Veldskoen or Vellie? What the Names Actually Mean
Veldskoen or vellie is a question of dialect, not footwear. Ask ten South Africans what to call this shoe and you will get two answers, both correct. The confusion is worth clearing up, because it changes nothing about what you are buying and quite a lot about how you search for it.
They are the same shoe
Veldskoen is the Afrikaans name. The plural is veldskoene. Vellies is the everyday nickname, and it is what most people actually say. Neither is more correct, and no shop is using one to mean something different from the other.
Pronunciation trips people up more than spelling. Veldskoen is closer to FELT-skoon than to how it looks written, and vellies is FELL-ys.
Where the word comes from
Afrikaans vel means skin. It was later amalgamated with veld, meaning field, and skoene, meaning shoes. A shoe of skin, for the field, which is an unusually literal name for a piece of footwear.
The design goes back to the 17th century and the first Dutch settlers at the Cape, shaped by the traditional Khoisan footwear they found already in use. That makes it one of the older continuously worn shoe designs anywhere.
So why do both names survive?
Partly language, partly marketing. Afrikaans speakers grew up with veldskoen. English speakers shortened it. Then brands picked sides, and the split hardened. You will see the same pair sold as veldskoene on one site and vellies on another.
It matters for one practical reason: if you only ever search one term, you see about half the market. Try both.
What is not the same
A few things do get confused with vellies, and these differences are real:
- Desert boots. A descendant, not a synonym. Nathan Clark saw South African veldskoene in Cairo during the Second World War and built the Clarks desert boot on their round toe and low profile.
- Chukka boots. Higher on the ankle. A vellie sits below it, which is why it wears better in heat.
- Safari vellies. A brand, not a style. Safari is made by Bata. See our Safari vellies page for that range specifically.
How to tell a real one
Whatever it is called, three things mark a genuine veldskoen: a vegetable-tanned leather or suede upper, a leather footbed rather than foam or board, and no tacks or nails anywhere in the construction. The upper is bonded to the sole. Nothing metal sits between your foot and the ground.
Buying either way
Our full range is on the veldskoen page, split into vellies for men, vellies for ladies and unisex vellies. Free delivery on orders over R200, anywhere in South Africa.
Frequently asked questions
Is a veldskoen the same as a vellie?
Yes. Veldskoen is the Afrikaans name, veldskoene is the plural, and vellies is the everyday nickname. They describe the same shoe and are used interchangeably across South Africa.
How do you pronounce veldskoen?
Roughly FELT-skoon. The d is close to silent and the v sounds like an f. Vellies is FELL-ys.
What does veldskoen mean?
It comes from Afrikaans vel, meaning skin, combined with veld, meaning field, and skoene, meaning shoes. Literally a shoe of skin for the field.
Are veldskoene and desert boots the same thing?
No, but they are related. The Clarks desert boot was modelled on South African veldskoene that Nathan Clark saw in Cairo during the Second World War.
Which spelling should I search for?
Both. Different retailers use different terms, so searching only one shows you roughly half of what is available.