R.M. Williams is stepping up to capture women's footwear market

Rich lister owners the Forrests have followed through with their promise to invest heavily in the iconic brand's Adelaide factory.

Tattarang director Nicola Forrest was on hand yesterday (Thursday) to open its expanded Adelaide workshop with a new manufacturing line for handcrafted women's boots.

The Forrests told company staff in 2021 they planned to expand the factory and even bring overseas manufacturing back home after buying the company the year before.

Tattarang bought the celebrated 147-year-old Akubra hat business in November last year.

Bush legend R.W Williams famously founded the leather goods company in 1932 which is still churning out much prized boots long after his death in 2003.

The $8 million upgrade on a new women's boot manufacturing line will enable R.M. Williams to supply a more diverse offering of women's boots, in higher quantities.

There are now separate, dedicated manufacturing lines for men's and women's boots.

Still following the traditional R.M.Williams' production process, the boots pass through 80 pairs of hands on the manufacturing process.

Designed by women, for women, R.M. Williams will now offer seven distinct women's styles of Chelsea boots with a range of heel heights.

As part of the investment, R.M. Williams also announced new training opportunities for Australian craftspeople of the future.

After successfully taking its first cohort of apprentices in the Leather Cert III course last year, R.M.Williams is now introducing the industrial sewing certification in conjunction with TAFE South Australia.

The new production line is part of a 13,500 square metre expansion of the brand's Adelaide workshop, with increased capacity for leather craft, apparel and footwear repairs.

Mrs Forrest said: "As RM realised almost a century ago, women across Australia had equal need for elegant yet resilient boots and workwear that could withstand the rigours of living and working on the land.

"Today we are investing in the next chapter of this history together with talented women in leadership positions working on every step of the boot making process, proudly making products for women by women," she said.

"I have worn RMs all my life but today I could not be more proud of the direction our team and our company are heading towards."

R.M.Williams chief executive Paul Grosmann said women are the fastest growing customer segment.

"Also, the Australian women's footwear market is larger than the men's market and is also growing at a faster rate in Australia."