How hard is it to leave the house in winter?
Getting out from under the duvet and walking to the kitchen already feels like a titanic effort. Then we have to step outside knowing we’ll face rain, cold, snow, damp and a series of clothing layers we’ll start to hate the moment we get on the metro or arrive at the office.
It’s precisely because of this difficulty that choosing the right shoe is essential. It has to be comfortable, enveloping and warm. In short, it has to keep us from missing the soft wool socks we sink our feet into when we’re at home. Asking that kind of softness from a shoe seems almost impossible, since it has to withstand low temperatures, long walks and wet asphalt. But fortunately it isn’t an unattainable dream, it has always been the goal of EMU Australia. 

The brand was founded in 1994 in Geelong, in the state of Victoria, but its roots go back to the Jacksons Tannery, active since 1948 and still home to the factory and headquarters today. EMU Australia was one of the first companies to make sheepskin boots, becoming one of the first to conceive of the shoe as a refuge for the feet. 

We usually look to Australia for its quality of life, its unspoiled nature and its beaches that seem to go on forever. Perhaps we should start looking to it for shoes too, if only because it is a country that has turned outdoor living into an art, learning early on what feet need to be at their best in any environment. 

For the Autumn/Winter 2026 season the brand tells all of this through the BE MORE campaign, the most cinematic in its history. The starting point is contrast, because Australia can’t be pinned down by a single definition. Wild nature and dynamic cities, soft landscapes and contemporary culture, red deserts and coral reefs, rainforests and boundless coastlines. 

The FW26 collection embraces the philosophy of the campaign and makes it its own, as we can clearly see from the models that make it up. Opening the collection is Stinger Compact, the season’s novelty, which reinterprets the classic EMU boot with an ankle-high silhouette and a more fashion-forward attitude, without giving up warmth and softness and staying easy to fit into an everyday wardrobe.

Then there’s Hayley PL, part of the Sharky line and a version designed specifically for the Italian market, cleaner and more streamlined, without the teddy finish. Its distinctive feature is the Sharky serrated sole, inspired by the Australian great white shark, confirming how nature has always been a source of inspiration for EMU Australia and one of the pillars of the brand. It remains a warm and comfortable shoe, with a clearly recognizable character.

Even though it’s cold outside, loafers are not left out. After all, why should we say goodbye until next summer to a design that makes us feel so comfortable? EMU Australia is so convinced by the winter loafer that it doesn’t bet on one model, but on two. Kirra Nest puts comfort, warmth and practicality at the center, while Sandrine has an even cozier soul thanks to its warm lining and slip-on construction.

Finally, there’s Nomad Wanderer, the model that gives the collection its name. It is a sturdy yet measured lace-up ankle boot that combines utility and refinement and is always ready to move from the city to the outdoors.

The colors also play a key role and once again underline the link with the Australian landscape, from the deep greens reminiscent of eucalyptus trees to mineral grays, all the way to earthy tones.

We don’t yet know whether next winter will be short or long, freezing or bearable. What we do know is that we can’t go back, we have to face it by continuing to walk forward, a bit like the emu, which is said to be unable to walk backwards.

The Autumn/Winter 2026 collection is available at emu-australia.it and at a selection of premium retailers. EMU Australia is distributed in Italy by NaturalLook.