Iconic Czech shoe brand Botas could be revived by rising newcomer Vasky
Botas, the Czech brand known for its iconic sneakers, which recently fell on hard times and had to cease production at the turn of last year, may yet be resurrected. A rapidly rising Zlín-based newcomer to the Czech shoe market – Vasky – recently announced that it plans to incorporate Botas into its own company and keep the sneakers in production. I spoke to the founder of Vasky, Václav Staněk.
“The reason why I started Vasky seven years ago, when I was 18, was because I wanted to continue the Czech tradition of shoe manufacturing that was started by Tomáš Baťa.
“I believe that the step we are doing now is exactly one of the ways of how to help maintain this tradition, because Botas was founded 70 years ago and I would be glad if it keeps going for another seven decades.”
Tell us how you plan to purchase Botas?
“We have a lot of spares on stock at Vasky and we needed to raise some money to buy Botas. So we did a sale and communicated our plan to our customers.
“I am really glad that they heard us out. It was very cool and we pulled it off. We sold around 8,000 pairs of shoes and that is the reason why we are able to buy Botas.”
And talks with Botas are currently ongoing, correct?
“Yes. We are in talks right now. Talking about how to do it and whether both sides can agree on the terms. I think it looks good and I hope that we will do it together and continue the Botas story.”
Your company is based in Zlín, but the Botas manufacturing plant is based in the town of Skutec in Eastern Bohemia. What are the plans regarding where Botas shoes will be manufactured in the future?
“Right now, it is too early for me to talk about the manufacturing. We obviously have our own manufacturing capacities, but, due to the manufacturing tradition of Botas in Skuteč, I am thinking of maintaining some sort of small production facility there. It will be hard, but we will see. It is part of the plan, but it won’t be easy.”
The iconic Botas shoe saw a redesign in 2007. Would you maintain the current style, or would you like to change it?
“If we conclude the deal I would like to have two separate brands. However, it is possible that Vasky will also be selling Botas shoes.
“In any case, regarding the design, I like a lot of the designs that Botas have right now, but I also have a lot of plans for some new collections. So we will see.”
