Penelope Chilvers

Born and raised in England, Penelope Chilvers originally trained as a painter at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London, and was granted a scholarship from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, to complete an MA at Complutense University in Madrid. Her love affair with Spain and local craftsmanship began long before. As a child, she spent every school holiday in the province of Girona where she first came across rustic, handmade alpargatas. She has been trying to make the perfect raw edged, bullhide moccasin that only exists in her childhood memories ever since! Penelope lived for a few years in the city of Barcelona, as a painter and designer where she collaborated with artists and artisans. She worked with woodturners, designed for the textile industry and worked on interesting projects e.g. the restoration of the Picasso Museum. While living in Barcelona, she enjoyed riding in her lunch break in the national park of Collserola in the hills above the city wearing traditional Spanish riding boots. She pursued the idea of bringing the Spanish riding boot to England and commissioned a small number of traditional artisans in the hills of Spain to make the perfect equestrian boot – our Long Tassel boot - to her own specifications. This boot remains a firm favourite in the collection, most famously worn back in 2004 by Prince William’s then girlfriend, Kate Middleton. HRH Catherine, Princess of Wales continues to wear her boots to this day, most recently on a royal engagement in County Durham to visit Manor Farm.Read more