Clarks? No apparently not according to the website of the Veldskoen company of South Africa.

Quoting from an article in GQ magazine, Nathan Clark, of Clarks Shoes, was serving in the second world war when he noticed South African officers wearing, in his own words, ‘strange leather shoes’.

Those shoes were ‘Veldskoen’ - traditional South African farmers boots made from suede with a tough rubber sole, from this Clark went on to develop the Clark’s desert boot.

While on holiday in Cape Town recently your roving reporter took the opportunity to visit the Veldskoen warehouse and peruse their range of boots. I have never found a desert boot I really liked for one reason or another but their Heritage Farmer model felt right straight away. The place felt good and the employees were proud of what they were doing. The products were of exccellent quality and ethically made in S.A. I availed myself of a pair and wore them for the rest of the holiday, I christened them authentically in the red dust of the South African veldt (desert). They seem a lot more sturdy than Clarks, rather than crepe they have a rubber sole with a grippy tread, all of which gets my vote.

There is a UK website but they will cost more than the very reasonable 999 Rand (about fifty quid) that I paid.

https://www.veldskoen.com/products/farmer-grey-veldskoen-heritage

Last edited by FlatSixC (2022-10-13 13:50:55)