Veldskoen

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Veldskoen (or vellie, colloquial, veldskoene plural, alternately velskoens or velskoene plural; pronounced "FELL-skoons") are Southern African walking shoes made from veg tanned leather or soft rawhide uppers attached to a leather footbed and rubber sole without tacks or nails.

The name comes from Afrikaans vel ("skin") (later assimilated to veld ("field")) and skoen ("shoe"),^[1]^[2] and their design is believed to be based on the traditional Khoisan ^[3] footwear observed by the first Dutch settlers in South Africa. The footwear was later enculturated into the Afrikaans psyche when the velskoen was used as the footwear of the Great Trek.^[4] Easy to make, lightweight and extremely tough wearing the vellie could withstand the harsh conditions of the great migration north.

Since those days the vellie has become a huge part of South African and Namibian society, worn by all classes and professions.^[5] The most famous brand is the Brother velskoen, manufactured in Swakopmund, Namibia since 1938. Clarks made the desert boot famous but the Clark shape is modeled after the same round toe last used to manufacture velskoen. Nathan Clark was inspired by the shape and design of the velskoen he discovered for sale in the bazars of Cairo, which were imported to Egypt from South Africa. ^[6]

They are sometimes considered light boots, although their topline is considerably lower than those of chukka boots or desert boots, which are otherwise similar. Veldskoen soles are sometimes cut from old car tyres rather than crepe rubber.

Veldskoens are familiarly referred to as "vellies" in South African slang.

References

↑ "Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-webster.com. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ Klaas Pieter Hart, Delft University of Technology, Word of the Day from the OED, "Veld-shoe" entry (PostScript file version, citing OED2 on CD-ROM cс Copyright Oxford University Press 1994)
↑ "South Africa in the 19th Century". Courses.wcupa.edu. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ "Great Trek 1835-1846 | South African History Online". Sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
↑ http://www.brothervellies.com/
↑ http://goodclobber.tumblr.com/post/445297055/history-of-the-desert-boot

v t e Footwear

Men's dress shoes	Blucher Brogues Brothel creepers Derby Monks Oxfords Slip-ons (Loafers) Spectator shoes (Co-respondent shoes) Venetian-style shoes Winklepickers

Women's dress shoes	Ballet flats Court shoes High-heeled footwear Mary Janes Mojari Mule shoes Peep-toe shoes Saddle shoes Slingbacks Slip-ons (Loafers) Venetian style shoes Winklepickers

Other shoes	Driving moccasins Flip-flops Galoshes Platform shoes Sandals Slides Slippers Veldskoens

Wooden footwear	Bakya British clogs Cantabrian albarcas Getas Klompen Namaksin Padukas Pattens Sabot

Military footwear	Ammunition boots Bunny boots Combat boots Jackboots Jump boots Jungle boots Ranger boots Tanker boots Trench boots

Sport-related footwear	Athletic shoes Ballet shoes Boat shoes Climbing shoes Cross country running shoes Cycling shoes Football boots Hiking boots Ice skates Inline skates Jika-tabi Minimalist shoes Motorcycle boots Mountaineering boots Racing flats Riding boots Roller shoes Roller skates Skate shoes Ski boots Swimfins Water shoes Wrestling shoes

Fashion boots	Beatle boots Go-go boots Knee-high boots Over-the-knee boots Platform boots Thigh-high boots Ugg boots

Work boots / shoes	Australian work boots Chukka boots Cowboy boots Engineer boots Hip boots Rigger boots Steel-toe boots Waders

Other boots	Chelsea boots Wellington boots

Traditional footwear	Abacas Abarkas Avarcas Balghas Bast shoes Clogs Espadrilles Galesh Giveh Haferlschuh Hnyat-phanats Huarache (shoe) Hwas Jorabs Moccasins Mojaris Mukluks Opanaks Peshawari chappals Snowshoes Valenkis Warajis

Historical footwear	Areni-1 shoes Buskins Caligae Chopines Crakow (Poulaine) Hessians Pampooties Sabatons

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Veldskoen

See also

References