ambassador after starring in the movie Australia alongside Nicole Kidman in 2007. 

He bought his stake in the firm in 2015, setting him up for a lucrative return when the business was sold to L Capital, the investment arm of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. 

History of R.M. Williams  

R.M. Williams was founded in Adelaide in 1932 by the famed bushman of the same name.

Reginald Murray ‘R.M.’ Williams was an Australian bushman and entrepreneur who rose from a swagman to become a millionaire.

He was born in 1908 at Belalie North near Jamestown in the mid-north of South Australia into a pioneering settler family who worked and trained horses. 

The company’s iconic boots are a popular item both locally and overseas, and the brand has stores in New York, London, New Zealand and Scandinavia.

Hugh Jackman owns five per cent of the iconic Australian company and became its brand ambassador in March last year.

Jackman, 50, became involved with the company as an ambassador after starring in the movie Australia alongside Nicole Kidman in 2007.  

L Catterton Asia – the private equity owners of R.M. Williams – bought a 49.9 per cent stake in the company from former News Corp boss Ken Cowley six years ago, before it took control of the company together with superannuation fund IFM Investors in 2014.

L Catterton Asia is backed by LVMH Moet Hennessy, a French luxury goods business that owns Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Moet Henessy champagne.

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