Veldskoen

What they are

A veldskoen is a walking shoe from South Africa. The upper is made from vegetable-tanned leather or soft rawhide. It is joined to a leather footbed and a rubber sole by stitchdown construction, a method that uses no tacks or nails. People often call the shoes vellies. They are sometimes treated as a light boot, and they sit near chukka boots and desert boots, though vellies usually have a lower top edge. Soles may be cut from old car tyres instead of crepe rubber. The leather changes with what is available locally, and in Namibia kudu and seal leather are common.

Name and beginnings

The word comes from Afrikaans. Vel means skin, and skoene means shoes. Later the first part was linked with veldt, meaning field. The design is believed to be based on footwear worn traditionally by the Khoisan. Veldskoene were taken up by South African farming communities and became their shoe of choice. They were easy to make, light and very tough. In time they became part of South African, Zimbabwean, formerly Rhodesian, Namibian and wider African culture.

From Cairo to Clarks

Nathan Clark, of the shoe company C&J Clark, saw veldskoene for sale in bazaars in Cairo. The shoes had been imported to Egypt from South Africa. Their round toe and shape guided the desert boot his company made famous. At first desert boots were worn by young people. In England mods wore them. In Paris art students did. In America beatniks wore them. In Jamaica the boots became common within the Rude Boy subculture. Later high fashion used Clarks in magazine shoots and runway shows.

Wupperthal shoes

A shoe factory opened at Wupperthal in 1836. Johann Leipoldt founded it, and it gave work to many skilled craftsmen. The Wupperthal handsewn veldskoen was a soft suede shoe. For almost a century it was known across South Africa for comfort and good craftsmanship. The shoes were sewn by hand, and they stood for careful making. The factory is one clear place where veldskoene belonged to a working craft tradition as well as to farms.

How Veldskoen is kept

Shoemakers begin with an upper of vegetable-tanned leather or soft rawhide. They join it to a leather footbed and a rubber sole using stitchdown construction, with no tacks or nails. Some makers cut soles from old car tyres instead of crepe rubber. The leather used depends on what is available nearby. In Namibia, kudu and seal leather are common. Farmers wear veldskoene for walking and work. At Wupperthal, craftsmen hand-sewed a soft suede version that became known across South Africa for comfort and careful work.

When and where

Veldskoene belong to South Africa, where they are strongest and were once the everyday footwear of farming communities. The article also ties them to Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia, to Namibia and to wider African culture. In Namibia, kudu and seal leather are commonly used. Wupperthal made handsewn veldskoene known across South Africa for about a century. Pairs were sold in Cairo bazaars, where Nathan Clark saw them.

What Veldskoen means

For South African farming communities, veldskoene were the working shoe of choice: easy to make, light and very tough. The name links skin with field, and the design is believed to come from traditional Khoisan footwear. In Zimbabwe, Namibia and other parts of Africa the shoes became part of local dress. The Wupperthal handsewn veldskoen stood for comfort and good craftsmanship for nearly a century. Later the shape travelled into desert boots and fashion, but its first meaning stays with farm work and local making.

Questions people ask about Veldskoen

See also

IsidwabaA knee-length leather skirt of cowhide or goatskin, worn by married Zulu womenMadiba shirtA loose batik-print shirt that Mandela wore to formal occasionsKgotlaA village meeting and customary court in Botswana, led by the chiefIndlamuA Zulu war dance of two warriors in pelts, matched move for move and stamped on the beat

Good reading and sources

• Veldskoen on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-14.