As we return to the office many of us are feeling a touch of angst at the prospect of leaving our slippers behind. Sure, office-appropriate shoes look nice but tend to be less cozy and need tying.
For those of you suffering from slipper separation anxiety, we have some great news! Our favourite slip-on Loafer is returning to stock.
This shoe gives you the slip-on/off ease of your favourite slippers and the ability to dress to impress. While they may not exactly be your slippers, we promise they are the next best thing.
Available in 2 colours, Classic Black and Irish Coffee brown, the Loafer has all your wardrobe needs covered.
Arriving June 1, you can save $50 for a limited time by pre-ordering today with promo code PREORDER50.
P.S. There will be no sole related delays due to the fact we ordered extra soles for the last order.
We don't often think about it but the footwear industry is a huge polluter. Every year more than 23 billion pairs of sneakers are produced. Most of these new shoes use virgin plastics, rubbers and other petrochemical products. A fact that contributes significantly to the industry's carbon footprint. Additionally, over 300 million pairs of shoes end up in landfills each year. Clearly, the footwear industry needs to clean up its act.
Leather has been with us since the earliest days of humanity and has long been prized for its durability, availability and versatility. Nowadays fine leathers are synonymous with luxury and are appreciated as something that gets finer with age. Moreover, leather is a natural product so that means it is automatically sustainable right?
For the past 18 months we've been developing a new sustainable shoe collection. We've reimagined some of our most popular leather styles to have a minimal carbon footprint.
Starting from the ground up we've developed a new sole using a lightweight bio-based EVA foam. The uppers are knit using plant based yarns. We've added leather accents as an hommage to our dress shoe DNA but we've ensured the hides come from sustainable managed tanneries. Read on to get all the details.
The Sole:
We've opted for a lightweight and flexible foamed EVA which is actually carbon negative! Made from sugar cane (instead of the usual petroleum based ethanol) our new soles actually reduce greenhouse gases by capturing and storing CO2 during production.
The Knit Upper:
For the knit uppers the shoes will feature a melange of Tencel and SeaCell fibres. Both are of renewable plant origin and are produced using a "closed loop" manufacturing process which recycles the water used during production and over 99% of the solvents involved are recovered for future use.
Extracted from sustainably grown forests tencel fibres are known for their tenacity, moisture wicking abilities and gentleness on your skin (important if you go sockless). SeaCell yarns, meanwhile, are harvested from seaweed (which regenerates) and contains antioxidants which protect your skin from harmful free radicals.
Due to their plant origins and sustainable production process both fibres are carbon neutral and completely biodegradable.
Leather Details:
We've used leather accents on our shoes as a reference to our dress shoe DNA. While leather itself is a natural product, the tanning process can have a negative environmental impact. For this reason we've carefully selected a tannery which is dedicated to sustainability and whose leather production has a 52% smaller impact than the industry average.
How They Are Made:
An often overlooked aspect of sustainable products is how they are produced. Often times factory best practices are outdated, inefficient and wasteful which is why we're ecstatic that our new SUSTAINOBLE collection is being produced in one of the world's first solar powered, zero waste factories.
Committed to achieving carbon neutral manufacturing this Smart Factory is powered by renewable solar energy and invests heavily in robotics and smart tech to minimize material waste and energy. In fact, the workshop creates 96% less waste than traditional shoe factories. Moreover, the factory produces shoes on a made-to-order basis to prevent over production.
From start to finish we are proud to offer some of the most environmentally friendly shoes ever produced.
What do you think of our new collection? Leave your thoughts below!
Shoes are an essential yet often overlooked element of a man's wardrobe. It is often said that shoes can make or break an outfit but we still let them get scuffed and dirty without realising we no longer look our best. To ensure we're consistently putting our best foot forward it's important to take care of our shoes. And not only that, but when shoes are well maintained they last a whole lot longer.
Ever wonder what goes into making a pair of sneakers disguised as dress shoes?
Check out the video and pictures below to see how the factory has combined sneaker construction with dress shoe aesthetic to create a sneaker that looks like a dress shoe.
Pattern pieces are arranged to minimize waste.
The the precision cutting machine goes into action to cut the components for the shoe upper.
Below, pattern pieces are arranged by size and sewn together.
After the uppers and linings have been completed, pressure is used to give the uppers shape in preparation for lasting.
With shape given to the upper, the strobel stitch machine is used to attach the midsole to the upper (pictured below). Strobel construction is primarily used in sneakers because it creates a lighter and more flexible shoe than the traditional board lasting method.
With Strobel stitch complete the shoe is ready for lasting.
The last is slipped into the shoe and gently hammered into place. The freshly lasted shoe is then sent through a giant fridge. Exposing the shoe to the cold enables the leather to keep the shape of the last. In the old days this effect was achieved by keeping the last in the shoe for several days.
Once the shoe has emerged from the cold, the outsole is cemented and manually attached to the shoe's upper.
The shoe then goes through several machines to ensure the bond with the sole is secure. Then it is finished by stitching the sidewall of the sole to the upper.
Finally the shoe is ready for finishing. It is polished and buffed then laced and finished. After the has been carefully inspected for imperfections it is boxed and ready for delivery.
A short tutorial on how to cut your belt to size for a perfect fit.
Whether it’s for business or pleasure, travelling can be tricky. And when you carry a lot of luggage it gets even trickier as you navigate through crowded airports, into taxi cabs and through the streets of unknown cities.
The secret to eliminating travel stress is to pack lightly. All it takes is a bit of discipline and planning. Plus we’ll share a few items that make our travels easier and hopefully they'll do the same for you.
First and foremost limit yourself to just your carry-on. Not only will doing so ensure you don’t pack a bunch of unnecessary items but it will also spare you the endless wait at the baggage carousel.
So how exactly do you fit everything you need for your trip into a single carry-on?
Go Neutral: when selecting clothing for your trip, opt for neutral shades and like colours so you can easily mix and match items. If you insist on bright colours, use the colour as an anchor piece to build multiple outfits around. And if you’re travelling for business, a crisp white shirt just makes sense.
Only the Essentials: a couple pairs of pants and a few shirts should be all you need (plus the requisite undergarments). Feel free to add a few items for layering in colder climates and to add a bit of variety to your travel outfits.
Max your personal item: Typically you're allowed 1 carry-on and 1 personal item when travelling. Don't waste this opportunity on a small laptop bag. I personally take a backpack to hold all my camera gear, laptop, and a book or two.
Below we've compiled a few of our favourite items that make our trips easier. Check them out and let us know in the comments what your favourite helpful travel items are.
Packing Cubes: Instead of just rolling your clothes (saves more space than folding) you can put everything in packing cubes. These smart cubes from Vasco are great because they save up to 60% of the space in your luggage, keep you nicely organized and the labeled cubes remind you to take all your essentials.
Non-Iron Shirts: While you will probably only need 1 suit or blazer for your business trip, it’s always a good idea to have an extra dress shirt. While we prefer white dress shirts, Twillory has a great selection of non-iron dress shirts made from their safe-cotton technology (formaldehyde free).
Versatile Shoe: Shoes can be especially tricky when travelling because they take up so much space in your luggage. So what if you could travel with 1 pair of shoes that you could use for business and casual? That’s where our Sneakers Disguised As Dress Shoes come into play. Now you can travel with just the shoes on your feet and not waste any precious space in your carry-on.
Carry-on Garment Bag: On the off chance that you will need more than 1 suit while you’re away you’ll have to ensure it arrives to your destination in wearable condition. You can either bring along a travel garment bag and hope you can hang it in the front closet of the plane. Or you can invest in carry-on sized rolling garment bag like this one from Briggs & Riley. Unlike most other rolling garment bags, this one is upright so you can easily roll it down the aisle of the plane. 
These are some of our favourite travel items. Let us know yours in the comments below.
Back when I started my quest for comfortable shoes that look good with suits, I encountered a sneaker version of a Chelsea boot. At the time I thought it was the perfect way to merge dress shoes with casual comfort.
However, after trying to wear a pair of Chelsea sneakers with a suit, I found the toe too round to look really good with a modern tailored suit. In fact I almost felt like I was wearing a pair of UGG boots with a suit.
In addition to their rounded, blunt toes boxes the most sneaker versions of the classic Chelsea boot use a white or brightly coloured sole. The combination of a highly visible sole and rounded toe box makes most Chelsea boot sneakers a bad choice for dressing well at the office.
With this in mind we set out to give the Chelsea boot sneaker an upgrade so you can reap the benefits of a truly versatile boot. By using our signature tapered toe we have created a sleeker Chelsea that will go as perfectly with your suit as your favourite pair of jeans.
The tapered toe not only gives the boot a cleaner look - making it easier to wear with everything - but it also improves fit by allowing the boot upper to form nicely to your foot. When combined with our ultra-comfy insole this new and improved Chelsea boot could very well become one of the most comfortable shoes and versatile shoes you've ever owned.
Just released as part of our Sneakers Disguised As Dress Shoes campaign on Kickstarter you can be one of the first to own a pair of these boots in either suede or leather. Pre-order now and save $70 USD off our projected retail price of $225 USD.
