Australia Luxe Collective is a luxury lifestyle company that was established in Melbourne, Australia a little over three years ago by husband and wife team Nicole Durand and Stuart Rush.  With over 35 edgy and playful styles of sheepskin winter footwear, Australia Luxe Collective has set out to create the perfect marriage of luxury fashion and down under comfort for women, men, and children the world over.  The fairly young brand has been able to gain such global recognition not only due to it’s prominence within fine retailers in more than 25 countries, but also because of it’s ability to be so acutely in tune with what women really crave: to be beautiful while also being comfortable.

Co-Founder and Creative Director Nicole Durand

While “Ugg” style boots have been a footwear staple in women’s closets for almost a decade now, Australia Luxe Collective has taken the traditional sheepskin boot toward a more high fashion directive.  Co-founder Nicole Durand also serves as Australia Luxe Collective’s Creative Director.  Her first-hand experience in the fashion industry as a former model and buyer for Versace has allowed her to infuse each product with powerful design, sophistication, and fashion-forward thinking.  Every collection is filled with embellishments, fur trim, or specialty treatments so that the Australia Luxe Collective product never looks ordinary, but instead always maintains that uniquely Aussie attitude. Such fun and innovative designs have caught the eye of many Hollywood starlets. Celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Gwen Stefani, Miley Cyrus, Kate Hudson, Megan Fox, and Cindy Crawford (among others) consider themselves fans of Australia Luxe Collective and often sport the stylish boots while out and about the trendy L.A. scene.

Jessica Alba wearing the Nordic Angel Boot

While Australia Luxe Collective is all about fashion- forward comfortable luxury, they also strive to take part in globally conscious movements.  Committed to being a responsible luxury brand, Australia Luxe Collective takes initiatives to remain environmentally friendly by using improved recycled rubber soles, that are both secure and flexible, organic cotton bindings and finishings, and a chromium-free skins tanning process.  Their luxury packaging and advertising materials are made from post-consumer recycled materials as well.  In an effort to end extreme poverty in Africa by 2025, Australia Luxe Collective has partnered with OmniPeace on certain licensed products, where 25% of these profits are donated to Millennium Promise, a non-profit organization that works village to village to help empower the poor with the skills and tools they need to become self sustainable and pull themselves out of poverty.

As if this wasn’t enough, Australia Luxe Collective has also created their own exclusive philanthropic campaign called STOMP.  They have teamed with several celebrity supporters to help raise funds for their favorite charities associated with some of the most important global issues (here is list of celebrities and the charities they support).  The goal is to STOMP out social issues that affect individuals and communities around the world and to issue $75,000 in funds across the celebrity-endorsed charities by July 4, 2010.  If you want to do your part in contributing to a cause, simply select your celebrity of choice from the drop down menu when purchasing a fabulous pair of boots on the Australia Luxe Collective website.  5% of your purchase will be donated to that celebrity’s charity of choice.

High fashion intertwined with down under comfort, all the while promoting good will across the globe.  No wonder Australia Luxe Collective is such a highly sought after product. Men will be able to join in and cozy up to all the goodness that they have to offer (both for the feet and the conscious) come this fall.  The novelty shearling boots, as well as a line of military inspired rain boots will debut this August.  Wish you could maintain that uniquely Aussie attitude year round?  You’re in luck!  As of Spring 2011, Australia Luxe Collective will introduce a line of innovative and lightweight spring and summer products.  Until then, all we can do is look forward to cooler weather, when we can sink our feet into something that’s just as wonderfully fashionable, as it is divinely comfortable.

Find your perfect pair at www.AustraliaLuxeCo.com/shop