Wootten was founded in Adelaide's iconic Jam Factory arts collective in the mid 1970s surrounded by Australia’s leading craft practitioners. The generational tradition of handcrafting boots and leather goods continues from their repurposed WW2 munitions workshop in the historic city of Ballarat - Victoria.

Lead by Master Cordwainer, Jess Wootten, Wootten’s small team of highly skilled leather craftspeople are renowned for their timeless and considered approach to design, craft and construction. This has borne an uncompromising pursuit of quality over quantity, making Wootten unique in the Australian footwear industry for the best part of 50 years. Quality, durability and craftsmanship are the cornerstone of Wootten's ethos.

By only sourcing the best possible materials and partnering with industry leading producers, Wootten Goods are crafted to out last. With a focus on ethically, socially and environmentally sustainable practices, Wootten produces products with longevity that leave a positive mark and a lasting legacy.

The idea of walking in a father’s footsteps is as old as the art of making shoes itself. It’s the idea on which Wootten is founded. Jess’s dad, Ross Wootten, began making bespoke footwear in the early 1970s under the tutelage of Bulgarian Master Craftsman and internationally renowned shoemaker, George Koleff, in Adelaide's iconic Jam Factory.

Jess remembers sitting in the corner of his father’s tiny studio as a young boy and marvelling at the care his father took as he crafted shoes from scratch.

Ross was not just a brilliant cordwainer, but also the consummate people person; in many ways the quality of the relationships he built with his customers was just as important as the quality of his shoes.

Fifty years on, Jess and the Wootten team continue his father’s tradition of fine shoes and boots coupled with excellent service.

Many things have changed over the last 50 years. But Wootten's commitment to quality Craftsmanship and service endures.

The journey started in Adelaide, continued in Moorabbin and was reborn in Prahran. For nearly 10 years, Wootten called the textile mill on Grattan street home. Some of the business's biggest changes occurred here. In 2012 the business became officially known as Wootten, with a rebranding and launch of the Heritage website: https://www.wootten.com.au

The days of manufacturing in inner city Melbourne are past, and in 2018, after nearly thirty years in Melbourne, the workshop relocated to the historic city of Ballarat. This is where the production happens for all the leather goods and footwear and acts to showcase the ever-expanding collection.

Wootten's small team of highly skilled leather craftspeople creates ready-to-wear and made-to-order leather goods and footwear out of their repurposed WW2 munitions workshop in the historic city of Ballarat - Victoria.

Whilst the Wootten Heritage is continued by the team in the Ballarat workshop, the range produced for Wootten Goods is a distilled collection of Wootten's timeless styles. With a focus on ready-to-wear footwear and off-the-shelf leather goods, Wootten Goods aims to make the quality and craftsmanship offered by the Wootten team more accessible than the traditional made-to-order and historic bespoke services offered by the Heritage team.

With a flagship store at Ballarat and a travelling pop-up store (pictured), Wootten Goods is bringing old school craftsmanship and service back to the fore.