What is the best value shoe maker you know?

[hi123]

In the UK there is Loake which makes high quality shoes for great value.

I was also told about this Spanish shoe maker
Meermin recently.
There is also Estelles in Spain.

I travel a lot so I would like to get my shoes from whoever has the best price/value.

I'm wondering if a company in a developing country such as Mexico or India could provide the same quality for less money.

Can anyone recommend a great shoe company that provides the best value?

Also, how would you compare the quality of the shoes in these three websites?

https://www.loake.co.uk/
https://www.meermin.es/
http://zapateriasestelles.es


Thank you so much!

 

[aristoi bcn]

Carmina for GYW. Vass for HW. Vass are more solid but also little more expensive.

Meccariello would be my bet if talking about bespoke.

 

[dieworkwear]

I would say Meermin. The jump in quality from Meermin and a lower priced brand is very big. The jump from Meermin and more expensive brands is much, much smaller.

 

[jrd617]

Vass if we're talking value, not "cheap." If Vass had a bigger profile and was maybe had production in the USA, the prices would be a lot more. An obscene amount of handwork goes into them and the variety of lasts are great.

 

[Andy57]

I would say Meermin. The jump in quality from Meermin and a lower priced brand is very big. The jump from Meermin and more expensive brands is much, much smaller.

A rare pont of disagreement between Derek and I. I think Meermin is poor value for the money. Their shoes are brutal to break in. So much so that I simply gave away the couple of pairs I bought. Simply not worth the pain.

Value for money? Edward Green in ready to wear, and Nicholas Templeman in bespoke.

 

[dieworkwear]

A rare pont of disagreement between Derek and I. I think Meermin is poor value for the money. Their shoes are brutal to break in. So much so that I simply gave away the couple of pairs I bought. Simply not worth the pain.

Value for money? Edward Green in ready to wear, and Nicholas Templeman in bespoke.

No, I agree. They're tough to break in.

I just assume, if you're asking people on the internet about value, you're probably looking to spend as little as possible. Meermin is about the cheapest you can go without sacrificing too much on leather and construction. But you're going to want to budget some time to break them in.

 

[Andy57]

No, I agree. They're tough to break in.

I just assume, if you're asking people on the internet about value, you're probably looking to spend as little as possible. Meermin is about the cheapest you can go without sacrificing too much on leather and construction. But you're going to want to budget some time to break them in.

No, I realize the subtext. Sometimes I just like to try to make a point that value for money and cheapest are not necessarily the same thing.

 

[dieworkwear]

No, I realize the subtext. Sometimes I just like to try to make a point that value for money and cheapest are not necessarily the same thing.

I agree.

Value can also be buying what you love, but only the OP can say what he's really looking for. Some guys are looking to just get a pair of shoes so they don't look like a goofball at work. Some guys are obsessives and want the best.

If the OP is the second, then it's worth just figuring out what's a responsible budget and buying what makes you really happy. In the end, many people end up with wardrobes much bigger than they need. And they'd be better off with fewer items that bring them real joy than a bunch of stuff that brings them nothing but the comfort of knowing they were bought on sale and "of good value."

That said, if you're looking for something that brings you real joy, and not just a pair of shoes you can wear to a wedding, that's an incredibly subjective question that no one can answer for you.

 

[emptym]

Alden and Rider Boot for rtw. DW Frommer for custom.

For a long time, people recommended Bexley, a French brand, but I haven't seen them mentioned for a while.

 

[dieworkwear]

Feet inside two giant bags of styrofoam peanuts = cheapest solution possible.

 

[maxalex]

My sons both wear Meermin and love them; neither has complained of break-in. They seem like a good budget shoe, made partially in Asia—China I believe although much garment production there is shifting to cheaper Vietnam—and finished in Spain.

I personally love all the Hungarian shoes: Vass but also Rozsnyai especially, as well as Buday and (for more exotic stuff) Attila. My friend Federico Badia, who makes much more expensive shoes by hand in Orvieto, Italy, confirms the quality of the Hungarian workmanship although he’s not always impressed by their leather. I travel to Budapest frequently which makes it easier, but they all have shipping.

 

[Nick V.]

Cheaney is also a good value.

 

[Jaggery]

As others have noted, the answer partly depends on what you're looking to accomplish with the purchase. If you're looking for comfortable shoes that most people would consider office appropriate, the best value propositions are unlikely to earn many points on styleforum, without taking these parameters into account. Allen Edmonds used to produce an "ae" line, consisting of cement-constructed shoes, some of which looked a little snubby. But they were hard-wearing in North American weather. Amortized over the "life" of the purchase, I'd venture that few brands discussed here would beat a pair of ae factory seconds purchased on sale from the Shoe Bank.

And this is the one twist that I would add: Some makes tend to be discounted more, and more often, than others. Perhaps counterintuitively, it's possible to snag good deals from a utilitarian standpoint among more fashion-oriented brands. The key is finding models with decent construction and classic styling at heavily discounted prices, for example inventory from a previous season. A pair of Doucal's from Yoox for about $150, or Ferragamo Tramezzas from Burlington Coat Factory for around $300, could be excellent (if they fit) at these prices, even if the same shoes weren't compelling at full retail price.

 

[am55]

A rare pont of disagreement between Derek and I. I think Meermin is poor value for the money. Their shoes are brutal to break in. So much so that I simply gave away the couple of pairs I bought. Simply not worth the pain.

The unlined loafers are the exception, very soft out of the box, so much so I just bought another pair. I hope to see more in that direction from Meermin.

 

[hi123]

I would say Meermin. The jump in quality from Meermin and a lower priced brand is very big. The jump from Meermin and more expensive brands is much, much smaller.

thanks for the recommendation dieworkwear.

Have you or anyone heard of this shoemaker?

http://zapateriasestelles.es/

What makes Meermin better than them?

They have GYW, calf-leather shoes for €100