Officine Creative & NDC Made by Hand shoes - quality?

[gusgusterson]

Hello,
Could anyone comment on the quality of either Officine Creative or NDC Made by Hand shoes? I've seen examples of both in person and like one model of each, but am hesitant to buy as I don't know much about either company. I do know that NDC has a loose connection to Kickers which isn't so exciting. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you!

I'm not finding an Officine Creative site, but here's the The NDC site:
http://www.ndcmadebyhand.com/

 

[xcoldricex]

i've been waiting for a reply to this- but i guess no one knows? i've been looking at n.d.c. shoes for awhile- since they provide a cheaper alternative to poell, c diem shoes which i've always wanted. no one has experience with these?

 

[Brian SD]

I handled some NDC shoes in person and I really didn't like them. The leather was meh, and the distressing was *way* too much. Consider them the True Religion of footwear. John Varvatos, Martin Margiela and Jil Sander all do shoes in that same price range that are superb quality and aren't distressed to such an annoying level.

 

[xcoldricex]

how about guidi or premiata?

 

[Brian SD]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex

how about guidi?

No opinion on them

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex

i've been waiting for a reply to this- but i guess no one knows? i've been looking at n.d.c. shoes for awhile- since they provide a cheaper alternative to poell, c diem shoes which i've always wanted. no one has experience with these?
I have to agree with Brian's assessment. I understand that NDC shoes come closest in silhouette to Carpe Diems, but Margiela and Dries Van Noten make similar shoes with both far better construction and distressing than NDC. Barbato makes some boots not disimilar to Carpe Diem boots, at a much lower pricepoint. They are not as well constructed though, nor as distressed. John Varvatos does good distressed leather shoes too, but they are a different style - sort of a Ivy League meets East Village look. Marni also does some good distressed leather shoes and boots, but again, in a different style - much more boho and less urban/gothic.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex

how about guidi or premiata?

I don't know anything about Guidi, but Premiata is about the same quality as Barbato. Similar pricepoint too, I think. Both Barbato and Premiata are a little flashier than Carpe Diem though.

 

[xcoldricex]

premiata had some stuff designed by poell a few seasons back- i should've gotten some then, but i was poor i guess. so cdiem boots are well made? i can't judge shoe quality- but i have always coveted a pair of the boots- and after trying them on a few weeks ago. i really want them- they look a lot better than the poell boots i tried on. so in your opinion is the cost "justifiable?"

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex

premiata had some stuff designed by poell a few seasons back- i should've gotten some then, but i was poor i guess. so cdiem boots are well made? i can't judge shoe quality- but i have always coveted a pair of the boots- and after trying them on a few weeks ago. i really want them- they look a lot better than the poell boots i tried on. so in your opinion is the cost "justifiable?"
Well, let's face it. $300 jeans $250 hoodies and $200 belts (all of which I wear) are not really "justifiable" no matter how you decide to cut it. They are luxuries which we choose to indulge in. For me Carpe Diem boots are not something I would spend $1K+ on, because I have several K worth of boots (Costume Nationals are my favorite) that I never wear, already (I invariably wear sneakers). However, if you like them and have the money to indulge and think that you could get good use out of them, Carpe Diem boots are well constructed, and hold up for a long time - they are just very, very expensive shitkickers. Edit: an annoying typo.

 

[xcoldricex]

haha well you can at least say they're good quality. haha. i'm not planning on spending 1.5k on a pair of boots- i'd probably get used ones if i did. i can also maybe justify them using michigan weather as an excuse... hmmm haha. thanks for your opinion

 

[xcoldricex]

oh i asked if it was "justifiable" because i've been hearing all sorts of problem with poell boots- those are also ~$1400 but a lot of people end up complaining about them- the nails and whatnot. i don't think i know anyone that owns a pair of c diems so i can't say anything about how they hold up or their quality.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex

oh i asked if it was "justifiable" because i've been hearing all sorts of problem with poell boots- those are also ~$1400 but a lot of people end up complaining about them- the nails and whatnot. i don't think i know anyone that owns a pair of c diems so i can't say anything about how they hold up or their quality.
Yes, they are well constructed. Incidentally, the guy that does the distressing on Carpe Diem boots is working with a new label now (perhaps his own, I don't remember). I don't remember the name, but if I remember, I'll post it.

 

[Manny Calavera]

Who carries Carpe Diem?

 

[LA Guy]

Where? In Boston, Alan Bilzerian. In NYC, I think that Jeffrey has them, and I'm sure many others as well. In LA, I think that both Ron Herman in Fred Segal (which also carries CCP, last time I was there) and Maxfield both have them. I generally never look at shoes, though, excepting sneakers, so I am not the best resource here.

 

[minya]

Atelier in NYC has them