Founding

I have been as guilty as anyone else of compromising on quality in the name of short-term savings again and again only to be consistently disappointed. I have some great wardrobe hits, but most else gets the boot after too much time collecting dust in my closet. Sound familiar?

This fast-fashion approach to apparel is clearly unhealthy for our wallets, the community, and the planet. With this aversion in mind, I set out in 2019 to find a pair of shoes that would be versatile, comfortable, stylish, and resilient. Something I would be happy to dress down on a sunny day or look professionally dapper in the office. The leather loafer seemed to best fit the bill, so I spent six months looking for the perfect pair and found an expensive goodyear-welted pair.

I pulled the trigger and had a sour experience. For the price, the finish left much to be desired and the comfort was limiting. Disappointed and curious, I cut my pair of shoes in half and found several shortcuts taken, likely in the name of profit margins. The search for an alternative continued and fell short, save for some pairs costing well over $400 which is out of mine and most of the world’s reach.

It started to sound like a problem that needed solving. What if I could create a pair that embodied the values of versatility and quality, at a great value? I am a product designer after all, just in a wildly different industry: spine implants. I took the same methodical development approach, combined with a creativity and love for minimalist fashion and partnered with a true artisan designer. He taught me much about the art and science of shoe construction, leathers, artisan old-world tradition, and all of the elements laid out in our “construction” page.

The result is a shoe I love! Worn on many occasions, they are molding to my foot and developing beautiful character with time. They can be re-soled to ensure a lifetime of wear and that permanent spot in my closet. These shoes do exactly what I wanted, and I hope they bring you just as much joy.