About Us

 

A love of gardening, a pair of tired old wellies, a clothes peg and a hydrangea flower marked the beginning of Poddy and Black. This is how our iconic "Poddy" was born. It was with these images firmly planted in our minds we set to work sketching out what would later become our first garden shoe collection. 

Spending many hours together, enjoying the occasional gin and tonic, it quickly became clear that we both had the same goals.

 

 

Our shoes had to be comfortable and practical but not only that - we believe that all gardeners have a creative flair, often matched in their homes and personal style, and so they had to look good too. We like to think we have achieved this and have made it possible for everyone to express themselves in their own unique way; the Poddy allows you to find your own style! Because no matter which back door clog or shoe you choose, how big or small your garden is or what task is at hand, we know your feet will feel good and look fabulous.

 

 

 

 

 

Meet our tiny team;

Vanessa has worked in footwear and fashion her whole career, travelling the globe for luxury brands. Her passion is sustainability in the supply chain, and because of her extensive knowledge we have been able to choose a factory very well known to her; a factory who is able to meet our exacting standards to produce the Poddy & Black collections. She has definite style ideas, some would say kooky, and is never afraid to experiment with fashion. Being a keen gardener, her frustration at not being able to find a gardening shoe that suited her style aesthetic inspired her to add flowers to her wellies with a clothes peg, and that brought us to where we are today!

 

Justine’s initial career path had been catering, she still loves to cook and likes to eat healthy, home cooked meals, preferably with a crowd around the table! She worked mostly in the travel industry though, so is a natural people person, a great communicator, and enjoys nothing more than a good chat! An intuitive stylist, home interiors are high up on her interests, as well as her beloved garden. Its in the summer that Justine is happiest - when her home and garden merge as her flowers move indoors to fill vases and her furnirture moves outdoors to maximise family enjoyment of the garden.  Watch out for her floralising the Poddy on her gardening shoes, it gets quite flamboyant!

 

 

We hope you love wearing your Poddy and Blacks as much as we have loved creating them. Whether you have huge gardens to maintain or a small window box of herbs, whether the dog needs a walk or you have to put the rubbish out, whether you have seeds to plant or roses to prune... We have a Poddy & Black that's great for the job! 

• All Poddy and Black products are designed in the UK. Our rubber garden shoes are made in China using Asian tree-grown, natural rubber. The production process is almost entirely handmade and uses techniques that can be traced back to the mid nineteenth century.  

• The inner sock and lining are made from recycled cotton and printed with our signature design. The boxes that your boots arrive in are made from recycled cardboard and printed with a vegetable ink and even the tissue paper is recycled.

• The factory we use for production is very well known to us, meets the highest standards of environmental and social governance and we visit often to maintain a mutually fair and respectful relationship with the team there. 

Enjoy your shoes and have fun customising your Poddy, but most of all, enjoy your gardening!