About us
About us
Vagabond Shoemakers
We are a contemporary footwear brand dedicated to true craftsmanship and an everlasting passion for great-looking shoes. Our inspiration is widely drawn from the cultural sphere, but first and foremost from all the interesting people crossing our path at Vagabond. Each collection centres on the concept of everyday style, with durable quality and refined detailing at the heart of our design process.
Vagabond Shoemakers Foundation
From December 31, 2023, the founders and owners of Vagabond handed over the entire company, as a gift, to the new Vagabond Shoemakers Foundation. The new form of ownership ensures that surpluses from the Vagabond operations are used for research, education and charity projects within the areas defined in the foundation's statutes.
"We have always wanted our achievements to become support for initiatives and projects needed in our present time. A foundation means the opportunity to give continuous and substantial support. It also means a lot to us that the company will continue developing according to set goals and intentions," says founders Mats Nilsson and Marie Nilsson Peterzén.
Our philosophy
Our sustainability mission is to drive a movement toward conscious consumption. By creating shoes and accessories with long-lasting style and quality, we hope you will love and wear them even longer.
The framework of our philosophy follows the four C’s: The Craft, The Choice, The Care, and The Change. It all starts in our design studio in Varberg, Sweden. Making our shoes last is the first vital step to ease the strain on our environment. But every step is essential, and you have an important part in this too. By keeping the four pillars in mind, we can encourage more conscious consumption and lower the fashion industry’s impact on the planet.
Vagabond Shoemakers
We are a contemporary footwear brand dedicated to true craftsmanship and an everlasting passion for great-looking shoes. Our inspiration is widely drawn from the cultural sphere, but first and foremost from all the interesting people crossing our path at Vagabond. Each collection centres on the concept of everyday style, with durable quality and refined detailing at the heart of our design process.
Vagabond Shoemakers Foundation
From December 31, 2023, the founders and owners of Vagabond handed over the entire company, as a gift, to the new Vagabond Shoemakers Foundation. The new form of ownership ensures that surpluses from the Vagabond operations are used for research, education and charity projects within the areas defined in the foundation's statutes.
"We have always wanted our achievements to become support for initiatives and projects needed in our present time. A foundation means the opportunity to give continuous and substantial support. It also means a lot to us that the company will continue developing according to set goals and intentions," says founders Mats Nilsson and Marie Nilsson Peterzén.
Our philosophy
Our sustainability mission is to drive a movement toward conscious consumption. By creating shoes and accessories with long-lasting style and quality, we hope you will love and wear them even longer.
The framework of our philosophy follows the four C’s: The Craft, The Choice, The Care, and The Change. It all starts in our design studio in Varberg, Sweden. Making our shoes last is the first vital step to ease the strain on our environment. But every step is essential, and you have an important part in this too. By keeping the four pillars in mind, we can encourage more conscious consumption and lower the fashion industry’s impact on the planet.
Our story
In 1973, the Vagabond brand was first founded in Sweden. Since the start, our vision has been to evolve into a global fashion brand within the footwear industry, designed for the fashion and quality-driven consumer.
During the ‘80s, our founders built up essential knowledge on the creation of shoes and started applying their design philosophy on-site, close to the best available artisans within shoemaking in Portugal and Italy. Starting solely as a men’s shoe brand, we consciously set out to extend into female footwear – resulting in a new line of unisex shoes and boots that revolutionised the Scandinavian market. In the 90s, we kept exploring new markets, adding other iconic shoe styles to our collection, which remain essential archive references in today’s design process. The philosophy is simple; connecting the past and the present to create footwear honouring our brands heritage.
Today, we are approximately 200 experienced individuals working from the head office in Varberg and around the world – all involved in the process of making impeccable quality shoes for the modern vagabond who cares about style and a sustainable way of life.
“We are shoemakers at heart and soul. We want to make great looking shoes for people in all corners of the world. And we believe that great design does not have to cost a fortune.”
Marie Nilsson Peterzén, Co-founder
Our partners
Collaborating with external forces is an integral part of our day-to-day business. After all, relationships are at the heart of what we do. From close dialogues with our long-term suppliers to collaborative partnerships and thoughtful commitments – we continuously strive to keep developing, learning from, and engaging with like-minded actors within our business.
| Partnerships The Chemical Group I:CO/SOEX Leather Working Group CSR Västsverige Energi & Miljöcentrum Nordic Shoe Network |
Our requirements & commitments UK Modern Slavery Act Fur Free Retailer California Transparency in Supply chain act |
Our requirements & commitments
Code of Conduct
UK Modern Slavery Act
Fur Free Retailer
California Transparency in Supply chain act
Partnerships
The Chemical Group
I:CO/SOEX
Leather Working Group
CSR Västsverige
Energi & Miljöcentrum
Nordic Shoe Network
Our suppliers
Since the beginning, we have nurtured close relationships with suppliers who share our commitments to true craftsmanship within shoemaking, accessories, and apparel. Each collection reflects the joint efforts and shared expertise between our in-house design team and long-term suppliers worldwide - from the LWG-certified tanneries to our shoe factories and bag suppliers across Asia and Europe. We are convinced that the way forward revolves around close collaboration with our suppliers and sub-suppliers by promoting transparency and working proactively to minimize our environmental impact.
Discover our supplier network here.