Thomas Cook began making boots out of an inner suburb of Melbourne in 1924. He arrived from Fremantle, Western Australia as an orphaned 16 year old with big dreams of making a name for himself as a flyweight boxer. Although he never achieved pugilistic fame, a lifetime of boot making established a tradition of innovation and craftsmanship, and the Thomas Cook Boot and Clothing Company was born.
Synonymous with the Australian Outback, Thomas Cook has become an iconic representation of true Australian life. A symbol of endurance, mateship and nature, it has created its identity through generations of tradition ingrained deep within the spirit of the bush.
I always think of Thomas Cook as a Victorian Akubra crossed with R.M.Williams. Tough, traditional outdoor hats in the great Australian outback style.