R M Williams - Indestructible Trousers

Frantic Australians

I was recently bombarded with frantic correspondence from Australian readers. I mentioned that I used to own a pair of trousers that were made in Australia, and I thought they were originally used by sheep-shearers.

Common consensus has it that they would have been the 15oz Moleskin Stockman Trousers by R. M. Williams (below). If they are the ones — and I think they are — by gad, sah, these beauts are indestructible, designed as they are to withstand the jab of barbed wire and the bites of indignant sheep. I lived in a pair of these when hitch-hiking around Europe one summer, and they never flinched.

The Stockman trousers are available in the UK from Dene Wear.

R. M. Williams - Outback Outfitters

The trousers are part of Williams' wonderful Australian heritage. R. M. Williams was founded in 1932 by legendary bushman Reginald Murray Williams, who designed and crafted clothes for the Australian outback.

The Longhorn brand has since become an intrinsic part of the cultural identity of Australia.

Tweedy's Note: I'd welcome more intelligence from Australia, please. In fact, let's have more from any of the Five Eyes nations. You can be our man in Sydney, Washington, Southwold...