Stitchdowns: It's been a great ride - can it continue?
Published: 26th Feb 2021
Stitchdowns have been riding a global wave for several years now.
What makes that special for the southern African footwear industry is that a) it's an evergreen item for a core (and not insignificant) customer group and b), it's a construction that has been made locally since - well forever, really - meaning they have a realistic opportunity to compete globally.
It's also quite striking how strong the construction is among manufacturers in the Western Cape, which has seen other parts of its footwear manufacturing base shrink.
lots of southern African manufacturers make.
For us, stitchdown is interchangeable with 'velskoen', 'veldskoen' or 'veldtschoen', and we asked a number of brands - from co-op suppliers to global high flyers - what the future holds for the much-loved vellie.
Tags: Stitchdowns, Veldskoen
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How long will stitchdowns be a fashion item this time around? It’s hard to predict but I believe stitchdowns current popularity will continue for many more seasons, especially locally due to price and the versatility of the traditional Veldschoen silhouette. Fashion fluctuates depending on the times so the Vellie demand w ...moreStitchdowns: It may be time to be a bit wary of overtrading
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How long will stitchdowns be a fashion item this time around?We would like to see this carry on of course for a long time to come, and we are always looking at new designs and concepts as well, but we also need to focus on growing our brand internationally, and you can’t just release new leathers and designs all the time, it takes t ...moreStitchdowns: The Veldskoen Phenomenon
The name is derived from the Afrikaans vel, later assimilated with veld, and skoene. They were first made by the Dutch settlers in the mid-17th century. The design is believed to be based on the traditional Khoisan footwear observed by these settlers. The footwear was later embedded into the South African cultural psyche, the rest is hist ...more
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