We set out to produce a range of work boots that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg but was tough enough to handle NZ conditions. We knew that boots had to be wide enough to handle our wide feet and well built to tackle NZ’s rain and mud.
After trekking to all corners of the globe looking for something decent we were forced to come back empty handed. That’s when Kiwi ingenuity kicked in and the No8 range was born. We did our homework. It took a while to sort the right materials, get the right quality and the right leathers - we had to say “No thanks” to plenty of offers. But all good things take time and now we're chuffed with the result.
No8 Footwear is designed and distributed in New Zealand by Safety At Work (Wholesale) Ltd. We are a family owned business and all our profits stay right here in NZ. Based in Pukekohe, we started from the garage at home but have now grown to our own dedicated site with 12 full-time staff.
No8 Footwear is now available all over New Zealand as well as some of the islands in the South Pacific
The No8 range is made for Kiwi feet. Kiwis generally have wider feet, and many foreign designed boots just don't cut it width-wise, and therefore don't fit as well. We designed this footwear WIDE so that you can be comfortable right through to knock-off time.
No8 Footwear also uses tough leathers especially selected for our cold and wet climate. One issue with footwear designed overseas is that they don’t have the mud and rain that New Zealand does. Aotearoa has much higher rainfall than Oz - yet Aussie designed boots dominate our market. We think that needs fixing!
The name comes from No8 fencing wire. Kiwi legend has it that anything could be fixed or any problem sorted with No8 wire. No8 refers to a Kiwi state of mind – the thought you can get the job done by thinking outside the square and being a bit inventive - rather than spending a wad of cash. That’s what our footwear is aiming to be – a better solution that doesn’t cost a bomb.
“We don’t have the money – so we need to think”.
Ernest Rutherford – Atom Splitter
Thanks for checking out No.8 Footwear – we're very proud of the range and hope you like it too.