After World War II, soldiers from around the world joined forces with the elite French Foreign Legion to test their courage through mud, sand, and brush. To be a legionnaire meant navigating and surviving the world’s harshest and most grueling environments.
Responding to the need for a specialized shoe that could ride out tough conditions then was French footwear brand Palladium. In 1947, it created its first shoe, the Pallabrousse. They’re sturdy but with a light build, made from water-resistant canvas that allowed the boots to dry quickly—qualities that fully supported the toughness and courage of those who wore it.
The Pallabrousse has since set the Palladium DNA, says brand president Christopher Mortemosque, and inspired most of the succeeding collections that they created.
In celebration of Pallabrousse’s 75th anniversary this year, the French company has released a specially-designed reissue of the 1947 boot aptly called the Pallabrousse 75. It has a special anniversary logo and its edition number can be seen on the leather heel tab located at the back of the boot. Each pair is packaged in a heavy canvas dust bag and collector’s box.
To launch the anniversary collection in the Philippines and to mark the opening of Palladium’s first standalone store in the country—at SM Clark—the brand invited members of the press and a select group of adventurers in photography, travel, and Filipino food culture on an urban adventure to Pampanga. Riding a luxe bus and wearing their chosen pair of Palladium boots, the group visited the just-opened Palladium store and checked out the Bale Dutung restaurant of Chef Claude Tayag in Angeles, Pampanga.
Palladium shoes are also available at Coalition, Sole Academy, Traffic outlets, SM Mall of Asia Men’s Section, SM Megamall Men’s Section and SM North Edsa The Block Men’s Section . For more information, visit https://palladiumboots.com.ph/