Whose Success? FOM Brand Expands to UK Amid Questions of Access
A South African lifestyle brand born in the privileged halls of Stellenbosch University is heading to the United Kingdom. Freedom of Movement, or FOM, will open its first European store in Bath next month, a move its founders celebrate as a milestone. But as the brand plants its flag on foreign soil, deeper questions linger about who truly benefits from South Africa's so-called success stories.
A Stellenbosch Origin: Privilege as Launchpad
Roal Boezaart started making clothes in his Stellenbosch University dorm room during his first year. The garments sold out on campus. Together with his brothers Léan and Marcel, he built FOM into a premium lifestyle brand with 30 stores across the country.
It is, by any measure, an impressive entrepreneurial journey. But Stellenbosch University remains one of the most historically exclusive institutions in South Africa, a space long shielded from the economic realities facing the majority of Black South Africans. Access to such networks, campus markets, and startup infrastructure like The Launch Lab innovation hub provided fertile ground that countless Black entrepreneurs have historically been denied.
The Boezaart brothers attended Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool (Affies) in Pretoria, another institution steeped in the legacy of Afrikaner nationalism. Their father's house rule, Freedom of Movement, demanded academic performance and chores before the boys earned their freedom. It is a compelling family narrative, but one must ask: freedom of movement for whom, and at whose expense?
The Kolisi Partnership: Visibility or Validation?
FOM's most prominent chapter came through its association with Siya Kolisi. The Springbok captain wore the brand's Vellies, and the entire national team followed suit at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. President Cyril Ramaphosa even received a pair.
Kolisi's involvement cannot be dismissed. The partnership yielded two community projects: funding a rugby field in Mbekweni Township and building a multi-purpose astro facility alongside the Kolisi Foundation, Adidas, and TotalEnergies.
Yet the optics remain complicated. A brand forged in the heart of Afrikaner institutional privilege gained its most powerful visibility through the image of a Black captain leading a predominantly white rugby establishment. When the Springboks wore FOM's Vellies on the world stage, whose story was being told?
Most shoes felt either too formal or too casual. The idea behind the Vellies was to create something versatile enough to do both.
Roal's design philosophy speaks to a particular market: premium consumers who can afford handcrafted leather goods. In a country where economic inequality remains violently racialized, premium brands built on leather and luxury occupy a specific place in the hierarchy.
UK Expansion: Seeking Western Approval?
Now FOM turns to Bath, a picturesque English city with deep colonial ties. The choice of the UK as its first international destination is telling. Rather than expanding into African markets or the Global South, FOM follows a well-worn path: South African brands seeking legitimacy through Western validation.
Bath is a rugby town, which explains the strategic fit. But the symbolism is impossible to ignore. A brand shaped by Afrikaner heritage returns to the former colonial power for its global debut.
Bath is our first step into Europe and we're incredibly excited about the opportunity. We want to make Bath a success, learn from the market and continue building.
The Bigger Picture: Who Gets to Scale?
FOM employs 180 people and operates from a 2,800m² headquarters in Cape Town's Harvest Park. Its products are made across multiple countries. The brand plans to grow from 30 stores to more than 40 by the end of 2027. Roal, Kolisi, and VEA Capital Partners have now joined forces for FOM's next chapter.
None of this is trivial. Job creation matters. Community investment matters. Kolisi's genuine involvement and the Mbekweni project represent tangible impact.
But the broader question persists. When South African media celebrates origin stories like FOM's, the celebration rarely grapples with the structural advantages that made them possible. Stellenbosch, Affies, access to capital, access to markets, access to the very idea that a premium brand was yours to build. These are not accidents of merit. They are the dividends of history.
Until South Africa's economic landscape offers the same launchpads to Black entrepreneurs in Mbekweni, Khayelitsha, and Soweto, stories like FOM's will remain double-edged: proof of what is possible, and a reminder of who has long been permitted to pursue possibility first.