Spitfires and Hurricanes (81-84)

Not only could Pentland provide the financial backing Fireman needed but also, they had offices in Hongkong and Pusan, Korea the home of HS corporation and their factory. To head his development Paul recruited Steve Liggett, who would spend much of the next five years flying to and from Pusan where he stayed for months on end.

In Search of colour (2004 to 2022).

I look at Frostline™ as Grubs® equivalent to the freestyle high-top.  I often think about colour matching those wool samples  from Benetton® to get the Leather and EVA to match 35 years ago, when I am matching Rubber and nylon swatches for the next season.  We pick our colours from the same colour matching service Reebok® used after the Benetton® days.  Grubs® has a young colourful fun boot for active women in the outdoors, just like Reebok had her in the studio. Funny how the world turns in circles!

Turn your mind to Safety

2 years work, job done? No way!  When we tested these boots to be waterproof especially to Australian standards, they simply flew off the machine like a balloon. 

Fell backwards into the Muck (2000-2003)

“Dad, my toes are cold” little Abi, just turned four chimed up! “Mine too!” big sister added.  “Bethany’s cold too!” they sang in chorus. Jan and I soldiered on pretending we hadn’t heard them.  30 minutes later we had given up and sat warming cold toes in front of the fire!

My left foot

My first footwear design was to a brief from our UK distributor: I used the burgundy red suede that had previously bled over the first production Victory G and silver laterals went on a sample length of pretty close matching burgundy nylon. To my amazement they pick that one, the left foot from the second pair. So Invincible was born!

Rats Urine (February 1983)

I began working for my dad shortly after my 17 birthday, February 1983. My dad seemed genuinely happy that I wanted to be part of Reebok, Paul Brown who I worked for there was great guy that had worked for Bata when they made Aztecs for Reebok and been convinced by dad to move north and work for this little shoe company.

About David Foster

I’m the eighth generation of a footwear family who have probably been responsible for at least one pair of shoes you have worn in your lifetime. I spent my school holidays making shoe boxes before working for my father at Reebok. I spent ten years within the company, designing and developing many of their ‘Classic’