£1,750 designer banana boots inspired by Billy Connolly

A Scottish fashion designer says his take on Billy Connolly’s iconic banana boots has been a hit.

Charles Jeffrey’s boots, worth £1,750, are a nod to the original pair, which he saw as a child, on display at the People’s Palace museum in Glasgow.

The 33-year-old, from Bellshill in Lanarkshire, said a sense of humour was “incredibly intrinsic” to his job.

Comedy legend Connolly wore his banana boots on stage during his shows in the 1970s.

The original boots were designed by Glasgow pop artist Edmund Smith.

The new release is part of Charles Jeffrey’s latest Loverboy collection.

The designer told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland:“I was tagged in a photo showing a pair of pants that had been cut from the knee to the ankle to fold like a banana peel.

“And people tagged me in that photo and said ‘banana boots by Charles Jeffrey Loverboy.’”

“It went viral, and we thought we never made these boots.

“I thought maybe we should just do them.”

Jeffrey initially thought the high cost of the boots would discourage customers.

He said: “When you make small quantities of items, the price tends to go up.

“When you actually look at the craftsmanship of what we do, it justifies the price and it kind of makes you appreciate them.

“But we sold them within 24 hours.”

Jeffrey has previously designed stage outfits for Harry Styles and is friends with Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton, but he remains tight-lipped about whether they’ve commissioned their own pairs of banana boots.

He added: “We have had a few celebrities who have requested certain custom colours, but I can’t tell you who those people are.

“We might have some polka dots, glitter or neon ones.

“I encourage all young designers or young creatives to not be afraid to be bold in their decisions.”