Retailer backed by Springbok captain Siya Kolisi launches first international store
Luxury lifestyle brand Freedom of Movement (FOM) has launched its first international store in Bath, England.
The brand is well known for its luxury footwear, bags, and accessories, as well as its strong focus on leather products.
The brand has a strong working relationship with Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, who is a minority investor in the group.
“When we started FOM in South Africa, I could never have imagined that one day we would be opening a store on the other side of the world,” said FOM CEO and co-founder Roal Boezaart.
“Building a globally recognised South African brand has always been the dream, but today that dream suddenly feels a little more real,” he said.
In his announcement of the international launch, Boezaart explained that the journey of bringing the brand to international markets had been difficult.
“The last few months have come with plenty of setbacks, a genuinely tough store build, countless lessons, and more than a few hurdles navigating the regulations that come with opening in a historic city like Bath,” he said.
“You believe in your brand, and you believe in your product, but taking it to a completely new country is different. You simply don’t know how people are going to respond.”
Boezaart said that despite uncertainty about how the UK market would react to the South African brand, the launch received a very positive response.
“It makes me incredibly proud of what we’ve built back home and excited about what South African brands are capable of,” he said.
Although the launch of the first FOM store in the UK received a positive response, Boezaart said the group still has a long way to go.
“I truly believe there is no reason why a South African brand can’t stand alongside international brands on the world stage,” said Boezaart.
He described the new international store as a small first step for the brand but also a meaningful one.
Boezaart expressed gratitude to everyone involved in launching the brand internationally and acknowledged the brand’s partners, VEA Capital Partners and Siya Kolisi.
Earlier this year, VEA Capital Partners acquired a stake in FOM from Bellair Road.
Bellair Road invested in the company in 2019 alongside the founding team, committed to scaling the business and growing an authentic South African brand.
Between 2019 and 2025, the group had expanded from 6 stores to 29, with the headcount increasing from 30 to 170.
Revenue and EBITDA also rose dramatically, delivering 46% and 60% CAGR’s, respectively, between 2019 and 2025.
Under VEA, the group said it was positioned to scale South African design and manufacturing, both locally and globally.
Boezaart said that partnering with VEA Capital Partners gave FOM the strategic support to unlock the next chapter of its growth, which included international expansion.
From a university room to the United Kingdom
Freedom of Movement was founded in 2013 by brothers Roal Boezaart and Léan Boezaart, who were passionate about design and entrepreneurship.
The group started with seed funding from their other brother, Marcel, who also served as chairman.
The brand name was inspired by the founders’ family’s motto, which was present in their home when they were growing up.
“Growing up in a house of four very social and sports-enthusiastic boys, our parents had their hands full more often than not,” said the brothers.
“To maintain some order, our dad introduced a house rule called ‘Freedom of Movement’. ‘Freedom of Movement’ had to be earned through hard work and personal discipline.”
The brothers explained that this rule required them to perform well academically, and if they met the required standards, they would achieve ‘Freedom of Movement.’
“This principle laid the groundwork for understanding the significance of hard work and discipline.”
The brothers said that in 2013, after qualifying as Civil Engineers and Chartered Accountants, they had earned the freedom to pursue their own paths.
“Initially, our vision was to create a proudly South African lifestyle brand anchored in the core principles of quality, longevity, value, and worth,” said the founders.
The founders explained that they saw leather as the raw material that embodied all four of these principles, which led to it being the starting point for the brand.
The brand was launched in a small room at the University of Stellenbosch, with one leather craftsman, Benjamin, and an old, traditional leather-stitching machine.
Photos of Freedom of Movement
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