Our Story

We are VIJZ, a shoemakers and design atelier where we specialize in creating the finest handcrafted shoes.

 “It’s not about a pair of shoes. Our goal is to create a wearable piece of art.”

VIJZ is founded by Sam van IJzendoorn. It all started in 2013 when a passion for collecting and wearing sneakers grew into a hobby of cleaning and restoring them.  

In 2017 Sam followed a shoemaking course and rented a small studio where he started experimenting with the creation of bespoke sneakers. Much effort has been dedicated to learning the beautiful craftsmanship of shoemaking and this has led to the creation of his first bespoke sneaker in 2018. 

In 2019, Tom joined VIJZ as an intern and became the first to learn about the intricacies of the profession in-house. After his internship he joined Sam and started working as a shoemaker and graphic designer.

Our team now exists of multiple shoemakers, customizers, designers, marketeers, video- and photographers. A group of creative athletes sharing their passion for quality, craft and our culture. 

Education is an important value of ours, being a place where creativity flows and individuals have the chance to grow their expertise. Our team has grown a lot in the last couple of years, thanks to one of our most important values: having a shared ambition. 

Due to the continuous expansion of our organization, we moved to a new workspace in July 2023. Our atelier is located in the heart of the Betuwe, a small city called Tiel. Our new 500 square-meter atelier allows us to take on many more opportunities and serves as a home for our creativity. 

While we have dedicated efforts to other pursuits, such as offering shoe making courses and developing innovative paints, this past year, we returned to our true passion - crafting unique wearable pieces of art.