Veldskoen

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A veldskoen is the original South African shoe: leather upper, leather footbed, rubber sole, no nails. Everything we make is built on that pattern. This page covers what a veldskoen is, how to pick the right pair, and how to get the size right first time.

Veldskoen or vellie?

They are the same shoe. Veldskoen is the Afrikaans name, pronounced FELT-skoon, with veldskoene as the plural. Vellies is the everyday nickname, pronounced FELL-ys. You will hear both used interchangeably across South Africa, and neither is more correct than the other.

If you want the full history, including how the design travelled to Cairo and became the Clarks desert boot, we cover that on our Safari vellies page.

What makes a real veldskoen

Three things, and all three matter:

Vegetable-tanned leather or suede uppers. These soften with wear and take the shape of your foot instead of resisting it.
A leather footbed. Not foam, not board. It breathes, which is why vellies stay comfortable in heat.
No tacks or nails. The upper is bonded to the sole. Nothing metal to work loose or press through after a season.

A shoe missing any of those may look like a veldskoen, but it will not wear like one.

Choosing your pair

Our range splits three ways, and the difference is fit rather than styling:

Vellies for men, cut wider through the forefoot.
Vellies for ladies, a narrower last with a slightly lower profile.
Unisex vellies, a middle fit that suits most people.

On colour: tan and brown are the workhorses and go with nearly everything. Black reads more formal and holds up better in the office. Suede is softer from the first day but wants a brush and a protector spray.

Getting the size right

Vellies are easy to size at home.

Stand on a sheet of paper with your weight on the foot.
Mark at the tip of your longest toe and at the back of your heel.
Measure between the two marks.

Measure heel to toe rather than tracing your footprint, and remember your longest toe is not always your big toe. Between sizes, take the larger one. Leather gives as it wears in; it does not shrink back.

Looking after them

Very little is needed. Knock off dry mud rather than washing it off. Feed smooth leather with a wax or cream a few times a year and it will outlast most of what is in your cupboard. Brush suede when it is dry and keep a protector spray on it. If a pair gets soaked, let them dry away from direct heat, never on a heater, or the leather will harden.

Frequently asked questions

Is a veldskoen the same as a vellie?

Yes. Veldskoen is the Afrikaans name and veldskoene is the plural. Vellies is the everyday nickname. They refer to the same shoe, and South Africans use both interchangeably.

What is a veldskoen made of?

A genuine veldskoen has a vegetable-tanned leather or suede upper bonded directly to a leather footbed and a rubber sole. No tacks and no nails are used anywhere in the construction, which is what separates a real veldskoen from a shoe that only looks like one.

How do I know what size veldskoen to buy?

Stand on a sheet of paper with your weight on the foot, mark the tip of your longest toe and the back of your heel, then measure between the marks. Measure heel to toe rather than tracing your footprint. If you fall between sizes, take the larger one, because leather gives as it wears in.

Are veldskoene comfortable in hot weather?

Yes. The leather footbed breathes and the low topline sits below the ankle, which is why vellies wear comfortably in South African heat where a boot does not.

How do I look after my veldskoene?

Knock off dry mud rather than washing it off. Feed smooth leather with a wax or cream a few times a year. Brush suede when dry and keep a protector spray on it. If a pair gets soaked, dry them away from direct heat, never on a heater, or the leather will harden.

Where does the veldskoen come from?

The design dates to the 17th century and the first Dutch settlers at the Cape, shaped by the traditional Khoisan footwear they encountered. The name comes from Afrikaans: vel meaning skin, veld meaning field, and skoene meaning shoes.