A bit of history...
In the year 1960 Ewald Schier identified the need for basic, comfortable footwear to satisfy the needs of Namibian farmers and hunters. He recognized that the shoe would have to be durable, tough and well ventilated for Namibia's harsh environment yet he was not prepared to compromise on comfort.
He obtained the skill of tanning in Germany and thus established a Tannery in Swakopmund in the year 1938, which discontinued in November 2005, while the shoe factory was relocated to 22 Rakotoka str. across from Karakulia Weavers and is now the new shoe factory and shop of the renamed Business: African Leather Creations cc.
While experimenting with various types of leather and tanning methods to find the perfect material for the upper leather, Schier eventually discovered that Kudu Leather provided the perfect balance between comfort and durability and was most effective for the design of footwear.
This marked the birth of the 'Swakop Vellie'. The name is derived from the Afrikaans word: 'Veldskoen' which means 'Shoe for the Bush'.
The business of producing 'Swakop Vellies' has remained in the Schier family and in 1980 Herbert Schier, Ewald's oldest son, took over the family business after acquiring a master's tanning degree in Reutlingen, Germany.
Over the years the leather business in Namibia has become more and more sophisticated. Today we manufacture a wide variety of leather products derived from the rich diversity of Namibian game. Our range includes belts, shoes, purses, handbags and of course we still manufacture the hand crafted 'Swakop Vellie' made from genuine Kudu leather.
