As winter approaches in North America and Europe, every fashion conscience lady and indeed these days increasingly man as well, turns their attention to their cold weather look. Beyond the obvious needs of an elegant, but practically warm winter coat, chic jumper, stylish leg wear, not to mention thermal underwear, there is the no little matter of suitable, but trendy footwear. Ironically, the origins of one of recent years best loved foot accessories is a part of the world not known for its cold temperatures. Australia, the land down under, is the home of the Ugg boot, a sheepskin, fleece lined slipper style boot, initially popular in the 60’s with surfers, but since then they have spread all over the world. Here are 8 popular brands that you can be looking out for in the coming months:

Ugg Australia is the biggest name name in Ugg boots outside of Australia, founded in California in 1978 partly by an Australian surfer and now owned by Dickers. There are many models to choose from, but the Classic ll boot, available in both short and mini versions is a great, representative option. For sale in a range of subtle, easy on the eye colors, they are made of hard wearing, waterproof material with a trademark, durable sole and comfortable inside lining.

An alternative and main competitor to Ugg Australia in the overseas market is undoubtedly EMU Australia who offers a wide range of sheepskin boots. Also, being from the home of Ugg they have something to say in the authenticity stakes, with a number of models such as the Platinum Stinger Lo, which is an Australian handmade boot, offering a durable, water resistant double face sheepskin exterior, hard wearing, yet flexible sole and soft, sheepskin lined in sole.

A third big player in the outside of Australia market is Bear paw. They too offer an impressive range of Sheepskin boots, for example the Woman’s Lauren, which is a long boot (12 inches tall) with a cow suede upper and sheepskin wool blended inner lining for maxim comfort.

A fourth big name in the Ugg sheepskin style boot market is Luda productions, who have around 75% of the market in Australia and so certainly have a significant claim to being one of the best and most authentic brands. Like the other mentioned brands, they also have a number of models on offer. An example is their Tidal 314 sheepskin boot, which can claim to be 100% Australian made, using 100% Merino sheepskin and so offering both a natural look and feel.

Another authentically Australian owned and run competitor in the market is Uggs-N-Ruggs, a small company from Western Australia who managed to successfully challenge larger concerns for the Ugg trademark name.

Within their range of sheepskin boots, we can mention the Mou tall boots, which at 14 inches is practically a knee length boot and offers both Australian handmade individuality and authenticity, using 100% twin-faced sheepskin.

As you would expect, Australia being the origin of Ugg boots, there are yet more brands offering the authentic Australian touch. Euram is another Australian owned business offering sheepskin boots. The Classic Ultra Short with Animal Print is a 7 inch hand crafted model using the usual durable, high quality twin-faced Merino sheepskin and finished off with an exotic Zebra inspired design.

A seventh entry on the list is Blue Mountains Boots, a brand inspired by Australia’s famous mountain range. They too offer a range of genuinely Australian made boots at reasonable prices, such as the just above the ankle Short Surf Boots available in a range of pleasant colors.

Last, but not least on the list, is Mortals Sheepskin factory. As you might be expecting, this is also an Australian owned family business with a number of awards to their name. They offer a selection of quality boots, the Classic Mid Ugg, available in a number of exotic colors ranging from tangerine to amethyst, to name but one.

Learn more winter boots in http://www.moubootseskimo.com/blog