Following the opening of its first standalone store in August 2014, Belgian fashion brand A.F. Vandevorst has launched a line of men’s shoes, slated to make its market entry later this month.
The new product range is built on five styles of ankle boots, including heavy welt combat boots; more androgynous pairs, such as laced boots with 3½-inch block heels; and chic items with concealed zippers and urban flair.
Opting for a material mix of waxed cowhide, polished calfskin and calfskin embossed in a faded alligator pattern, husband-and-wife duo of An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx kept the palette simple via sienna, gray and black hues.
The shoes, which are made in Italy, will retail for $915 to $1,115 on the brand’s website.
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The Antwerp-based label is backed by Belgian shipping magnate Pierre Cigrang, who invested “a high-seven-figure amount” in the brand in 2013, when the company’s annual turnover stood at 3.24 million euros, or $4.3 million at average exchange rates.
This led to the opening of the brand’s first store, in Antwerp’s fashion district, in 2014.
Arickx told WWD at the time that he was eyeing expansion by increasing the volume of his ready-to-wear collections and diversifying his label’s product range. He expects the brand to double its turnover by 2018.
“We are looking for partners to do perfume and collaborations with other disciplines we admire to show that the A.F. Vandevorst universe is bigger than garments,” he explained.
