Meermin and Cheaney

[DrewMill]

Good morning, all!

I own both of these brands. They're probably my two favorite shoemakers that I own design and style wise. However, Cheaney is significantly more expensive than Meermin (about double). I am too uneducated to discern the real differences between the two to account for the price difference. Is it the leather quality (seems similar to me)? Is is the construction (again I don't know enough to tell)? Or is it just the Made in Northamptonshire tag and the heritage that goes along with it? I'd love it if someone who is familiar with these brands could help educate me. Thanks in advance!

 

[lemmy127]

I haven't ever handled Cheaney shoes, but the most glaring difference is country of origin.

Cheaney is made start to finish in Northamptonshire. Meermin shoes start in China. They then complete the fewest amount of the final steps legally necessary to be able to say they're made in Spain.

Meermin uses some cheaper internal materials as well, like plastic stiffeners for the heel cup and toe puff, as opposed to leather that more expensive brands do. I have no experience with Cheaney, so I can't verify that they use leather instead of plastic, but I'd guess they do. That plastic is why many people, including myself, have such a hell of a time breaking in a pair of Meermins.

 

[DrewMill]

I haven't ever handled Cheaney shoes, but the most glaring difference is country of origin.

Cheaney is made start to finish in Northamptonshire. Meermin shoes start in China. They then complete the fewest amount of the final steps legally necessary to be able to say they're made in Spain.

Meermin uses some cheaper internal materials as well, like plastic stiffeners for the heel cup and toe puff, as opposed to leather that more expensive brands do. I have no experience with Cheaney, so I can't verify that they use leather instead of plastic, but I'd guess they do. That plastic is why many people, including myself, have such a hell of a time breaking in a pair of Meermins.

Thanks for the information! This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for! Much appreciated!