Café Mountain and Padmore & Barnes are back. The duo that continues to redefine the English diaspora. Before their partnership, the words ‘Hairy Hiker‘ simply conjured up the image of a bearded bloke roaming the countryside. Now, it’s the name of one of our favourite footwear collaborations of the past five years.
Last November, they struck gold again. ‘Big Cheese‘ transformed a familiar phrase from meaning an important person into one of the finest low-hikers on the market – a silhouette so loved that it sold out almost instantaneously.
We’ve been begging, pining, and demanding another release ever since, and at long last, it appears that Café Mountain & Padmore Barnes have heard our pleas, as they’ve just re-released the Big Cheese. The silhouette hit shelves on Monday – and is inevitably set to disappear from them very, very soon.
For those unfamiliar with the shoemaking pedigree behind the project, Padmore & Barnes have been crafting timeless footwear in Kilkenny, Ireland, since 1934. Over the decades, the heritage manufacturer has become synonymous with traditional craftsmanship, premium materials and meticulous attention to detail.
The new Big Cheese once again combines a multi-tonal mix of hairy suede overlays with a dependable Vibram® Moreflex outsole beneath. The result is a silhouette that feels at home just about anywhere – countryside walks, city streets, beer gardens – you could probably even get away with wearing them to work.
As with previous editions, every pair is hand-finished in Portugal by craftspeople who have spent generations refining the silhouette. It’s a continuation of the formula that made the first two releases so desirable, only now with a brighter, warmer-season outlook.
Right, what’re you lot still doing here? The silhouette is on the verge of selling out, and if you don’t want to be caught empty-handed like we were last time, you’d best get a shift on.
Find out more about the latest Café Mountain x Padmore & Barnes collaboration at Café Mountain
