Pair with Purpose​

Schoolskoen is a purpose-driven South African footwear business focused on delivering high-quality, affordable school shoes at scale, while unlocking opportunity across the communities it serves.

But Schoolskoen is not built as a traditional footwear company

At its core, Schoolskoen exists to solve a very real, often overlooked problem: for the majority of South African learners, a school shoe is not just part of a uniform, it is their only shoe. It carries them to school, through their day, and back home again. This reality demands a product that prioritises durability, comfort, and dignity above all else.

It is built as an ecosystem.

Through its Pair with Purpose model, every pair of shoes sold contributes to a broader network of impact, creating access, enabling distribution, and supporting initiatives that extend beyond the product itself. This approach shifts the business from a transactional model to a partnership-led platform, where schools, organisations, and brands actively participate in shared value creation.

Learn more

Rather than simply selling into schools, Schoolskoen partners with them, aligning with their needs, supporting their communities, and contributing to outcomes that matter both inside and outside the classroom.

This ecosystem is further strengthened through strategic collaborations with like-minded partners who understand that meaningful impact requires long-term commitment. These partners play a role not only in extending reach, but in reinforcing the credibility and sustainability of the model.

The result is a business that operates at the intersection of:

Commercial viability

Social impact

Collaborative partnerships

Our ambition

Schoolskoen’s ambition is clear: to become South Africa’s most trusted school shoe brand, not just because of the product it delivers, but because of the role it plays in improving the everyday lives of the children who wear it.

In doing so, Schoolskoen is redefining what a “school shoe company” can be, moving from product provider to platform for purpose, and from supplier to partner.

Buy a pair

Support a child

Buy a pair

Fund a bursary

Buy a pair

Strengthen a school community

How "Pair with Purpose" works

Pair with Purpose connects two school shoe ranges, Schoolskoen (premium) and Softer (economy), to turn every purchase into something bigger than just a shoe

There are two ways it works:

1. Through School owned and managed Stores

When a school chooses Schoolskoen as its preferred shoe and sells it through their on-site store:

  • The school earns income from every pair sold
  • R30 per pair goes directly into the school’s bursary fund
  • For every 2 pairs sold, 1 pair of Softer shoes is donated to a child in need (either by the school or on their behalf)

What the buyer receives (Schoolskoen):

  • Access to mental health support via Are You Okay
  • A cognitive assessment and discounted program through EyeBrainGym
  • A free BIC pen
  • Sponsored data from Melon Mobile to access these tools (Specific detail to follow

What the recipient receives (Softer donation):

  • A quality school shoe with a memory foam insole
  • A free BIC pen

2. Through Online Purchases

When a pair of Schoolskoen is bought online:

  • The customer receives the full Schoolskoen product and benefit
  • 1 pair of Softer shoes is donated (1:1) to a child in need
  • R30 per pair is contributed to one of 2 bursary funds
  • 1 managed by the South African Hall of Fame – Legacy Fund
  • 1 managed by the Softer Foundation – Bursary Fund

Charity Ticker/Counter

This is to show the volume of shoes we have given away since December 2025.

It does not have to be a live ticker, we will update the number at the end of each month to be changed

Economic Impact Local Circular Economy

Since Dec 2025

0

Pairs of Softer Shoes

To date we have given (as of end April) away

We relate this back to the number of pairs of shoes that no longer need to be bought by an under-resourced family, normally associated with an average retail value of around R250/pair of shoes. We believe this is what then gets released back into the local circular economy. Taking the above number of shoes into account, this relates to a value of R308 250.

R 0

Value Released

Back into the
local circular economy