Hugh Jackman buys into boot maker RM Williams

Rod Myer
Dec 17, 2015, updated Dec 17, 2015

The Boy from Oz star Hugh Jackman is investing in Australian boots and leather, after becoming a shareholder of RM Williams.

Jackman has brought his star power to leather boots retailer RM Williams by investing in the iconic Australian brand.

The clothing and leather goods company announced the investment on Thursday, saying it was proud to have the X-Men and Les Miserables star as a shareholder.

The size of Jackman’s investment was not disclosed.  RM Williams provided the outfits for the 2008 outback film epic, Australia, which starred Jackman and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman.

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A spokesman for RM Williams confirmed that Jackman “has become a private investor alongside majority shareholder L Capital Asia and IFM Investors” in the clothing and leather goods company started by the late Reginald Murray Williams in 1932. The Adelaide company, best known for its dressy elasticised riding boots, is now owned by LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton).

RM Williams is listed as part of the Singapore-headquartered L Capital Asia group, a private equity operation sponsored by LVMH.

Jackman has a corporate profile after signing on as a global ambassador with Qantas along with New York-based Australian model Jess Hart. He is also lead ambassador for German group Montblanc International.

The actor, who has an arts degree from University of Technology Sydney, has an entrepreneurial bent. He invests in property, owns the Laughing Man Cafe in New York and sells his own brand of coffee and coffee machine pods for home use.

Profits from these ventures go to the Laughing Man Foundation, which aids poor communities in developing countries.

Jackman also has a stake in the Australian company Balance Wate and made the Forbes Rich List this year, with estimated wealth of $31.2 million.

The Australian Financial Review reported that in 2014, RM Williams executive designer Jonathan Ward named Jackman, along with David Beckham and Leonardo DiCaprio, among his all-time favourite best dressed men.

-with AAP