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Chukka boots () are ankle-high leather
A desert boot is a chukka boot with crepe rubber soles and, typically, suede uppers. Desert boots were popularized in the 1950s by UK shoe company C. & J. Clark.
Desert boots were officially introduced to the world with the debut of the Clarks' Desert Boot at the 1949 Chicago Shoe Fair. After feature coverage in ''
Herbert Schier Velskoen Desert Boots
) and "Relatively unknown outside of Africa, the velskoen—pronounced 'fell-skoon' and known colloquially as 'vellies'—are actually the ancestor of the modern day desert boot. â
Brothere Vellies
Chukka boots () are ankle-high leather boot
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is cle ...
s with suede or leather uppers, leather or rubber soles, and open lacing, with two or three pairs of eyelets. The name ''chukka'' possibly comes from the game of polo
Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...
, where a chukka is a period of play.
Generally, "chukka boot" refers to a form of desert boots originally worn by British soldiers in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II.
Materials and style
Chukkas are usually made fromcalfskin
Calfskin or calf leather is a leather or membrane produced from the hide of a calf, or juvenile domestic cattle. Calfskin is particularly valuable because of its softness and fine grain, as well as durability. It is commonly used for high-quality ...
or suede, although they can be made from other materials. The style first became popular in the late 1940s through the 1960s as casual
Casual or Casuals may refer to:
* Casual wear, a loosely defined dress code
**Business casual a loosely defined dress code
**Smart casual a loosely defined dress code
* Casual Company, term used by the United States military to describe a type of ...
wear.
In the 21st century, chukkas persist as a popular menswear shoe, particularly in the United Kingdom. They can be worn with both suits and more casual wear like jeans
Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...
.
According to shoe historian June Swann, the essential chukka boot is ankle-high, open-laced, and unlined, with two to four pairs of eyelets, thin leather soles, calfskin suede uppers in two parts (each from a single piece of leather; quarters sewn on top of vamp), and rounded toes.
Desert boot
A desert boot is a chukka boot with crepe rubber soles and, typically, suede uppers. Desert boots were popularized in the 1950s by UK shoe company C. & J. Clark.
Desert boots were officially introduced to the world with the debut of the Clarks' Desert Boot at the 1949 Chicago Shoe Fair. After feature coverage in ''Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' magazine, their popularity took off. According to Clarks, inspiration came from "the crepe-soled, rough suede boots made in Cairo's Khan el-Khalili bazaar for British Eighth Army officers."
These boots were based on the South African veldskoen which became a popular footwear item in Southern Africa due to their robust and simple design. Often being bought by soldiers for use in the various bush wars of the region, they have become popular across the world as "desert boots".Velskoen, pronounced 'fell-skoon' and known colloquially as 'vellies,' are the ancestor of the modern-day desert boot. They were first made in the 1600s by members of the Dutch East India Co., inspired by the footwear of the Khoisan tribe. Currently, in South Africa and Namibia, vellies are worn by people from all walks of life especially, laborers, bush rangers, and university students. âHerbert Schier Velskoen Desert Boots
) and "Relatively unknown outside of Africa, the velskoen—pronounced 'fell-skoon' and known colloquially as 'vellies'—are actually the ancestor of the modern day desert boot. â
Brothere Vellies
See also
* Desert Combat BootReferences
{{Footwear Boots