Klouds (Australia)

The Klouds journey started well before the first pair came off the production line in 2001... the creator, Paul Carroll, was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1942 and was always destined to continue from the previous generations of boot-makers in his family.

After learning the craft of surgical boot-making, he left his beloved Ireland and moved with the majority of his family to begin a new life in Australia. Upon arriving in Perth, Western Australia in 1963, Paul was never afraid of work and accepted a job in a footwear factory on only his second day in his newly adopted country. After sweeping the floor on his first day, Paul left the factory 11 years later as the director of the company. During his time in the factory, Paul was able to cleverly use his hands with surgical boot-making skills to create patterns and lasts while at the same time learn the more automated manufacturing processes, including the technology behind creating light weight, durable rubber soles.

His footwear journey continued in 1974 when he opened his own shoe repair and retail shoe shop. Always being the entrepreneur, Paul soon saw a growing opportunity in the footwear industry by implementing his boot-making skills and the making of bespoke footwear. Recognising a niche comfort footwear market for wide and difficult-to-fit feet, and also offering quality footwear labels from around the globe, Paul worked from this solid basis which soon allowed him to venture into other locations and he proceeded to open two more stores.

In the late 90’s Paul and his son John, who had joined him several years earlier in the business, strongly believed that for the company to sustain its growth and further succeed they had to develop their own footwear brand. They had measured and fitted thousands of feet for comfortable, supportive shoes and many had the need to accommodate correctional devices (orthotics). Large numbers of these shoes had to be modified or customised to provide the correct support. A distinctive trend appeared in the modifications they were creating and at that point a decision was made to begin prototyping samples for their new brand - ‘Klouds’.

Over the next two years, lengthy consultations with podiatrists and other health specialists, Paul and John began developing lasts, patterns and footbeds for their shoes. In 2001 Klouds was officially born, providing beautifully crafted ladies shoes to accommodate the comfort and supportive needs of the modern woman without having the visual qualities of orthopaedic footwear. Over the past 20 years the brand has evolved and grown significantly with design teams and international sourcing agents, ensuring that the quality of the leather and components met the strict standards expected of Klouds.

Klouds and its sub-brand ‘Silver Lining’ are now sold in every state of Australia, as well as New Zealand, Singapore and the United States, and is truly a market leader in the comfort footwear business.