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Rossi Boots: a century of industrial evolution
- David Harreveld
- 5 days ago
- 10 min read
Rossi Boots from birth to trusted brand
In 1910 Australia’s industrial landscape was very different to today’s. Manufacturing was the third largest sector in the economy after Agriculture and Mining. Manufacturing employment was in Clothing/Textile, Engineering/Ironworks, and in third place Bootmaking, employing around 13,000 nationwide (rough split: 2/3 male and 1/3 female).
There were 339 registered boot & shoe factories, and estimates of independent bootmakers/cobblers were in the thousands. This was a time of change where factories were taking business from the independent operators because they could produce products quicker and more cost-effectively. Cobblers (custom shoemakers & repairers) were becoming an endangered species and industrial bootmakers became specialised in one part of the production process: clicking (cutting), closing (sewing), or lasting (shaping). factories turned out shoes with set sizes much faster and at a cheaper price.
In the early 1900s the "tyranny of distance" meant that a boot factory’s survival depended on its ability to tap into the raw output of Australia's burgeoning livestock empire. Adelaide became a thriving hub for high-quality leatherwork due to its unique geography:
The Tanning Hub: The suburbs of Hindmarsh and Thebarton became industrial powerhouses because they sat on the River Torrens. This water was essential for tanneries like John Reid and Sons (est. 1873), which processed the hides of cattle driven down from the Flinders Ranges and the Northern Territory.
The By-Product Economy: Leather was a direct by-product of the booming meat export trade. By 1910, South Australia was managing millions of sheep and cattle; the availability of fresh hides meant Adelaide bootmakers like Rossi had access to high-grade yearling and kangaroo leather without the prohibitive shipping costs of interstate or overseas supply.
The Hills Connection: The Adelaide Hills were thick with black wattle (Acacia mearnsii). Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, "bark-stripping" was a major seasonal industry. This bark was pulverized in Adelaide mills (like the Storch Mill) to create the vegetable tanning liquor that gave Australian boots their signature reddish-brown hue and water resistance.
Strategic Proximity: Being situated between the pastoral cattle runs to the North and the wattle rich hills to the East gave Adelaide bootmakers a unique low cost input advantage that Melbourne and Sydney struggled to match.
1910: the Backyard Startup
Arthur Rossiter was a supervisor of the Adelaide Boot Company and in 1910 resigned to start Rossiter Ltd in a tin shed behind his house. Business grew quickly and in 1912 production moved to a dedicated factory on Unley Road, Adelaide.
1915-1918: the WWI Pivot
And then came World War I: soldiers need boots, and Rossiters secured military contracts to supply the Australian Army. It quickly became a key supplier, with its “Workman’s” boots gaining a reputation for reliability. These boots were constructed from brown leather, featuring leather soles, and by 1916 were reinforced with toe and heel plates to withstand trench conditions.
1930s: The Great Depression
The Great Depression (1929–1939) was the ultimate "stress test" for Rossi Boots. While over 200 factories in South Australia collapsed during this decade, Rossi’s survival was not a product of luck, but the result of a tactical pivot from industrial manufacturing to direct relationship selling.
While high fixed costs and collapsing demand closed many factories Arthur Rossiter kept producing at a lower rate but took his brand “on the road”. He traveled across regional South Australia and Victoria, setting up at local trade shows and agricultural field days. Selling individual pairs of boots directly to farmers and workers kept the factory lights on and his core staff employed.
This face to face contact also cemented Rossi as a "loyal" brand. While other manufacturers abandoned regional towns, Arthur was physically present, proving the boots' durability in the dust of the Depression. That type of trust and loyalty goes a long way in regional Australia, and is not easily forgotten.
Rossiter also took a gamble on the quality of his products - Rossi maintained its commitment to being 100% Australian-made and using premium leather. Arthur gambled that even in a Depression, a worker would pay a slight premium for a boot that lasted three years over a cheap one that lasted six months.
The result was that Rossi transformed from being just another factory to becoming a household name in rural Australia.
1939-1945 World War II
Having outlasted many competitors during the depression, Rossi was well-placed to ramp up production for World War II demand. Employee numbers peak at 500, and the company produces over 110,000 pairs of boots for the front lines, cementing its place in the national supply chain.
1950s - 1980s Innovation & Modernisation
The 1950s to the 1980s represent the most transformative era in Rossi's history, the period where the brand transitioned from a traditional leather & nails manufacturer to a technical innovator. This era was defined by the launch of a subcultural icon and a fundamental shift in the chemistry of footwear.
1950: the birth of “the Ripple”
In 1950, Rossi launched the Original Ripple Sole Desert Boot (Model 4046). It would become the most recognizable silhouette in the brand's history.
Unlike the flat soles of the era, the Ripple featured a deep sawtooth tread made from nitrile rubber. This was a radical technical departure, offering unprecedented grip and give that captured the attention of users. By the 1960s and 70s, the "Ripple" moved beyond the station. It became the unofficial uniform of Australian motorcyclists (who valued the heat-resistant nitrile rubber) and later, in the early 80s, the punk and skinhead subcultures who used the aggressive tread as a local alternative to imported Doc Martens. Additionally the "Ripple" sole wasn't only successful because it looked cool; it was successful because the nitrile rubber didn't melt on a hot motorcycle engine or slip on a greasy workshop floor.
The material revolution
Post WWII scarcity forced an era of material "upcycling" that eventually led to a total supply chain overhaul.
The Post War Proxy - immediately following the war, leather and rubber were scarce. Rossi experimented with salvaged car tires as soling material, a pragmatic engineering hack that proved incredibly durable.
The Chemical Shift - throughout the 60s and 70s, Rossi led the industry move away from "biological" construction (leather soles, linen threads, iron nails) toward petroleum based chemistry.
Adhesives: Traditional stitching was supplemented or replaced by high-bond glues.
Synthetics: The introduction of plastics and synthetic rubbers allowed for soles that were impervious to the oils and acids found in industrial work sites.
The Production-first model
Under the leadership of Dean Rossiter (who took a guiding role in 1971), the business operated on a "Factory led" mandate.
Production success - during the mid-70s, Rossi was producing approximately 250,000 pairs of shoes a year at its Hilton factory.
Strategy - Unlike modern retail driven brands, the factory was the business. There was virtually no marketing department. The company survived purely on the throughput of what it manufactured. If they built it, the regional wholesale network bought it.
The era concluded with a massive capital investment that ended the traditional "handcrafted" era as it was once known.
The Hilton Relocation - In late 1987, Rossi moved operations from Unley to a fit-for-purpose facility in Hilton, SA.
Direct-Injection Technology: This move allowed for the installation of machinery that could directly mould soles to the leather uppers. This eliminated the need for manual welting and significantly increased the waterproofing and longevity of the boots.
Digital Integration - This was the first phase of Computer-Controlled (CNC) manufacturing for cutting and sewing, a move that allowed Rossi to remain onshore while competitors began their exodus to Southeast Asia.
By moving from a generalist bootmaker to a specialist in nitrile rubber and direct-injection molding, they partially insulated themselves from the cheap imports that would decimate the Australian footwear industry in the 1990s.
1990s & 2000s: Fortress Australia
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Rossi was one of the few brands that refused to move offshore. Following the 1987 move to Hilton, the company invested heavily in Computer-Controlled (CNC) machines for leather cutting and sewing.
This automation allowed Rossi to reduce its headcount from the hundreds to roughly 80 staff while maintaining an output of 250,000 pairs per year. By lowering the labor cost per unit, they neutralized the primary advantage of offshore manufacturing.
In 1993 Rossi launched the Endura Sole, arguably the most successful technical product in its 110 year history. Building on the 1980s direct-injection technology, the Endura featured an Air Cushion midsole made of spongy polyurethane and a nitrile rubber outsole. It became the Industry standard for Australian tradespeople, winemakers, agronomists, and others. It offered a high level of chemical resistance (acids/oils) and thermal protection (up to 300c) that made it indispensable on work sites. Rossi’s Endura 301 (Black) and 303 (Claret) models remain the brand’s highest volume SKUs to this day.
In the late 90s, the company secured ISO 9001 Quality Management certification, allowing it to compete for government and high-spec industrial contracts that required strict traceability.
Despite the increasing popularity of its workwear boot range, annual sales declined around the company’s 100 year anniversary, from 260,000 pairs in 2005 to 150,000 pairs in 2015. The fourth generation of Rossiters stepped into executive roles in the company during this time, and realised that there was opportunity for Rossi to operate in the fashion market as a heritage brand. This led to a modernisation of the brand's aesthetic, pivoting toward Export Growth in the US, Europe, and China.
The Covid crunch and the Billionaire
The most volatile chapter in Rossi’s 110 year history took place between 2017 and 2024.
Onshore capital investment
The fourth generation of the Rossiter family recognised that their Hilton facility had reached its mechanical limit. To compete in a global market, they needed to double their capacity. Supported by a $300,000 South Australian Government grant, Rossi moved its headquarters, warehouse, and factory to a massive new site in Kilburn, SA. The expansion was intended to "future-proof" the brand. It wasn't just about floor space, it was about a new integrated IT platform and advanced machinery designed to support a massive export push into Europe and North America. By 2019, the factory was capable of housing 80+ employees and producing at a scale the brand hadn't seen since the post war industrial peak.
Covid-19 & the Adaptive Industries collapse
Just as the Kilburn factory was ramping up, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. For the Rossiter family, the combination of massive debt from the expansion and the sudden global retail freeze was a perfect storm.
In April 2020, the Rossiter family sold a majority stake to the Propel Group (owners of RB Sellars and Driza-Bone) and GP Securities. The family maintained a 20% stake and a seat on the board (Paul Rossiter), but for the first time in 110 years, strategic command of the brand was no longer within the family.
But the Kilburn factory was more complex than it appeared. Rossi didn't own the labor, they contracted it from Adaptive Industries, which operated the Kilburn site. Under the weight of pandemic-induced supply chain interruptions, Adaptive Industries went into receivership in November 2020.
The factory shut down immediately, resulting in the loss of 35 jobs, some held by staff who had been with the family for over 40 years. In a tactical buyback in January 2021, the new owners (Propel Group) purchased the physical assets from the liquidator to restart a limited manufacturing presence. This was a critical move to preserve the "Made in Australia" marketing label, even as higher-volume production moved offshore.
The Rinehart Era
The final move in this sequence occurred in December 2023, when Gina Rinehart’s S. Kidman & Co. purchased both Rossi and Driza-Bone from the Propel Group. Rinehart wasn't just buying a shoe company - she was buying the Kidman trademark (owned by Rossi) to launch a global luxury fashion brand.
This second sale signaled the end of Rossi as a small-scale manufacturer and its rebirth as a high-capital heritage asset.
The future is duelling billionaires
Form the outside it looks like Gina Rinehart simply wanted to copy Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s purchase of R.M. Williams a few years earlier, in 2020.
While there’s probably a large amount of truth in that, those two billionaires don’t like to throw money away. Both acquisitions are part of their respective desire to own a piece of Australian history, but with very different strategies.
Forrest’s acquisition of R.M. Williams and Akubra focuses on “onshore sovereignty”. By owning the abattoirs (Harvey Beef), the tannery links, and the Adelaide factory, Forrest is building a closed-loop supply chain. The goal is a "Premium Australia" label that justifies a price ceiling approaching $1,000 per item.
Rinehart’s strategy, executed through S. Kidman & Co., is a horizontal brand play. By acquiring Rossi and Driza-Bone, she is creating a lifestyle "ecosystem" that leverages the existing infrastructure of the Kidman pastoral empire.
While Forrest competes on exclusivity (the artisan's touch), Rinehart is competing on ubiquity (the pastoral uniform). This represents a choice between depth (owning every step of a high-priced product) and breadth (owning the category across multiple lower priced touchpoints).
The most scrutinised aspect of Rossi’s 2026 strategy is its hybrid supply chain. This leans heavily on 110 years of Australian heritage, plus its offshore physical production.
While R.M. Williams maintains nearly 100% onshore production for its core boot line. This model relies on traditional complexity. The use of a "whole cut" upper (a single piece of leather with only one seam) and a Goodyear Welt allows for the boot to be resoled multiple times. It is a "buy it for life" philosophy that highlights material longevity and repairability.
Meanwhile the majority of Rossi’s volume (including the flagship "Kidman" Chelsea boot) is manufactured in offshore facilities (largely India) using a mix of Australian and international leathers. Rossi’s strategy leans into technical consistency. Their competitive advantage is found in specialised components such as the Endura sole and direct injection / moulding that ensures the boot is waterproof and lightweight - features often preferred by actual rural workers over the heavier R.M. Williams offering.
S. Kidman & Co. argues that this hybrid model allows for a value driven premium. At approximately $499, a Rossi Kidman boot is positioned roughly 30% below the R.M. Williams Comfort Craftsman (~$700).
Over the next 100 years, Rossi’s fate will hinge on whether it can keep doing what it has always done best: quietly building boots that real workers trust, while bigger brands chase status and storytelling. If Rinehart’s capital and Kidman’s global ambitions can preserve that core - Endura soles that do not quit, lasts that actually fit rural feet, and a price point that still lets a shearer or viticulturist buy a second pair - then Rossi will become something rare in modern retail: a heritage work boot that earns its mythology on red dirt, not just in airport boutiques. A century from now, the measure of success will not be how many collaborations dropped, but whether stockmen, winemakers, lineys and miners still reach for Rossi first when the job is hot, the ground is rough, and failure would really hurt.
