ROF x Mad Zoggs Skins

After five years of ROF-Style, we felt it was time to capture our story. So much had happened, so many adventures, and we wanted to find a way to hold it all together. That’s when we met Caelyn, the artist behind Mad Zoggs Skins. She’s not only a very talented artist but also has experience working with leather, which made the connection feel immediate and obvious.

Some projects come together in ways that feel natural, like the pieces were already there waiting to be linked. Meeting Caelyn was one of those moments. She has a way of working with leather that caught our attention right away. By taking old, thrifted jackets, Caelyn paints them into something new. Each one is still leather with a history, but with her hand, it becomes layered with stories. We knew straight away this could connect with ROF-Style. Our boots are also about carrying stories and adventures, shaped by the roads we’ve walked.

When we started talking, the conversation kept circling back to one thing: what are the moments that shaped ROF-Style? What are the small things that hold meaning but often stay invisible? From that, the idea of symbols began to take shape.

More about our meeting experience

Drawing The Story

Together, we listed the parts of the journey that left their mark.

A windmill from the Karoo. A cactus rooted in that same landscape. A campervan from months spent on the road in Europe. A compass to remind us of the many times we’ve had to choose a new direction. A hot air balloon rising over Sossusvlei. A bootprint stamped into desert sand. Roffie the ridgeback, part of every early road trip. Even the Land Rover that broke down more often than it ran.

Each symbol was simple, but carried a whole chapter of the ROF-Style story. Caelyn sketched them in pencil first, slowly layering them until the collection of symbols felt complete.

Windmill

The nostalgic feeling of the Karoo, tied to childhood visits to South Africa.

Boot

It began with one brown pair. The Tankwa Boot, first worn on Karoo dust. Everything since has been built on that step.

Cactus

The first Tankwa Boots were tested in the Karoo. Dry, wild, and stubborn, just like the cactus.

Compass

ROF was born from finding a new direction, moving from the Netherlands to South Africa. The compass reminds us to keep looking for adventure, even in the everyday.

Boot Print

Our soles are tough. They’ve taken us where we needed to go and held us through it all. This print is a reminder to keep walking, even when the path isn’t clear.

Land Rover

Our Landy has taken us through Southern Africa. It’s broken down more times than we can count, but that’s part of it. The stuck moments, the stories, the dust. Every trip has shaped us.

Campervan

Back when it was just the two of us, the campervan was our way of life. Later, it became the ROF on Tour van, driving across Europe to meet the community face to face.

Plane

We’ve flown across Namibia and South Africa in planes, chasing sunsets and freedom. The airplane reminds us that some dreams stay with you, waiting to take off.

Hot Air Balloon

On our honeymoon, we floated over the Sossusvlei dunes at sunrise. That stillness of the Namib Desert stayed with us.

Horse

From childhood rides to the Namib Desert to the coastline of Mozambique, some of our best memories were made on horseback. The horse reminds us to trust our instincts and footing.

Motorbike

There’s nothing quite like a motorbike and an open road. The wind, the dust, the freedom… and boots that were made for it.

Dog

The mark of loyalty. Our ridgeback, Roffie. He’s been with us from the start, before anyone knew ROF.

Building the Artwork

From the individual symbols, Caelyn began working on a larger piece of artwork. It was the first time the whole story of ROF was held together in one design. All the symbols sat side by side, some large, some small, some tucked into corners like secrets.

This artwork became the foundation of the campaign. It wasn’t just about the boots or a jacket. It was about having something visual that could hold the whole journey so far.

Watch the big reveal

The Journey Bandana

We wanted a way to share the artwork with more people, not just as a one-off piece. That’s how the Journey Bandana came to life. Printed locally in South Africa on 100% cotton, the bandana carries every symbol and was designed to move with you. Some people wear it around their neck, others on their bag, or even tied on a dog. It’s light, simple and still carries the whole story.

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Painting The Leather

While the Journey Bandana made the artwork something anyone could carry, Caelyn and I also wanted to make pieces that stood on their own and marked this collaboration. That’s where the hand-painted leather jacket and Tankwa Boots came in.

Caelyn sourced a thrifted leather jacket and started the process of painting it. Pencil sketches laid out where each symbol would sit. Bit by bit, she painted them directly onto the panels. What started as a plain black jacket became layered with the compass, the hot air balloon, mountains, horses and all the other marks of the journey.

At the same time, she worked on a pair of brown Tankwa Boots. Instead of filling them with all the symbols, she painted them with wide, golden dunes. They became a reflection of Namibia itself, the desert that shaped so much of ROF-Style.

The Full Journey Set

By the end of the campaign, everything came together as the Full Journey Set: the hand-painted jacket, the custom boots and the Journey bandana.

We decided that instead of keeping these pieces in a box somewhere, we would give them to one winner from our ROF Community to take on all of their adventures.

Looking Back

The Mad Zoggs Skins collaboration stretched out over months, with reels, photos, sketches, and small behind-the-scenes moments. Chickens running through the frame while we tried to style the set. Donkeys and ponies nosing around while we filmed. Long afternoons watching Caelyn layer paint onto leather.

The last part of the campaign was captured at Kalmoesfontein, a place very close to our hearts. It’s where Laura and Leo got married, and where Laura’s water broke before their daughter, Stella, was born. Filming there felt like closing the loop. Another mark on the journey.

It wasn’t just about the final pieces, but about sharing the process of making them. And maybe that’s why this campaign felt different. It showed not just the finished artwork but also the friendship, the laughter and the patience that went into it.

The Full Journey wasn’t really about creating a product. It was about holding a story in different forms and then letting it travel on.