Life & Work

Why high-end men shoes cost as much as they do

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A pair of Salvatore Ferragamo men’s shoes at Little Red, Yaya Centre, costs Sh180,000. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Holding a pair of Salvatore Ferragamo men’s shoes at Little Red Yaya shop in Nairobi, the flawless brown upper leather and the sole is perfection. It justifies the $2,000 (Sh180,000) price tag near the heel.

When it comes to shoes, men don’t shy away from spending; especially on the high-end shoes that are timeless in style and last long.

Shoe designers are now coming up with new designs, hand-stitched and others customised to the taste of the modern man. Custom-made men shoes from John Lobb, a UK Bootmaker, starts from Sh480,960 for the leather ones.

The high-end shoes come in calf skin, the most preferred because it is durable and soft, crocodile and even snake skin. The more exotic the skin, the more zeros you add to the buying price.

For the John Lobb crocodile skin shoes, one pays Sh1,440,720. The ready-to-wear shoes cost between Sh80,640 to Sh164,880.

Some men still prefer fewer pairs of shoes; perhaps two pairs for work, one favourite pair of loafers or sneakers for weekends, a pair for running and sandals. But others are devoting more space for monk-straps, wingtip brogues, cap-toed lace-ups, slip-on loafers, derbies and perhaps another that comes in exotic skins.

Most men match the shoe with the belt and choose depending where he is going or who he is going to meet.
An executive’s wardrobe is limited to suits for work and jeans and chinos for casual wear. His wardrobe does not demand for many styles of shoes or colours. He has six basic designs to pick from; oxfords, derby, monk-strap, loafer, sneaker and boot.

For most men, the black and brown colours are the favourites for the dress shoes, while the other colours are reserved for the latest fashion trends or casual shoes.

Women usually have many pairs of shoes to match different outfits, accessories and occasions. Thus, men’s luxury shoes cost more.
A pair of women’s shoes (not looking at the latest trends and heels) from Ferragamo starts from Sh54,000 while a man’s pair costs from Sh63,000.

Hand-stitched

Every single aspect matters in the making of high-end shoes; men now design their own shoes by choosing elements such as the sole and the texture; sketched and sent to the designer who stitches them by hand.

For instance, a Santoni pair of shoe is hand-stitched, shaped, coloured and finished. The colouring technique used is Patina or Velatura (applying layer upon layer of dye) which takes up to four hours to complete the 15 steps. In the end, a pair will cost between Sh62,300 to Sh178,000.

Some shoe enthusiasts still worship some brands; they can easily pay Sh445,500 for best bespoke men’s shoes like Tod’s Gommio Croc Moccasin which only come in crocodile hide or python skin.

You can still tell a gentleman by looking at his shoes; even if they’re made from iguana skin.

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