MAKING OF MONGREL BOOTS
The evolution of Mongrel Boots is not just any story. It’s a legacy. It’s where vision met opportunity and sacrifice. Technologies and designs may have changed over ninety years, but the vision of the Cloros family still burns bright today. Manufacturing high-quality boots in Australia remains a dream achieved.
1930
THE VISION OF
STANLEY CLOROS
Together, they would repair old shoes and handcraft new ones to sell at the local weekend markets.
In the 1940s, William, the younger Cloros, acquired bootmaking machinery from liquidation auctions and set up the Victor Boot Company, a full-scale factory.
1940
MATESHIP AND THE NEED
FOR QUALITY BOOTS
Seeing a desperate need to contribute to the war effort, he steered production towards manufacturing high-quality boots for Australia’s soldiers serving their country overseas.
1960
VICTOR FOOTWEAR PTY LTD IS BORN
Rebranding as Victor Footwear Pty Ltd, the company turned its attention to manufacturing men’s, women’s and children’s casual and work footwear. A third generation entered the business with William’s son, William Stanley Cloros. Now operating out of a brand-new factory in St Leonards, Sydney, Victor Footwear became a serious player in the market. Their elastic-sided desert boots were eagerly snapped up. Father and son’s shared love for machinery and continual investment in the latest footwear manufacturing equipment remains a cornerstone of the company today.
1980-1990
THE LOVE FOR BOOT
MAKING STAYS IN
THE FAMILY
As time goes on, William Stanley Cloros was proud to have his two sons Michael and Paul begin their love for boot craftsmanship. They both receive training as pattern cutters and go onto become footwear technicians.
Victor again outgrew its premises and relocates to a larger factory in Lidcombe, Sydney before launching a new range of dual density PU work boots known as ‘Victor Workbrutes’.
2000
THE BIRTH
OF THE MONGREL
At the turn of the millennium, Victor Footwear launched the ‘Mongrel’, a bold new take on the work boot. In Aussie slang, the word ‘mongrel’ refers to someone who is tough, determined and straightforward. Mongrel boots combine the brand’s Aussie roots and a personality that hard workers can relate to. Successful from the start, the range grew quickly and today, the Mongrel Boots product is known for its big personality and high performance.
2006
INTRODUCING THE ZIPSIDER
Now that the Australian work boot market had been changed forever, Mongrel introduced the first ‘ZipSider’ boot. Today, Mongrel ZipSiders proudly continue to lead the category.
AUSSIE CLASSIC,
NOW AND TOMORROW
Noticing that competitors were shifting their manufacturing overseas, Mongrel bucked the trend and constructed a new, purpose-built factory in Auburn, Sydney. They even installed another Desma direct injection moulding machine to operate alongside the existing one, to keep up with increasing demand.
2008
Mongrel was always determined to keep jobs in Australia and make sure they could guarantee the same top-quality craftsmanship that consumers had always been able to rely on.
2018
TRUE BLUE AUSSIE,
FOREVER MORE
The company cemented their determination to remain an iconic, all-Australian brand. In 2018, they invested heavily in a new, 30-station Desma direct injection moulding machine, coupled with amir® technology. It was the first machine of its kind to be introduced to Australia and is still the only one in the country.
2020
CELEBRATING 9 DECADES
OF AUSSIE BOOTMAKING
2020 saw the 90th anniversary of Victor Footwear’s Australian boot making enterprise. Now up to its fifth generation of the Cloros family, there are still three generations actively working for Mongrel Boots.
