Le Chameau: Standing The Test Of Time

Remaining true to its roots, the company has changed little about the manner in which boots are crafted, David Robinson CEO, explains: “One of the things that makes Le Chameau boots so special is that there is no factory line. Each pair of boots is produced by a master bootmaker, specially trained at the Le Chameau factory in Morocco.” The factory was set up in 1949, in Casablanca, by Monsieur Claude Chamot, who had always been very fond of Morocco. Prior to that, the boots were made in France, with the company being set up in 1927. 

“It was a natural step to meet the increasing demand,” David says of the move to Morocco, “and it was then that the name was changed to Le Chameau, which means camel in French,” continuing, “It takes nine months to train as a master bootmaker, and it’s 12 months before the bootmaker can produce a pair of Le Chameau boots unaided. Not all of those who start their training become master bootmakers, either – it takes a huge amount of dedication and skill, not to mention the attention to detail and accuracy that is required.” 

Above all, comfort

Le Chameau’s basic tenets, when it comes to boots, is that they should keep your feet warm and dry, but also that the boots should be comfortable: “For us, it is a matter of pride that you can wear our boots all day without your feet getting tired, whether you are working on the farm, fishing or shooting,” David says. “And to produce that, it’s not only the craftsmanship that comes into play, the materials we use are very important, too.” 

The main material is, of course, rubber – but as David explains, “We use natural rubber, which is soft and pliable, and doesn’t have a plastic feel to it. Because our boots aren’t moulded, they don’t have that hard feeling to them. Where we line the boots with leather, we use premium Italian leather, which is butter soft. We’ve had a long-standing collaboration with Michelin, with whom we have developed soles for a number of our boots, including our most recent leather stalking range, Condor, with soles based on a motocross tyre, which gives them great traction and stability, while remaining incredibly light.” 

Icons of the sporting field

The styles of boot are one thing that has evolved over the years, though there are of course some boots that have remained as popular as they were the day they were launched: “The Vierzon and the Chasseur are two designs that have been in production for more than 50 years and are still some of the most iconic of our boots.” A huge amount of time and trouble goes into the design process: “We take everything into account – comfort, practicality, durability. And then we conduct extensive testing in the field to ensure they will perform. It’s all about making boots fit for a purpose for Le Chameau.” Little wonder, then with the efforts Le Chameau has gone to in the design, production and in-field testing that these boots have stood the test of time. As David concludes: “In the end, what we strive to do is ensure that our customers can truly enjoy their passions, be that shooting, looking after your horse, or just walking the dog. We like to think we are helping those people do what they love.”  

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