DHL's first collabo with an African brand

For the past few years DHL Express has been making appearances in the world of fashion with a handful of collaborations with some of the most unexpected brands. From their capsule collection with Vetements in 2017, or their limited edition 50th anniversary sneaker collections or even their sponsorships of fashion weeks around the world. For their latest venture, the brand partnered for the first time with an African brand on a very special shoe. In collaboration with South African brand Veldskoen, they recently created and released an interpretation of an iconic native shoe. The shoe company helmed by duo Nick Dreyer and Ross Zondagh, is known for creating some of the finest handcrafted shoes in the country, each of which are hand-stitched with an extreme attention to detail, comfort and durability. Nick Dreyer, CEO of the company, explained:

«When DHL approached us with an idea to collaborate on a limited edition shoe to highlight South African fashion, it was a no-brainer for us. Their previous fashion projects really pushed the boundaries with some unexpected pairings, so being selected as the first African brand for the next collaboration was super exciting. There were instant synergies between our two brands, the most obvious one being the desire to make a difference in the communities in which we operate».

For the occasion, they created a shoe named “Dear Everyone” that was crafted by a team of over fifty artisans in Durban, South Africa. They tapped local South African artist Reggie Kumalo who designed a mural for the side panels of the shoe that reflected the campaign’s messaging of inclusivity with subtle aspects of design that give a nod to South African references. The campaign and title was conceived under the idea that the impact of the pandemic has revealed a great show of unity among us and therefore with this , they opted to share that with the world. “DHL has afforded Veldskoen a moment to show the globe the talent, creativity, and the manufacturing ability that Africa has to offer. We have produced a high fashion shoe, while every stage of the development process and every link in the supply chain has been carefully considered from a sustainability point of view,” Nick added.