Thistle Shoes takes great pride in quality and service, as they still make their ghillie brogue the same way as they always have, by using traditional skills and craftsmen. Budget Ghillie brogue is their best seller for all formal wear occasions.
It incorporates the same high quality finish premium leathers, but with a combination sole unit of leather for the classic look with a modern twist of a high impact compound rubber heel for durability and comfort.
Ghillie brogues are most commonly seen as an essential component of traditional, formal Scottish dress and are worn primarily for social occasions.
Historically this has not always been the case as they trace their roots to a rudimentary shoe originating in Scotland and Ireland that was constructed using untanned leather with perforations that allowed water to drain from the shoes when the wearer crossed wet terrain such as a bog.
The word “brogues” originates in the late sixteenth century and is a derivation of the Irish and Scots Gaelic “brōg”, taken from the Old Norse “brók” meaning “leg covering.”
