Iconic international bootmaker RM Williams has been recently bought by Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, returning the brand to Australian ownership.
Originally founded in 1932 by Reginal Murrary Williams (RM). The brand came to life with RM recognising the need in Australia for hardwearing products that could endure the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. This vision continues to guide production today.
Twiggy took advantage of the recession following the pandemic and bought the company at a steal compared to the original asking price.
The RM Williams factory in Salisbury, South Australia stayed as the hub for majority of the boots manufacturing despite the company being bought in 2013 following the death of founder RM by the LVMH Group, which owns French luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton .
The Salisbury factory employs 400 people at its workshop in Adelaide and another 500 Australians across their retail stores.
The goal was to return the bootmaker back to its original roots – country workwear for rural and remote areas.
“RM Williams is a quintessential Aussie brand with a long and proud history of high-quality Australian craftsmanship. In this time of reflection on our manufacturing base, we’re certainly committed to maintaining the Australian manufacturing focus.” Said new owner Forrest.
SA Premier Steven Marshall said in a social media post that the transaction “spells great news for local manufacturing and local jobs in SA”.
