lookbook images by jason eric hardwick.
schier shoes have been making velskoen shoes out of the coastal town of swakopmund, namibia since 1935. a small group of eight damara gentlemen assemble every shoe by hand, turning out just 20 pairs a day. velskoen, pronounced "fell-skoon" are known colloquially in south africa as "vellies" & are the ancestor of the modern day desert boot. vellies were first made in the 1600s, inspired by the footwear of the khoikhoi tribe & crafted using raw materials. later, schier vellies were adapted by british travellers, packaged & renamed to be what is now known as desert boots. herbert schier vellies are made of vegetable-dyed kudu leather. the namibian government mandates the culling of these large native antelope to control their population.
