There is a reason why traditional western boots have such a distinctive profile; a pointed toe slips easily into the stirrup, while a stacked heel stops the foot sliding forward, whilst still allowing for a quick dismount.

Reginald Murray ‘RM’ Williams introduced the same purposeful design when he first began handcrafting trustworthy boots for bush customers in the 1930s; the seasoned horseman always figured that it’s better to ride it than get dragged. RM also took it several steps further, adding elastic sides and an upper shaped from one piece of leather. The single seam at the back was designed to keep the dirt, moisture and blisters at bay on even the worst day droving.

While it takes 80 sets of highly skilled hands to make a single pair of chisel-toe Craftsman boots, the Millicent is crafted by a much smaller team led by Abdelghani Elmarghichi. An artisan from Morocco, Abdel spent two decades making some of Casablanca’s finest leather footwear before his welcome arrival at R.M.Williams’ Adelaide workshop.

‘He’s a very, very skilled craftsman; he’s gentle and he’s meticulous,’ Mehmed explains.

It takes serious patience and highly technical skills to fashion a single piece of leather into the Millicent’s flawless pointy toe; Abdel says that even the toughest premium leather can be prone to tearing in the wrong set of hands.

‘The Millicent boot last is very sharp, and leather can crack very fast; it’s extremely delicate and you have to be passionate and careful, because there are a lot of steps involved,’ he says. ‘It’s a very difficult boot to make, but I enjoy the challenge.’

The Millicent boot is also rather exclusive; only around 100 pairs are completed each week compared to a few thousand pairs of best-selling Craftsman boots. Abdel is on the hunt for an apprentice or two keen to nail the complex needle toe, for the customer orders keep galloping in.