Alden blucher - poor quality or poor foot shape

Falu_al · Nov 18, 2013

Hi there,

I picked up a pair of Bluchers from the SF store this summer. I have used them occasionally, yet the right shoe seems to be aging quite rapidly, with a lot wrinkles on the leather. I am not referring to the natural wrinkles that comes from using them, rather the very small ones that seems to indicate broken leather. I have polished them every other time, always using the alden shoe trees.

First image of both shoes

cloese up on the right shoe. Notice how the leather is behaving

For this photo, I have inserted the shoe trees. Notice how the small wrinkles still appear.

Any ideas? I beleive they are the in the Barrie last, and I have the Indy boot in the same last and they have aged beautifully.

Best,

Apollotrader · Nov 18, 2013

I personally would not stand for it. Those shoes literally look more worn than a pair of AE's I bought in high school (1982). Here is a picture.

I would return them with a nice letter stating the facts and asking for guidance. If Alden is a stand up company, they will send you a new pair.

SuitedDx · Nov 18, 2013

Falu_al said:
Hi there,

I picked up a pair of Bluchers from the SF store this summer. I have used them occasionally, yet the right shoe seems to be aging quite rapidly, with a lot wrinkles on the leather. I am not referring to the natural wrinkles that comes from using them, rather the very small ones that seems to indicate broken leather. I have polished them every other time, always using the alden shoe trees.

First image of both shoes

cloese up on the right shoe. Notice how the leather is behaving

For this photo, I have inserted the shoe trees. Notice how the small wrinkles still appear.

Any ideas? I beleive they are the in the Barrie last, and I have the Indy boot in the same last and they have aged beautifully.

Best,

I believe it's the part of the leather they used which is why there are more prominent creasing. One of the reasons some makers are more expensive is because they only use the better parts of the hide. Although Alden is an expensive brand (I own over 10 myself so I'm not trying to be negative), I do notice that they don't always use the 'prime' pieces. This also is reflected on their shell shoes. There is a really nice thread about leather which is worth checking out.

Falu_al · Dec 1, 2013

Hi All,

Just to keep you updated, Alden is currently looking into the issue. Brenda from the SF shop has already concluded that the creasing is due to a defect pair of shoes. I will let you know how the customer support handles the matter. Of to a promising start though.

Master-Classter · Dec 1, 2013

yeah, I would also say it looks like a bad choice of leather there. The point of buying into a 'brand' is that it's supposed to imply a certain level quality control, but they do make mistakes and i would agree this looks like one of them. How they handle the situation will also be telling of what kind of company they are...

MyOtherLife · Dec 5, 2013

Falu_al · Nov 17, 2015

They handled it greatly and send a new pair of shoes. The new ones are much better.

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Alden blucher - poor quality or poor foot shape

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