Veldskoen, a proudly South African shoe, will now be sold in both America and the United Kingdom as it has gained two international investors: Mark Cuban, wealthy entrepreneur and owner of Dallas Mavericks NBA team, and renowned actor Ashton Kutcher.
An e-commere start-up called Digital Online Retail Products and Platform (DORP) are the owners of Veldskoen, and co-founder of DORP Nick Dreyer told Capetalk that he is thrilled to have Kutcher and Cuban as their new investors.
‘We are incredibly excited about it, our international connections are a credit to the shoe and the long rich history of the shoe… It’s got an incredible story.’
Dreyer said that Steven and Angela Watts, who own a surf company, established a connection with Kutcher and Cuban and Veldskoene.
‘We have been speaking to Ashton, Mark and their team with Steven and Angela Watts out in the states for at least six or seven months,’ he said.
Veldskoen has a rich history in South Africa. Worn by local farmers for their durability, it is a symbol of South African fashion and culture. The Veldskoene company now brings a creative twist to the traditional shoe with brightly coloured laces.
‘Veldskoen is really the shoe that gave birth to a category called the desert boot and has also been called the chucker book… It fits into that space but of course Veldskoene has got a couple of things that it is renowned for, not things we have created, Veldskoene is known to be incredibly comfortable, incredible durable, its a hard-wearing shoe,’ said Dreyer.
Dreyer added that the company aims to keep the manufacturing the shoe in South Africa to ensure that the brand sustains its local heritage.
‘All our products are made here… We don’t have any intention of trying to get the business to manufacture or scale outside of South Africa. It’s a South African product and it always should be.’
Picture: Veldskoen, Facebook
