Moses Sandals and Plakkies Explained
Moses sandals and plakkies are two of those South African terms that everyone uses and nobody defines the same way. Here is what they generally mean and how the shoe actually wears.
What a Moses sandal is
A Moses sandal is a flat leather sandal with wide crossing straps over the foot and minimal structure underneath. The name is biblical rather than technical, and it describes a silhouette rather than a construction standard. The defining features are simplicity and a flat, largely uncontoured footbed.
And plakkies
Plakkie is Afrikaans slang, from plak, to stick or slap, describing the sound a flat sandal makes on a hard floor. It is used loosely for almost any flat open sandal, from a rubber flip flop to a leather crossover. When someone says leather plakkies they usually mean something close to a Moses sandal.
The trade-off of a flat footbed
A flat sandal asks more of your foot than a contoured one. There is no arch support, so your foot does the work it would do barefoot. For many people that is a positive, and it is why flat leather sandals remain popular for people who dislike moulded footbeds.
If you have a high arch or you stand on hard floors all day, a contoured footbed is the more comfortable choice. Neither design is better in the abstract.
What to check before buying
- Stitched straps, not glued. The strap join is what fails first on flat sandals, because the straps take all the load without a structured upper to share it.
- A genuine leather footbed. Flat leather softens and takes a faint impression of your foot within weeks. Synthetic stays exactly as made.
- Some sole under the leather. A pure leather sole looks right and wears through fast on paving.
Sizing a flat sandal
Straps relax about half a size over the first few wears. Buy slightly snug across the instep. On length, your foot should sit inside the footbed edge with a few millimetres to spare at the toe, because a foot that overhangs a flat sandal catches on everything.
Where ours sit
Our sandals range is small and made to order rather than carried in depth, so what is listed is what we can deliver. If you want the same leather construction in a closed shoe, the ladies vellies range is built the same way.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Moses sandal?
A flat leather sandal with wide crossing straps over the foot and a largely uncontoured footbed. The name describes the silhouette rather than any particular construction.
What does plakkie mean?
It is Afrikaans slang from plak, to slap or stick, describing the sound a flat sandal makes on a hard floor. It is used loosely for most flat open sandals.
Are flat sandals bad for your feet?
Not inherently. A flat footbed asks your foot to do the work it would do barefoot, which suits many people. If you have a high arch or stand on hard floors all day, a contoured footbed is more comfortable.
How should Moses sandals fit?
Slightly snug across the instep when new, since the straps relax roughly half a size. Your foot should sit inside the footbed with a few millimetres to spare rather than overhanging.
What fails first on a leather sandal?
The strap join. On a flat sandal the straps carry all the load, so glued joins give way well before the leather itself wears out.