About Us

Thomas Teehan started his career in the shoe industry in 1979 at the age of 19 years, when he took up the position of Trainee Shoe Designer / Pattern Cutter at Padmore & Barnes Ltd. Shoemakers in Kilkenny and the manufacturers of the famous Clarks Wallabee brand.
The company was owned by Clarks shoes at this time and Thomas was sent to Clarks headquarters in Somerset, England to train as a shoe-maker and designer. He later continued his training at Leicester Design College, England, where he studied Shoe Design, Fashion and Pattern Engineering. On completion of these courses he spent a number of years with Padmore and Barnes Ltd, before he went to work as chief designer / pattern cutter with Westcoast Footwear in 1986.
After spending some time with this fashion footwear company, Thomas worked as a freelance design consultant and pattern cutter in both Ireland and England, working with many other continental designers. In 1996, Thomas decided to follow his dream and set up his own business in the design and manufacture of Orthopaedic footwear in his home city of Kilkenny. Since then, this small family business is where Thomas, his wife Angela and son Gerard now produce specially designed Orthopaedic footwear for the H.S.E., Medical Insurance companies (such as VHI, Aviva, Laya), private customers and others throughout Ireland, but also for the UK and USA.