Today's best shoes can only be found online
Spring means it's finally time to revamp your shoe game. But before you step into yet another retailer, look online for your next purchase.
Plenty of really good footwear options have adopted the direct-to-consumer business model.
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These brands are consciously cutting out expensive middlemen (i.e. retailers) and opting to sell great products without the soaring price tags. That means elevated materials that rival the best footwear out there.
Following in the well-heeled footsteps of successful brands like the Brooklyn-based Greats, three others are following suit with their own unique designs.
Whether you're looking for casual, dress or sneakers, here are the three new brands to check out exclusively online.
1. Beckett Simonon
The goods: Sneakers, boots, dress shoes, to outerwear and apparel.
Price point: $139 for leather sneakers
Business: Created by founders Andres Niño and Nicholas Hurtado, the brand isn't new to the space, having launched in 2012, but has been getting a lot of traction with its unique business model in the past few months.
"It's all about transparency," Hurtado said to Mashable. "People want the whole story. They want to know what they are buying and how they were made and who was involved in the process."
The way you buy is also interesting. It goes like this: The quicker you buy any of the items on the site, the bigger the discount. The longer you wait, the smaller the payoff. That means for the first 15 days of the month, you'll pay half of an item's price. Wait a little longer and it's slightly smaller (around 45%, the brand says).
Why it's worth it: Simply, the products are elevated but service is even better. All products are made from calfskin leather that is vegetable-tanned. Each is also made-to-order so there's little waste.
As a bonus, the brand offers a 120% refund, meaning, if customers aren't satisfied, the brand will return payment in full while also providing at 20% credit for future purchase.
2. Grand Voyage
The goods: Boots, sneakers, dress shoes and accessories
Price point: $195-$325
Business: The brand is completely sold online with its entire line produced in Italy. Factories that hand sew each of the shoes together also create products for the likes of Christian Louboutin and Chanel, so you know the quality is on point.
The quality is luxury level but the price isn't, something that was extremely important to founder Robert Nand.
Nand spent years at Vans then went on to create his own successful brand, Creative Recreation (which he sold in 2014). After leaving that, he went on to a passion project: finding exclusive shoes of awesome quality that he could share with his friends and family. What turned out as a hobby became a business after Nand saw how footwear prices had gotten out of control.
"I took a big step back and had a closer look at the footwear industry and how it had evolved," he said to Mashable. "I noticed that designer footwear jumped from $300-$400 to $400-$1,200. I could not believe that people were actually paying over $1,000 for sneakers."
Seeing the bigger problem of fast fashion and how these sneakers then end up in landfills, Nand thought there was a better way and launched his brand only a few months ago.
Said Nand, "I’m catering to the guy that knows and appreciates quality and craftsmanship and is willing to pay a premium to have the best, but is savvy enough to realize that he doesn’t have to pay a premium anymore."
Why it's worth it: The quality of leather truly is remarkable and the craftsmanship is bar none. The brand's Chelsea boot is one of the best on the market now and its price point of $295 is unheard of.
3. M. Gemi
The goods: The brand offers casual footwear, from driving shoes to loafers and oxfords.
Price point: $198-$278
Business: M. Gemi, which just launched in March, is named after one of its founding members, Maria Gengemi, a traditional Sicilian artisan. Growing up in Italy, Gangemi became an expert at shoes.
Together with Ben Fischman, both embarked on creating footwear in a big way. Partnering up with an Italian family-owned shoe factory, the brand ensures each of its products is of top quality.
The brand attempts to lead a movement they call "postluxury."
"It's about setting a new standard for high standards," said Fischman to Mashable. "We set out to reinvent shoes while valuing aspects of traditional luxury — the quality, the artistry, the service — but felt the practices around frequency, pricing and access were outdated."
Fischman said a "tremendous effort" goes into each of the shoes. The result is quality Italian-made footwear at an affordable price.
"Our customers are dynamic, educated and active," he said. "They appreciate style and are versatile in their fashion depending on the occasion."
Why it's worth it: Similar products of this caliber are double M. Gemi's prices. The selection of shoes, whether crocodile brogues or leather loafers, is handsome and classically Italian in aesthetic.
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David joined the Mashable team as its first fashion hire. He's written for the Wall Street Journal, Elle, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Details, Nylon, Refinery29, Fashionista, and covered the men's market at Women's Wear Daily. David has appeared on E!, Vh1, the Style network, and was a stylist at Capitol records.
