![A Pair of Enzo Bonafe 3403MOD Chukka Boots in Snuff Brown Kudu Leather made for The Noble Shoe]()
A Long Overdue Review
Over 8 months ago I received a wonderful pair of Kudu Leather Boots by Enzo Bonafe.
Due to personal challenges which I will share with you in a future article, I didn’t get a chance to wear or review them.
Now though it’s time to dust off those typing skills and get back to what I did best.
Reviewing top notch, high quality shoes from the best makers around.
Come On, Tell Me More
Since I last saw you all, we have had a myriad of challenges in the world.
At the moment of writing there are new conflicts in the Middle East, Trump’s Tariff confusion has created confusion in the industry as well as imports.
Most importantly, I had tremendous challenges with my business, private life and much more.
I will share all this only when my lawyer gives me a thumbs up.
In the meantime, I appreciate everyone’s support and you can take advantage of a 30% Summer Sale at The Noble Shoe.
As far as these Kudu Leather Boots (and other shoes I got), there was simply no ideal time to try them and I always wanted to take a closer look here first.
So enough! Let’s talk shoes.
Kudu Leather: Unique & Affordable
Kudu Leather is a wonderful type of leather that comes from the Greater Kudu in Africa.
We commonly refer to it as “Antelope” and while exotic to our ears, it actually can be considered a pest and their population is controlled.
Since this is a wild animal, the uniqueness of its skin shines.
Each Kudu hide bears marks and scars that are never the same and depict the life of the animal in the wild.
One scar could be a wild bush, another could be the claw marks of a lion.
As with most leathers, Kudu comes in different processed configurations.
There’s Jamaica Kudu, a special embossed version from Charles F. Stead, Naked Kudu, Waxy Kudu and even reverse Kudu which is essentially suede.
It’s a supple material but extremely sturdy, requires little maintenance and will only get better with time.
Tip: Check the Types of Shoe Leather Article for more on leather.
The Commission
I always wanted an extra pair of Kudu Leather Boots after a good experience I had with Sons of Henrey back in the day.
This was an opportunity for me to check out another pair of Enzo Bonafe and if I liked it, make it part of the new collection at The Noble Shoe.
Luckily, at the time I was living next to Bologna and have a wonderful relationship with Massimo Bonafe.
Massimo is one of the owners and children of Enzo, who left us a few years ago and passed the torch.
In my visit, I made a few different amazing samples but this one was the one I wanted the most.
Picking a model is never easy since there are hundreds of styles you can choose from via the Enzo Bonafe MTO Service.
I landed on one and decided the rest of the specs which were straightforward.
Rubber sole, rounder shape, comfortable last.
Choosing the leather is also a good “headache” since there are so many colors and variations.
I wanted something that would showcase the leather and as soon as I landed on the Snuff Waxy Kudu, I knew this was it.
Let’s take a closer look at the specifications.
Specifications
I always liked beginning with the general specs of each shoe. It’s a nice simple list of all of its key features.
- Brand: Enzo Bonafe
- Model: Art. 3403MOD Chukka Boots
- MTO Link: The Noble Shoe
- Leather: Snuff Brown Waxy Kudu Leather
- Color: Dark Brown
- Construction: Handwelted
- Last: 363MOD
- Sole: Vibram Studded
- Extras: Shoe Trees
- Made In: 100% Italy
- Price: €800/$950
At the time of writing these shoes are all available as a Made to Order at The Noble Shoe.
Delivery is approximately 16-20 Weeks and the price includes lasted shoe trees.
The price without shoe trees is about $120 less.
Unboxing Experience
In the last Enzo Bonafe Review you saw the unboxing experience and nothing changed since that.
It’s a nice burgundy box with all the details on the side and compared to other brands, the sticker is actually rather large.
However, I had a bit more experience since then and I can say although it is not as bad as the Crockett & Jones box, it can be a bit fragile at times.
Thankfully, with the exception of one time I never saw a damaged shoe during transportation.
In the box you will find your shoe bags and a simple shoe horn, which is always nice.
It is also a reminder for me to tell you to always use shoe trees when you put your shoes on.
The amount of people that don’t is staggering and you risk cracking the heel in the future if you are not careful.
If you ordered shoe trees, they usually ship together and are already inside the shoes.
Decoding The Style Naming
When typing this I realized something I never thought about before here.
Each brand has its own way of describing each model and style.
Enzo Bonafe uses a similar method as Paolo Scafora with (usually) 4 digits.
In this occasion, you know that the base model is 3403. But what about MOD?
MOD stands for modification and the eagle-eyed individual might have noticed that the last is called 363MOD too.
This means that the base model or last has some form of modification.
It could be something as simple as a medallion, removal of a cap-toe, broguing or a last with extra width.
What this means is that if you are quoting a model, you should make sure to include any modifications or ensure the style includes MOD or not.
The 3403MOD CHukka BOots
In all honesty, there is not much to talk about when it comes to Chukka Boots.
It’s one of the most classic, simple styles of shoes and extremely versatile for casual wear.
In terms of styling it is simple with rare changes.
More often than not all that changes is the number of eyelets which is usually 2 or 3 and on the rare modified occasion some broguing, medallions etc.
This model goes back to the basics, with 3 eyelets, simple stitching and a simple backseam strip.
If you closely look at the top, you will see a small thin strip of dark piping which is a nice little touch.
Since this is a rather casual model for autumn, winter and spring it felt appropriate to pair it with a robust Vibram sole.
I feel that with this combination of leather, sole and shape blends quite harmoniously don’t you think?
Leather QUality
This is not my first rodeo with Kudu, but it is my first with this snuff waxy style.
There’s always a degree of excitement whenever I unbox shoes with a new leather and this case was no different.
Kudu has natural scars, but very often certain patterns of the rest are embossed (just like pretty much every grain in shoemaking).
This particular one is the most striking to me since it is as natural looking as I want.
There’s a bunch of scars on there and the leather sits somewhere between smooth calf and grain.
It is smooth enough but when you run your finger on the shoes you can feel the grain, the scars, the texture.
One day I remember someone telling me the shoes have more scars than he expected.
If you are not aware of how Kudu works or is, then it is not the leather for you unless you go for the suede version.
Easy to maintain, develops a natural patina and tells a story on its own.
Kudu is one of my absolute favorite shoe leathers.
Construction
Enzo Bonafe has a variety of constructions.
They can do Blake, Handwelted and Norwegian.
Each has its own strengths, pros and cons but generally you would not go for anything but Goodyear/Handwelted on boots.
I remember when I worked at Suitsupply we sold Blake Boots with fake goodyear stitching and selling it at a premium price.
Just don’t buy those please, invest in a good reputable brand.
Anyway, these Kudu Leather Boots are Handwelted. This is Goodyear by Hand in very simple terms and surprisingly they use this term often in Italy.
You can actually choose between 3 types of details for both Blake and Handwelted.
For Blake you can use 2-A, 2-B, 2-C and for Handwelted 3-A, 3-B, 3-C.
What this means is essentially how tight you want the waist to be and what construction that part has.
If you want a fully blind waist, you often blake stitch it, but maybe you want only the inside to be blind.
Those features are better for slick, dressier models since they accentuate the waist a bit more but are purely aesthetical in my book.
You should be able to guess which style I chose in this one (Spoiler: the chunkier, fully welted waist).
For anyone wondering, this type is 3-A.
This is a very robust shoe and has a very good welt joint.
Stitching & Balance
A nice to check the overall quality of a shoe is to look at the balance it has.
This is not something that is as important to me for more budget brands, but for a handmade shoe is a good benchmark.
Simply put the shoes on a flat surface, put your thumb on the instep and tilt it gently left to right a few times.
The less it moves, the better the balance. This is something they taught me in Bespoke School when I was making the sole and heel.
To me another indication is shoes that have this massive toe spring and literally tilt the toe up.
You should avoid those in general.
Here the stitching is as clean as it can be and the more I inspect the leather, the more I love it.
On the bottom, I actually noticed a few locked stitches on even places so it would interest me next time I am in Bologna to see the technique.
There’s not much else to say about the stitching, since this is a rather simple model.
Still, a good job as it should be at this price point.
Outsole
Again, there’s not much to say about rubber soles.
This particular one is Vibram Golf, probably as a reference to the studs golf shoes have. Don’t quote me on that one.
One thing I did notice was that while usually heels are about 2.5-2.7 cm (about an inch) this one is about 3.5 cm.
However, it does have a midsole and with the welt and outsole the thickness is about 1.5 cm.
To compare with, your standard simple leather sole is about 0.9 cm.
It’s a chunky boy and I like it! I feel it works with the aesthetics I wanted well.
As for the quality, it is Vibram which I find better than Dainite in general.
The 363MOD Last & Sizing
If you want to make a list of all the Enzo Bonafe lasts, you will finish in 30 years.
There are a few more popular ones and the 363MOD is a classic.
Like aforementioned, it is the 363 Last with a width modification.
It has a very classic, round shape which is perfect for casual boots and shoes.
Generally, it is not a last I would recommend for a dressier shoe unless you have real width issues with your foot.
This makes it a spacious last and the general recommendation is to size down half from your usual UK dress shoe size.
For my international friends, just subtract 1.5 from your usual US dress shoe size.
Here’s a quick example:
- UK 8 Carmina Rain should pick UK 7.5 in the 363MOD
- US 9D Allen Edmonds should pick UK 7.5 in the 363MOD
- UK 8 Gaziano & Girling should pick UK 7 in the 363 MOD
As always, if you are unsure simply ask your retailer.
Luckily, I have experience with pretty much all major brands and can give you the best advice possible.
In my case, I actually took my regular sizing since my foot has some small issues now and requires insoles or space.
Availability & Ordering
Ordering The 3403MOD Kudu Leather Boots is quite simple through The Noble Shoe or any Enzo Bonafe qualified retailer.
As a Made To Order, I would say it generally takes 16-20 Weeks to make but as always it is an estimate.
It is also possible to change leather, color, sole or make modifications by going through the Made To Order Program.
Currently, all you have to do is place your order through the dedicated product page.
If all goes well I plan to add more pages for each Bonafe “prebuilt” and even have some small stock in the future.
Let me know if you would like that.
Where Does Enzo Bonafe Sit In The Tier List?
The more I work with Enzo Bonafe, the more I rate them as a brand.
I used to rate Crockett & Jones very highly (and I still do) but their pricing increased so much over the last years that I would rarely recommend them over these.
If you looking for a handmade shoe but cannot afford the ultra luxury ones yet you outgrew the entry level, Enzo Bonafe is the answer.
Another reason I always want to recommend them is because they are simply some of the nicest people in this strange shoe industry.
A small team that is a family business and one where the owners still work and produce instead of just sitting and managing.
Their mom still works there every day. Bless her heart she is an amazing woman.
Conclusions
It feels strange yet familiar to write another shoe review or showcase after so long.
Is this a sign of things to come? We will see since I am going through a lot of challenges right now.
As always, supporting The Noble Shoe puts food on the table of my family and helps the remaining true artisans of the world.
This concludes my review of my latest pair of Kudu Leather Boots by Enzo Bonafe.
I hope you enjoyed it and I will be thrilled to help you create your own amazing pair in the future.
Thank you for reading,
Kostas Mandilaris,
Misiu Academy
