The iconic South African shoe retail brand Veldskoen celebrates ten years of growth, stories and local craftsmanship and looks ahead to the next decade with big plans.
At a recent event at Veldskoen's renovated space in Cape Town, guests were given a glimpse of the brand's history, its people and the vision with which the business moves forward.
The event strongly emphasised Veldskoen's South African character: from its shoes and history to local food, coffee, wine and businesses with which the brand partners.
A new chapter with Bev Pallett at the helm
One of the major announcements is that experienced retail manager Bev Pallett is joining Veldskoen as chief executive.
Pallett has extensive experience in the South African retail sector. She was involved in the establishment of Mr Price Sport, served as a director within the Foschinigroup and has also worked with Yuppiechef .
The appointment forms part of Veldskoen's plan to further build the brand and seize new growth opportunities locally and internationally.
Shareholder Adrian Moors said the business wants to help shape the future of a special South African brand.
According to him, Veldskoen's greatest strength lies not just in the product but also in the people who represent the brand.
Every South African has almost a vellie story
Veldskoen's appeal lies partly in the fact that the shoe is much older than the modern brand itself. The veldskoen is deeply woven into South Africa's history and has become part of the country's everyday life across generations.
"We all have a veldskoen story," Moors said.
He recounted how his father, an architect, showed up at clients' sites and building lots years ago with safari suits and vellies.
At the time, the younger Moors did not necessarily appreciate his father's fashion choices. "How times have changed," he joked.
Today the humble vellie has become a modern South African fashion item that can be worn just as comfortably in the city, on a farm or at a formal occasion.
South African heritage gets new life
Veldskoen increasingly places emphasis on the history and heritage of the product. The brand works with the Long March to Freedom, among others, where the history of the veldskoen is recognised as part of South Africa's broader heritage story. The company's Cape Town space also includes historical elements, including old shoemaker's tools, lasts and an old sewing machine.
The goal is not merely to sell visitors a pair of shoes but also to introduce them to the story behind the product. Tour operators are already bringing groups to the site, creating a further opportunity to tell the South African origins of Veldskoen to local and international visitors.
Partnerships with the same values
Another important part of Veldskoen's next phase is collaboration with people and organisations that share similar values. The business referenced several local partners and organisations at the event, including the NSRI and the Long March to Freedom.
Moors said values are more to him than something merely written on a wall. Real values, he said, become visible in the decisions people and businesses make and in the way they act.
It is also this approach that must help shape the next chapter of Veldskoen.
Veldskoen ten years on: the focus on the next decade
Over its first decade, the modern Veldskoen brand has succeeded in presenting something very familiar to South Africans to the world in a new way.
Now the focus is on the next ten years.
With new leadership, a renewed focus on the brand's history, new partnerships and a space where visitors can experience the Veldskoen story firsthand, the business is ready to expand its South African footprint further.
Because ultimately Veldskoen's story is about much more than leather and thread.
It is about a shoe that has walked alongside South Africans across generations and is now ready to walk much further.
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This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
