How it all came about

Bathing shorts, surfboard and thongs - this is the basic Australian beach kit. Even in classy restaurants, the Aussies don't seem to be able to part company with their laid-back summer footwear. Markus Schott had always been fascinated by the Australians' easy-going approach to fashion. Back in the 1990s he resolved to combine it with the expertise of his traditional family business which specialised in orthopaedic footwear. As an expert, he was particularly concerned to eliminate the obvious drawbacks of simple thong sandals. The wearer's feet had to be given solid support so as to absorb the pressure exerted on the limbs, thereby putting the body at ease. At the same time as he was spending time in Australia, Markus Schott's family business "Schott, Orthopädie-Schuhtechnik" in Homberg/Hesse was starting to receive more and more enquiries about thin, orthopaedic inserts for summer shoes. Markus Schott started to experiment. Eventually he cut individual footprints directly into the sole of the sandal. The result was a tailor-made shoe which was also to the taste of the laid-back but fashion-conscious wearer. The development of VALE sandals had begun. First of all Markus Schott produced individual pairs to order in the workshop facilities of his family business in collaboration with Henry Schmidt, his production manager. The longstanding expertise of the two men as orthopaedic footwear manufacturers and Markus' additional expertise as a podologist helped them achieve optimum adaptation to the footbed. They perfected the various stages of production and fine-tuned the styling. The result was a sandal which is individually adapted to the footbed as well as fulfilling the demands of visual taste. The easy-roll sole provides perfect low-impact shock absorbance to the heel and optimises the musculoskeletal system.

What makes myVALE unique!

The official myVALE-Song !