An insight into our Kensington Boot collection

We often get asked by customers, where did you come up with the idea for that style. This is something that we sometimes overlook as a brand as we are always looking forward to what will be the next new design, or the next new product. In this blog we are looking into the past and where the origins and ideas for the core styles that we sell today actually came from.

In this blog we are looking at the Kensington family of products, what they are, and how they came to be introduced.

Designed and introduced back in 2019

The design for Kensington was introduced in 2019 which was quite a few years after the other core styles such as Crest, Bridge and Eastside. We already had a good range of flat, classic everyday styles that were perfect for everyday wear but during this time we were receiving lots of requests from customers for a boot that was a bit more stylish and featured a heel. Something that would give a bit more height and elegance as well as being fashionable and timeless.

Looking at what the market had to offer at that time most of the boots that were being worn were classic, basic flat boots, some plain, and some with biker boot details. We were determined to create a fashion boot but wanted to be faithful to the natural, casual look and feel that is Oak&Hyde.

How the idea came to us

The idea for Kensington actually came to us when we were filming our short promotional video in London in 2017

After we had finished the video shoot, and we were celebrating a good days filming, one of the models came in wearing a stunning pair of square block heeled boots. They looked very elegant but still had a nice casual feel. Whilst these boots were stunning, the styling wasnt quite what we were looking for, but it did give me some inspiration. We wanted to create a more stylish boot that represented Oak&Hyde in every way with our signature leathers and of course we wanted these to be expertly crafted in Portugal. This collection of boots was named Kensington as this was the location we were filming the promotional video.

During our next factory visit we started development on the new sole that would fit this block heel design and worked hard on the best block shape to suit Oak&Hyde. We came up with the best shape that still had a casual look and added a leather insert on the heel to give it the quality look and feel that we are known for.  The next step was to create a selection of styles that would be practical and complement the block heel of the new style. The Kensington Family was born.

The styles that were added were:- 

Kensington

Kensington Hi

This style was designed to give a high stylish design on the Kensington sole in our signature leather. We created a stitched pattern seam down the length of the boot and across the width of the boot. A large elastic gusset was incorporated into the back of the boot so that the boot would allow more space in the calf area. This tall leather boot was also designed with a full inside zip making it super easy to get on and off.

Kensington Chelsea

The Idea for our Kensington Chelsea boot was very simple. They say the simple ideas are always the best ones. We had seen by this time that Bridge Chelsea, which is one of our classic ankle boots was very popular with our customers. We wondered if this basic Chelsea boot design would work on the block heel of Kensington. We sent the design to the factory and once we saw the sample, we knew this boot would share the same success as Bridge Chelsea.

Closing words

Overall we are very pleased with our Kensington Boot range and hope you love this range as much as we do. This range of leather boots pairs nicely with jeans, leggings or a dress making them incredibly versatile and suitable for multiple occasions both casual and slightly smarter occasions.

I really hope that you have enjoyed hearing the inspiration and history of how the Kensington collection came to be. Please look out for future blogs where we will look at other styles in the collection and where the idea for these styles came about.

Dont forget to sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with promotions and new arrivals. You will also receive a 10% discount code for signing up.

Take Care,
Tigger.