The History of Pendragon – year by year 1988

1988 saw us still having a permanent weekend shop at Paddy’s market in Brisbane – the Dragon’s Lair. We made lots of suede boots and accessories to order and sold other people’s creations too, like earrings, candles, juggling balls and clothes. It was very exciting for us to get a large commission from Kelvin Grove Performing Arts College in Brisbane for their Commedia dell’arte troupe. We had to make colourful boots to match costumes of the characters such as Harlequin, Pantalone and Columbina.
For the ever-curious, Commedia dell’arte is an ancestor to the theatre profession. Conceived in Italy, it soared in popularity across Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. Oh, and from memory, we charged $50 per pair. Still using the humble domestic sewing machine at this stage and hadn’t discovered shoe lasts yet!
Also during 1988 we had a stall at Riverside Markets again with our dear friend Kez. We developed a larger clientele and made boots for lots of the local Brisbane Alternative scene. Once we realised we were actually becoming bootmakers, we had so much fun creating new original styles. We made lots of pointy boots, crossing fantasy with groovy eighties alternative fashion. Designs like our Jester Boots, Elf boots, and medieval inspired calf high boots were developed this year and found their way into the underground nightclub scene of Brisbane at the time – much to our delight!                                                  The medieval re-enactment groups continued to order boots and challenge us to try new techniques. We also developed our first business cards in this year. Our catch phrase was “Made to order for Elves, Witches, Wizards, Minstrels, Mystics, Gypsies, Jesters and other kindred spirits”