LONDON — To every part there may be a season, but to not Hunter. 

The British brand known for its rubber rain boots is aiming to develop into an all-season, all-weather brand, as suitable for the rain because it is for the snow, or a sunny urban street.

Under chief executive officer Paolo Porta, Hunter is on a long-term growth and diversification drive that has already seen it burst into recent categories; gain traction in markets where, until recently, it was relatively unknown, and behave like a luxury brand — but with accessible price points.

Porta calls Hunter’s recent approach “style for the world outside,” even it which means life outside your front door. 

Under Porta, Hunter desires to develop into an all-purpose brand, offering boots for dog-walking on drizzly spring days; sustainably made sandals, clogs and slides for summer, and snow boots that may withstand temperatures of minus 25 degrees Centigrade.

“Our vision is way larger than rain boots. As a brand we would like to stay immersed in nature and in the skin, but what if it’s not raining? What if it’s snowing, or boiling hot? How can we be certain that that Hunter offers protection from the weather, not only on your feet, but on your entire body, and your entire family?” he said during an exclusive interview.

Hunter’s recent high-profile collaborations reflect the brand’s wide appeal and aspirations. Past partners have ranged from “Killing Eve” to Mickey Mouse, and Porta said there are more to come back.

“We’re looking more at cultural moments. Sometimes our collaborations will likely be linked to charity, sometimes they’ll be linked to art. But they are going to at all times be tied to what’s happening on the market on this planet. We wish to be a part of the conversation,” Porta said. 

The brand plans to stay faithful to fashion: Just just a few days ago, Noir Kei Ninomiya worked Hunter footwear into his mystical Paris show, adding straps, rings, studs and flowers to the British brand’s tall rubber boots.  

Porta hasn’t gone as radical as Kei Ninomiya along with his approach to the classic vulcanized rubber boot, which still represents 60 percent of the business. As an alternative his goal has been to broaden its profile from muddy country gear to urban, all-day wear. 

He also wants the main target to be less on the technical attributes of the boots and more in regards to the style.  

To wit, Hunter has launched a method called Play aimed toward Gen Z. It has a rather lower cost point than the brand’s original tall boot and features colorblocking on the soles, metallic finishes and materials comparable to neoprene.

Then there may be the Refined collection of classic boots for officewear, a few of which have an equestrian twist. 

“Hunter is a really well-loved brand and it’s also perceived as a luxury brand. We’re top-of-the-line Wellington boot makers available in the market. I believe that operating and behaving like a luxury player could be very vital because we’d like to drive that aspiration,” he said, noting that the product doesn’t have a luxury price tag.

Indeed, he likes the proven fact that Hunter can operate at quite a lot of price points. 

The Women’s Play Short Wellington boots start at 90 kilos and are available colours including Easter egg pink, green and cream.

The Women’s Original Tall Wellington boots carry a price tag of 125 kilos, while the brand new City Explorer Tall Neoprene boots cost 215 kilos. The Killing Eve Chasing boots are 295 kilos. 

Other Killing Eve styles cost as much as 450 kilos, and Porta believes “persons are parting with that form of money for a reason.” He said it’s as much as Hunter to have the option to satisfy all of those customer demographics and still conjure the luxurious dream. 

The brand sells within the U.K. at Harrods, Selfridges John Lewis and a number of sports and outdoor stores, while within the U.S. stockists include Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. 

Porta joined Hunter as interim CEO in 2020 and was originally brought in to reposition it as “the leading iconic British outdoor lifestyle brand,” with a concentrate on all-weather gear and sustainability.

He was confirmed as CEO in March 2021, having steered Hunter through the COVID-19 pandemic. During lockdown, he pumped up the e-commerce business and made sure that when lockdown shoppers saw the rain pounding outside, their first thought was “Hunter.” 

Porta had previously worked at Jimmy Choo, where he served as senior vp of merchandising and licensing. 

He has been in luxury fashion for greater than 20 years, serving in roles across merchandising, retail, wholesale distribution, brand development and licensing at brands including Christian Dior, Stella McCartney and Burberry.

It’s clear he’s bringing that business experience — and luxury approach — to bear on his current job. He has a transparent long-term growth plan for Hunter, and doesn’t draw back from the numbers. He’s also made some key hires since he began work there. 

Amongst them are Sandra Romboli, global design director, who had worked previously at Decathlon, Reebok and Adidas, and Claudia Plant, Hunter’s chief marketing officer. Plant previously worked at Burberry and spent much of her profession at Net-a-porter.

Going forward, Porta said the geographic mix on the brand will likely be different, too. While greater than 80 percent of the brand’s sales have traditionally come from the U.S. and the U.K., he believes there is big potential in markets comparable to China, Japan and Germany. 

Already, he said, China has been notching double-digit growth year-on-year and by fiscal 2024 it would represent just below 10 percent of the long run business, with 17 million to twenty million kilos in sales. 

While the U.S. and the U.K. will proceed to grow, Hunter’s goal is for them to represent around 50 percent of the market by 2025.

From a product perspective, Hunter’s winter category, where boots have a trekking sole and a puffer upper produced from recycled nylon, will represent 10 percent of sales by fiscal 2023.

Revenue in 2021 was 108 million kilos and by fiscal 2022 Porta is expecting the brand to return to pre-COVID-19 levels. He said growth has been “relatively soft” to date this 12 months, but he’s staying the course along with his strategy. 

“We’re playing for the long run,” he said, adding that with supply chain and inflationary costs coming down, he expects to return to double-digit growth within the second half of 2023.

The brand can also be making strides on the sustainability front.

Under the Hunter Protect program, the corporate has been using quite a lot of recycled materials, is moving away from chemicals, and is employing water-based glues.

The summer shoes are made partly from excess algae bloom harvested from Lake Michigan, while the brand’s puffer jackets are lined with vegan shearling. 

Hunter also donates unused products to charity and recycles its rubber footwear through its Hunter ReBoot initiative.

Hunter is privately owned. In 2020, it went through a series of investor and management changes, with the corporate choosing a recapitalization moderately than an outright sale. 

The recapitalization saw an existing shareholder, Pall Mall Legacy, develop into the bulk owner. Other investors include Searchlight Capital and Pentland.