Oliver Footwear’s ‘Built for This’ campaign is a tribute to the unwavering spirit of Australian and Kiwi tradies, miners and blue-collar workers.
Born from a deep respect for the company’s resilience and pride, Oliver Footwear’s ‘Built for This’ campaign aims to connect with the very essence of those who rely on tough, heavy-duty footwear.
“Built for This is a tribute to the workers of Australia and New Zealand who rely on their boots day in, day out,” Oliver product development manager Brett Huggins told Safe to Work.
“We wanted to celebrate their resilience, pride and good humour, and show that Oliver is right there with them, on site or off.”
Recognising the demanding nature of professions like mining, Oliver Footwear has long been an industry partner committed to crafting high performance, durable and comfortable shoes tailored for rugged environments.
This includes specialised footwear for industries such as mining, the ‘hot metals’ industry, and fire and emergency services.
Built for This underscores that Oliver boots are not just another accessory or pair of boots that fulfil compliance; they are crucial for those who spend long hours on their feet, navigating challenging terrains and work conditions that test both tradespeople and their footwear.
“Miners are in their boots for 12 hours a day in some of the worst conditions that you can imagine, so it’s essential their boots offer protection to the highest Australian workplace safety standards with the latest technologies on offer,” Huggins said.
“Oliver Footwear is very much a source of, and an adapter to, new technologies that can take safety footwear to the next level.”
Through extensive research and collaboration, Oliver Footwear has always aimed to engage with industry professionals about the challenges they face at work and the qualities they need from their work boots.
This collaborative approach has allowed Oliver Footwear to continue to resonate with its audience by showcasing not only the durability of its boots for demanding trades like mining, but also the intrinsic connection between tradies and their resilient lifestyle.
“At the heart of the Built for This campaign is a powerful message that mirrors the performance, resilience, and unwavering commitment of tradies to their trades and communities,” Huggins said.
“Just as tradies are built to endure the rigours of their work, Oliver boots are engineered to match that strength, featuring advanced materials and technologies designed to provide maximum comfort, support and uncompromising safety over extended periods of work.”
As part of this campaign, Oliver Footwear highlights that choosing the right footwear is an integral part of a tradie’s identity, while also emphasising their dedication to their craft, families and communities.
The AT 65 Series range of work boots is Oliver Footwear’s commitment to the high-quality production of specialised work boots for demanding trades such as mining.
Boasting resistance to heat, cuts, slips, impact, abrasion, sole penetration, static, oil, fat and acid, these boots stand tall when it comes to safety.
“A high-leg mining boot, the AT 65-791 black lace up mining boot was built for the harsh, changeable conditions faced by coal miners in consultation with the coal mining industry,” Huggins said.
One of the standout features of the AT 65-791 is its fully waterproof lining, built to keep feet dry even when the outer leather gets saturated.
“It has a completely waterproof lining that doesn’t allow any water to get through, even if the leather outer gets wet,” Huggins said.
In terms of durability, the boot is equipped with high abrasion resistance across the foot, enhanced by proprietary Oliver Footwear innovation.
Huggins said the boot’s abrasion resistance works to protect the whole foot.
“It’s what we call the SAFETYcell,” he said. “It covers the toe, around the heel and the sides of the foot.”
To further enhance foot safety, the boot incorporates advanced protective components.
“In addition, we have features like our METprotect metatarsal guard, which provides an additional layer of shock-absorbing material to create a unique protective shield for the foot,” Huggins said.
While steel caps provide robust protection for the toes, the METprotect technology extends impact coverage further – reaching from behind the toe cap to the base of the ankle. This additional barrier defends against rolling objects like debris or tools that may bypass traditional toe protection.
“Traditionally, metatarsal guards were very rigid and stiff and made from metal or hard plastic plates sewn into leather pockets along the boot,” Huggins said. “They were very cumbersome and uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.”
To overcome these challenges, Oliver’s engineers turned to a material called Poron – a lightweight, high-impact foam that offers superior shock absorption without compromising comfort.
“Poron is a soft pad of foam that sits over the top of the foot and absorbs about 95 per cent of all impact,” Huggins said. “It’s very lightweight and flexible, so when you’re wearing it, it feels unrestrictive; however, under impact, it hardens to protect the foot.”
The boot’s sole is another innovation from Oliver, constructed from nitrile rubber capable of withstanding surface temperatures up to 300°C. In addition to heat resistance, the sole provides high-abrasion durability and includes a penetration barrier to stop nails or sharp objects from piercing through the bottom.
Beyond designing for performance, Oliver Footwear plays an active role in shaping workplace safety standards. The company is deeply engaged in industry consultation – not just in Australia, but internationally – and helps to set the benchmark for mining and industrial footwear safety.
“We have spent a lot of time on creating what we think is a very comfortable boot, while not neglecting the physical environment and making sure that it protects the wearer,” Huggins said.
“Feedback we get regularly is that the boots don’t need to be worn in; they can be worn straight out of the box, and customers are confident they will be comfortable from day one.”
This comfort is something the Oliver Footwear team has never been willing to compromise on.
“When it comes to mining boots, it’s all about toughness on the outside and comfort on the inside,” Huggins said. “That means keeping your feet dry, which our boots achieve by not only being 100 per cent waterproof, but also through our moisture-wicking lining, which absorbs moisture from the foot directly, keeping feet fresh and dry all day.
“One of the biggest comfort features we have within Oliver’s footwear ranges is our COMFORTcushion impact absorption system, which provides superior cushioning, helping to reduce foot, leg and back fatigue.”
Both the AT 55 Series and AT 65 Series feature the NANOlite footbed, designed with several layers of urethane foam that gently massage your feet with each step. This encourages better blood circulation and helps minimise fatigue over long periods of wear.
Additionally, a perforated air control layer built into the foam improves airflow throughout the boot, helping to keep feet cooler and reduce odour.
These innovations have been developed and improved over the many years Oliver Footwear has been in the game.
Oliver’s commitment to quality, innovation, resilience and the real-world needs of its wearers is amplified through Built for This, a campaign that not only delivers dependable products but also embodies the spirit of those who wear them.
“We’ve been around for a long time, and we’ve consistently demonstrated, over the course of more than a century, that we’re a brand that people can trust,” Huggins said.
“We want to support heavy industries by providing footwear solutions to Australia’s mines. You’re Built for This, and we’re built for you.”
This feature appeared in the May–June edition of Safe to Work.