If anyone can make shoes fit for a magical beast and those who love them, it’s these enchanted Australian cobblers.
And a few words from Pendragon:
Since we started Pendragon Shoes back in 1987, we have always made the shoes that might only be found in children’s story books and faerie tales, fantasy novels and our own imaginations. Being self-taught helped, as we had no real boundaries or rules to break. In fact, we had no idea we were really becoming shoemakers. Now, 33 years on, we continually push the boundaries of shoe making, creating made to measure, special commissions regularly and creating small ranges of fantastical footwear for everyday wear.
Dragon shoes were our first magical beast shoes, closely followed by the owls back in 1998. They were part of an art shoe exhibition where we explored the theme of the elements. We did a fire dragon, an earth dragon, an owl and a dragon with a metal cast claw heel. It starts with a clay mould, sculpted on a piece of wood or a shoe last. The leather is then wet moulded – this is a slow and patient process to make sure all the details are worked into the leather.
Our designs have always been inspired by nature, incorporating butterflies, bats, dragonflies and leaves into many of our designs.
The wildest and most challenging pair of boots we’ve ever made were most definitely the Frog boots – nicknamed the impossible boots! They were a special commission from a customer who wanted us to complete his magical beast costume, blending poisonous dart frog and bird elements. He said they were the most comfortable boots he had ever worn, though a little hard to drive in … 😉
Could you pull those off?
