Valenki are the most unchangeable and stable pair of shoes. In the XXI century, felt boots are associated with something archaic and outdated. Although they have been the most popular and durable footwear for many centuries. Now it seems to society that valenki are irrelevant and do not fit the fashion trends of the 21st century.

Voylok is a brand that a team of Russian guys launched in England. Valenki are made according to all the rules in a workshop in the north of Russia. This brand shows that these shoes can be relevant and modern. They create minimalistic and versatile felt boots, suitable for the trends of modern life. The brand focuses on flexibility: valenki are great for traveling, cold and wet weather.

The main goal of the rebranding was to make the corporate identity structured, understandable, recognisable and to show the relevance of boots taking into account new trends and views. I focused on creating merchandising for the brand, because I thought that this was not enough for the company to sell products.

The new identity is based on a combination of illustrations referring to traditional Siberian symbols and on the developed display font “Valenki” designed within the framework of the project. The style uses black and white colors, which show the versatility of boots. On Instagram I found photos of felt boots and used them in style. I used them in black and white and left red noses, as this is the main characteristic feature of the brand.

This project was carried out as a student project at the HSE School of Art and Design.