In search of: the perfect white leather minimal sneaker
The Criteria
I’m not a big sneakers guy, but I appreciate that not everyone likes dress shoes, they aren’t always the most comfortable and not all occasions call for them. For me, the only sneaker I’m interested in is a white, clean, minimal, leather sneaker. I think these sneakers are the most versatile and the least gaudy (and boy are there some shocking gaudy sneakers out there).
Obvious, visible branding is a big no-no for me with all clothes and accessories, so that really narrows down the choices. I’m only looking at leather because that way sneakers can look a bit dressier, they last a bit longer (with care), they are easy to clean and I like the look.
As you will see, it’s fairly tricky to meet all this criteria if you don’t have a fair bit of cash to blow. Fortunately, there are a few cheaper options for us plebs.
Common Projects Achilles
http://www.mrporter.com/product/377903
You’ve probably seen these worn and worshipped on menswear blogs or WAYWRN posts and for good reason. CPs are probably the best minimal sneakers you can buy. They’re Italian made, slimline, super comfortable for most foot shapes, relatively long lasting and great quality all round. They’re also very expensive (~$370USD) and rarely go on sale. That is a lot of money to spend on a shoe that can’t be resoled and with uppers that will not last anywhere near as long as on a decent dress shoe. They’re also arguably not truly minimal, the gold lettering on the rear is increasingly recognisable. If you’ve got spare money to burn and like the look, you can’t really go wrong with these.
Kent Wang Sneaker White
http://www.kentwang.com/shoes/sneaker-white.html
KW clearly saw there were a lot of people who wanted the Common Project Achilles aesthetic, but didn’t have $400 lying around or felt that this was too much money to spend on they were intending to be a utilitarian purchase. This sneaker has been through two reiterations, the first version had a 1970s basketball sneaker style and didn’t appeal to many. This version is more modern looking.
These sneakers come in at a touch over a quarter of CPs at $95USD. The jury is perhaps still out on their quality, I’ve seen really mixed reviews of the quality. The non-stitched soles can fall apart easier than stitched sneakers, the leather looks pretty shiny when new and there’s been some complaints of the leather flaking off. But, there is nothing quite like them for $100. Be wary that KW shipping is a little unpredictable, which can be forgiven as they are a small outfit with few staff coping with some pretty large demand for some items. They’re currently in stock for all common sizes. In the event that they run out of stock and advise when they are getting new stock, ignore this entirely. I waited for over six months for the first version of this sneaker to come in stock, with a perpetually shifting arrival date of a few weeks. I eventually gave up and purchased a pair of…
Converse Jack Purcells
http://www.converse.com/products/men...?start=0&sz=32
Clearly, the look of these is polarising. JPs are steeped in tradition, they were designed by world champion badmington player (can you guess his name?) in 1935 and the look has pretty much remained unchanged since. They’re characterised by the famous “smile” on the front of the shoe and the unique rounded toe cap. In white leather (aka Ox), they will set you back around $70-80USD. They are also made in black leather with white accents and occasionally Converse do versions in other colours of leather. Of course, you can also get many different colours in the canvas version.
Be warned you will probably need to buy one size larger than otherwise. Quality wise, JPs are good but not great, as you would expect for an $80 shoe - they used to be a fair bit cheaper, I blame a mixture of the general #menswear movement and this guy:
A more detailed buying tip: I am guessing there are two manufacturers of JPs as there are two different models of the same shoe. The most obvious difference is on the older version (still made) there is the Jack Purcell logo on the tongue of the sneaker, which is absent on the new one. I’m not a fan of branding so I prefer the look of the new one, but plenty of people have said the older one is made to a higher standard. Personally, I’m less convinced, my JPs have held up fine with regular wear. I’m particularly impressed with the sole which still looks hardly worn. If you don’t mind the look, and can handle that they aren’t strictly minimal sneakers, JPs are the most commonly available white leather sneaker and are a great pick.
Erik Schedin
http://www.erikschedin.com/
These are absolute beauties, I think they look even better than the CPs and they don’t have the gaudy gold branding. They’re about $260USD, a fair bit cheaper than CPs and the only drawback I can see is the sole is not stitched.
Here’s an interesting interview with the designer:
http://stylesalvage.blogspot.com.au/...k-schedin.html
ACNE Adrians
http://www.endclothing.co.uk/departm...n-sneaker.html
At $400+USD these are pretty comparable to the CPs. They’re Italian made, have stitched soles and I really wouldn’t be surprised if they are made in the same factory as CPs. They have a slightly cleaner look than the CPs, particularly around the toe.\
Eytys
http://www.eytys.com/
If you’re after more of a Vans aesthetic, these might be your pick. They’re $230USD, which seems really pricey to me, but there’s not much comparable to their look.
Supra Donavyn
http://www.suprafootwear.com/products/S79002/WHT
Another unique looking sneaker, this time with a skate type aesthetic. These have a padded tongue and a rounded toe. They’ll set you back about $220USD.
Twins for Peace Alex Cuir Blanc
http://www.twinsforpeace.com/fr/alex...e-leather.html
A bit of branding, but these might be the cheapest options with a stitched sole at around $200 USD. They’ve done a less branded version here, but it’s currently out of stock:
http://man.totokaelo.com/store/produ...3/vinchi/white
Conclusion
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but there should be something here for you if you are after a white minimal sneaker. Let me know if you’ve got any other picks that fit the criteria. Thanks for reading.