The Story of the ghillie
brogues stretches back
through Scottish history.
A ghillie - if you should live outside Scotland - is the man or boy who was the Highland Chief's attendant. In later times it referred to somebody who would accompany others on hunting or fishing trips. Being a ghillie was an honourable profession but a hard one. It was the ghillie's lot to carry the guns , the rods - and on occasion their owners.
And they walked through the bogs ,the rivers,
the bracken and heather,  scaling the highlands
or scrambling the lowlands they walked . If the walking was hard on the man it was hell on his footwear.
So came the ghillie brogue.

The ghillie brogue started out as a shoe that would drain water and dry quickly. In the original ghillie brogue the laces were above the ankle so the shoes wouldn't get stuck in the mud. Each show had a patterned network of fine holes punched in the leather known as brogueing. This was no designer's frippery, far from it. Simply it was to help the water drain.

Today, Argyll Thistle provides ghillie brogues as they have always been made. Tough as nails - but with a heart of gold.
Not unlike the people for whom they're made.
Argyll
Argyll Kilts   &   Kilthire
873DayBrogue

873DayBrogue

1112 Goodyear Welted

1112 Goodyear Welted

1239

1239

7051

7051

7051p

7051p

Boot(black)

Boot(black)

Comfort

Comfort

Day Brogue Brown

Day Brogue Brown

Fashion

Fashion

Highlander

Highlander

Piper Brogue

Piper Brogue

Click on Image to Enlarge View
Samples from the Range in our Catalogue