EMU started life in Geelong, Australia's prime wool and cattle country just minutes from the world renowned surfing centre of Bells Beach, along the Great Ocean Road. It was this unique environment that quite literally formed the EMU we know today. In the early 70's, after years of specialising in hide trading and tanning, experts named the Jacksons started getting approached by surfers from along the Victorian coast for tanned sheepskins which they used to make warm, post surfing boots.

"Yeah it's funny, we literally are a product of our environment. The surfers took a local raw material and created the first post surf boot and after a few years of supplying the sheepskins, Jacksons' Geelong Tannery began subcontracting to shoe makers to improve the quality and performance of the basic surfer's sheepskin boot and thus produced the very first ‘Ugly' boot and the rest, as they say, is history. True Aussie ingenuity" he grins.

With many contenders for the crown of ‘authentic sheepskin surf boot', EMU is fiercely proud of its heritage and the fact that the company is a 100% Australian owned footwear company, controlling 100% of operations from concept to the shelf, including tanneries, factories, distribution facilities and the wool resources. This unique, vertical structure cuts out the middle man and puts the brand in a position to build the highest quality product. The manufacturing facility in Geelong uses only the best Australian sheepskin and this is one of the main factors which Neate says distinguishes the EMU product from other sheepskin brands, "People smile when I say this but EMU sheepskin is unique. We use a Border Lester/Merino cross from the famous Western District of Victoria, Australia which is known world-wide as the best sheep breeding district in the world. This cross breed creates a dense and plush finish which means our boots hold their shape and don't collapse!"

EMU's mission is to become the world's best luxury sheepskin footwear company in terms of quality, innovation and style and if the company's rapid growth is anything to go by they are well on course. Copywriting the EMU name in 1994, the real explosion happened in 2004 when a distribution agreement was negotiated in central Europe and with distributors in UK, Spain, Italy and Japan the company achieved record sales. In 2006, EMU entered the UK market and were ‘stoked' to be ranked the number 2 new UK footwear brand. "The UK is a very important market for us, we currently have over 165 independent stockists and premium retailers such as Russell & Bromley, we have also just started an on-line sales partnership with ASOS which is hugely exciting. The UK sales team have done a phenomenal job here" But with such rapid growth comes a new set of challenges especially keeping up with demand which ultimately can make or break a brand.

"The biggest challenge we have faced over the last year has been managing the brand's success. We can't complain, the product has flown off the shelves not only in the UK but globally but yep it's been a real challenge keeping up with demand. The 'Hip' style is a prime example of this, when Cameron Diaz was pictured out and about in LA wearing it, we sold out in all of our high-end retailers world-wide, we couldn't produce the boot quick enough. We've had to review our operations and have this year and have thus invested in a new global infrastructure in terms of new international offices and distributors to support the demand for product."

Further stepping up to the challenge, for Winter 2008 EMU, is launching not only its first Deluxe premium footwear collection but is also expanding its highly coveted premium sheepskin and super merino wool collections with new fashion styles, the reintroduction of heritage styles and by monopolising on the success of the Hip, offering the new High Hip, Button Hip and Hipper styles. The Deluxe collection for men and women brings a high-end luxurious look and feel to two of the brand's most successful signature styles; the Stinger and Bronte. Crafted from the signature finest Australian sheepskin, the Deluxe Stinger style is produced with a special tanning process, giving the sheepskin a superior nap finish which is then waxed and embossed, producing a luxury lacquer look. The Deluxe Bronte comes in both coarse natural canvas and glossy black cow fur and is lined with super soft 100% Merino wool.

"The thigh high, ‘High Hip' is a really sexy style and we are expecting it to become one of our iconic styles, we're sure the young Hollywood ladies will all want a pair of these! The Deluxe Collection was a natural progression for us, showcasing our expertise in tanning techniques and our commitment to producing a premium product. We are extending our kids range which is an important market for us and also launching a welly range too which I am sure will be popular with you guys in the UK!" he laughs.

As part of the 11th year celebration the brand is launching a new brand logo; ‚EMU, Naturally Australian' and the Aussie Weekender advertising campaign, which evocatively encaptures the urban to outback; bush to beach, Australian lifestyle and will be strategicly placed in premium international fashion, surf and snow titles. The 'Aussie Weekender' campaign, shot in Noosa, Queensland, was launched recently at the infamous giant billboard site directly across from Macys in Times Square. The cheeky and provocative image of a sun kissed Australian surfer holding the new face of EMU on his shoulders in a bikini with only her premium EMUs on show, printed with LIVE, LIFE, LOVE, EMU, personifies the current confidence and energy of the brand and boldly communicates EMU's ambitions to become a prime contender in the global fashion footwear market.

"The Aussie Weekender campaign perfectly conveys the laid back, youthful Ozzie lifestyle. It was important for us to communicate EMU's authentic marrying of contemporary Australian style and natural surf heritage as the campaign will be placed in both global high end fashion titles and core surf lifestyle publications. We are really stoked with the results and obviously launching the first campaign image in Times Square, New York speaks volumns of how confident we all are here at EMU of the brands relevance for both the fashion and comfort consumer across the globe. The new logo which includes the globe covered in the stars of the Australian flag kind of makes our mission clear. Anyway we thought New Yorkers needed some winter sunshine!"

Whatever challenges lie ahead, the brand savvy, brave new world approach seems to be working for EMU. I left a busy, buzzing EMU stand at PURE seduced by the infectious enthusiasum of all the people involved, it's sunkissed imagery, those new High Hip boots and a new respect for Australia's cross bred sheep.

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