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. 

Two brands are better than one (2002-2010)

Jan and I revisited the two brand strategy ourselves, not fans of long-winded names we launched GRUBS® and positioned the brand in the higher end sporting market from £90-£150.  I approached Vibram® who had just begun making their outsoles in a third-party factory in China.  They only had one sole called ‘multi-sport’ which had a Moulded EVA midsole and rubber outsole, we chose this to create the worlds first rubber boot with a Vibram sole.

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!

B6300 a true CLASSIC? (2004 to 2016)

It’s been offered in quite a few variation: red, green, navy as well as leather. the original white and black are still the ticket though!

WHEN IS A NIZZA NOT A NIZZA? (2001)

It was all in the detail, mid weight canvas duck bonded to a natural, unbleached canvas lining in herring bone pattern, satin aluminium eyelets, including two in the arch for ventilation. The upper had the original 1950’s Perry victory wreath shadow embroidered on the outside. 

FRED PERRY (2000-2005)

Fred Perry had a rich history, founded by Fred in 1952, the company was famous for its laurel wreath logo and pique knitted tennis shirts, which with French competitor Lacoste had been at the forefront of technical sportswear in the 1960’s and then adopted by MOD culture and hit the high-street.  This had faded slightly in the 80’s but had turned the corner with yet another resurgence of Mod culture through the ‘Brit pop years of the 1990’s.

Sergio Tachini 99-2000

Summer of ’99 I got an invitation to meet up with David Makin of JD Sports, I hadn’t spoken to him since the early ‘80’s when I had been developing special makeups of Reebok Royales for them. 

Fourteen pieces of luggage!(’99-2000)

The look on Jan’s face was a picture as was the woman’s on check-in as I pulled out my Marco Polo card; “seven to check in and fourteen pieces of luggage!”

Moving the market, the story of the KSB. (’95-’96)

What followed was several weeks of hour long meetings throwing idea’s around to come up with not just a new KSB3, but a whole range of new KSB’s that would target our competitors, Berghaus with Scarpa and also my Old buddy Chris Brasher. These boots would be sold in a new way, fitted by a foot gauge, Clarks style. In UK half sizes and fitted with wedges or shims. We led with the KSB launch at COLA that autumn and sales went ballistic. Mike’s insistence that we reach further had been right.