I had a chance to visit the Carlos Santos Factory near Porto in Portugal last week. I took more than 700 pictures and a lot of videos. I explored tons of new styles and never seen before models that gave me food for thought. Above everything, I met the whole family of Carlos Santos, who changed my life this past year. We talked shoes and we went through all the production of each pair of shoes.
Absolutely incredible. Read all about it in the latest article!
Every man needs a few certain pieces in his wardrobe.
A blue and grey suit. A pair of black oxfords and brown derbies. The refined, modern gentleman however can bridge the gap and still look sharp yet unique. How?
With a pair of Monk Straps of course! A beautiful, unique shoe with roots in the monks of Europe and a rich long history. Join me as we discover the history behind these shoes and explore the different versions!
These days, everybody classes their products as “Handmade”. Some of them call them Handcrafted. The truth is that 99.9% of them are lying and use the term handmade as a buzzword that intends to attract you to them, masked as higher quality.
Today, we are going to look at the differences between those two terms and find out if there are any actual brands that do this. Hint: There are not many.
Myrqvist is a company from Sweden that has featured in our “Best Shoes Under 400$” list. Today though I finally had the chance to do a physical test on one of their shoes after purchasing them in a sample sale in Stockholm.
Specifically, a minimalist dark brown penny loafer called the Smögen. Goodyear Welted for a very good price, it certainly earns its spot in the value category.
This time we look at the most important news in the shoe industry from April 2020. It involves mostly mentions about sales, new website launches and new model releases.
Already November and that means it’s time for the News!
For the Welted News from October 2020 we have our latest Scammer of the month as well as a few updates on the new Zonkey Boot website, Foster & Son closure and more! Check it out!
Thanks. I really enjoyed reading this write-up on Norman Vilalta. Having purchased a few pairs of shoes from NV, it was interesting to get an idea of the place where all this is conceived and done. It has been my really good fortune that NV RTW shoes and boots fit me so well, almost like bespoke, and of course, I love the design and craftsmanship of their work.
The last time we communicated, I was pestering you with questions about zip boots 🙂 I have, for now, decided not to buy those. Maybe after a year or two, I may try to approach NV if such a boot can be made with his vision, for me. Probably have to start saving money for that, if he agrees 🙂
I hope all is well. I am sure you must be quite busy in Italy. I am still working at Apple, and also quite occupied getting my artwork ready for new exhibits this year in the bay area.
Hello Akhtar! Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing your thoughts!
I am happy you found this helpful and that you are enjoying your NV Shoes! I am a proud partner and retailer of Norman’s shoes now and I am very excited for the future.
Hello Kostas,
Thanks. I really enjoyed reading this write-up on Norman Vilalta. Having purchased a few pairs of shoes from NV, it was interesting to get an idea of the place where all this is conceived and done. It has been my really good fortune that NV RTW shoes and boots fit me so well, almost like bespoke, and of course, I love the design and craftsmanship of their work.
The last time we communicated, I was pestering you with questions about zip boots 🙂 I have, for now, decided not to buy those. Maybe after a year or two, I may try to approach NV if such a boot can be made with his vision, for me. Probably have to start saving money for that, if he agrees 🙂
I hope all is well. I am sure you must be quite busy in Italy. I am still working at Apple, and also quite occupied getting my artwork ready for new exhibits this year in the bay area.
Best,
Akhtar
Hello Akhtar! Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing your thoughts!
I am happy you found this helpful and that you are enjoying your NV Shoes! I am a proud partner and retailer of Norman’s shoes now and I am very excited for the future.
Congratulations on your upcoming exhibition!
Best,
Kostas