MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019 21ROLE MODELSthat we love people, and we love our
country. Another thing we really love is
our environment,” he says. “We recently
started discussions with material suppliers
who make yarn out of plastic bottles and
upcycled materials. By using this yarn we
will be able to save water and energy, and
lower our CO2 emissions.
“We’re still very early in this
development, but will eventually be able to
offer sneakers with a dramatically reduced
carbon footprint. We also plan on launching
our premium leather footwear
later this year, or early 2020.
We’ve found the most incredible
local tanneries, who will be
supplying us with high-quality
leather.”
Right now, Wesley’s business is
still very much in the ‘owner-does-
everything’ phase. “I’m the CEO-
janitor-designer-administrator,”
he chuckles.
But he’s recently hired the
company’s first permanent
employee, who heads up logistics
and what he calls the ‘Customer
Happiness Department’. “She
makes sure our customers receive
their sneakers when they order
online, and assists in that regard.”
And the team will soon be
expanding. “Once we launch our
‘Handcrafted in South Africa’
sneakers, we will be rolling out into
physical retail stores across the
country. So we’ll be scrambling for
new employees soon.”“If we can keep
selling shoes, we
can keep giving
shoes.”
we had been conned by delay tactics to
get money out of us. And we had no final
product to show for it. It was a bitter pill to
swallow,” Wesley admits.
Breaking the news to his investors wastough, but they stood by Wesley and his
brand. “I’ve been blessed with amazing
business partners who are just as mission-
focused as me. They see the social impact
that we can make in South Africa, so we
made plans to move forward.”
He also had to make compromises.Wesley had always wanted to launch
a locally-manufactured South African
product, but business owners can’t always
be choosers. So at the beginning of last year,
Wesley and his team decided to reach out to
manufacturers outside SA.
“I started to communicate with a fewmanufacturers in China, to see who could
create our sneakers for us. We managed
to find a reputable one, and launched our
sneakers in August that year.”
But a year later, Wesley is realising yetanother dream, with the launch of his new
‘Handmade in SA’ range. “Here comes
the happy part,” he jokes. “Early this year,
a fellow sneaker lover referred me to a
footwear sourcing company in Durban.
I sent them a pair of our sneakers, not
thinking too much of it.
“Two weeks later, members of thatcompany flew down to Cape Town and
presented a sneaker sample of premium
quality that they had made right here in
South Africa!”
Now, VOSK is proudly manufactured inSA, and Wesley hopes that this will create
more jobs for locals as the supply chain
grows. “Premium footwear, handcrafted in
South Africa. It’s a dream come true.”
A FITTED FUTURE
Now that he’s achieved his goal to establish
a sustainable business that gives back to a
greater cause and is locally manufactured,
Wesley hopes to grow the brand’s range of
products and increase its popularity, as well
as tackling more global issues.
“By now, I’m sure you understandWesley Vos advises
future brand owners
and entrepreneurs to
focus on why they’re
starting a venture,
instead of just how
they’ll accomplish it.
“Incorporating
purpose into the
business, I believe, is
what gives it so much
more value. VOSK
was created to help
people in need, to
solve a problem.
“If you can create
a product or service
that solves a
problem that people
encounter in their
everyday personal
or work lives,
you’ll always have
customers.”WALK WITH
PURPOSE
Find out more about VOSK Shoes: vosk.co.za or on Instagram: @voskshoes