Retail therapy: Canadian footwear brand Viberg turns 90

Viberg’s Service Boot is the style that launched the brand back in 1931.Viberg

Few footwear companies have the rich history of Viberg, which turns 90 this year.

“Our heritage informs many areas of what we do today. Mainly, it’s about making the highest quality product and not really compromising due to cost,” brand creative director and president Brett Viberg says. After immigrating to Canada from Sweden, Viberg’s grandfather Edwin Viberg founded his footwear company in Saskatchewan, although the family history in shoemaking goes back even further.

“Originally, he learned shoemaking from his dad, my great-grandpa, who learned from my great-great-grandpa in Sweden,” he says.

Viberg’s focus on quality and durability is exemplified by the Service Boot, the style that launched the brand back in 1931.

“It was a true ankle boot made in a nailed-down construction, which allowed for very good support and comfort when working on the farms in the Prairies,” Viberg says.

In 2007, he revisited the design, adapting the pattern and shoe lasts for the modern wearer.

“It really is an example of our entire company’s legacy in one product, which is the ability to adapt and innovate within our small market.”

In 2007, the Service Boot's design was revisited, adapting the pattern and shoe lasts for the modern wearer.Viberg

Today, Viberg is catering to that market around the world, including through a boutique and showroom that opened in Tokyo last year. Tantamount to their mission is preserving the family legacy for years to come.

“I am always trying to improve upon what we are doing, even if it is not cost effective,” Viberg says.

“If it makes a better product, then we will probably do it.”

Viberg, viberg.com.