A lot of change is going on in the industry these days and I feel like there will be a huge revolution this year of smaller makers becoming more known and the giants that were previously powerhouses will soon start to have to fight for sales and they won’t come as easy as they have in the past. And part of it is thanks to stores like Skoaktiebolaget (and the like) who are out there taking chances by introducing brands otherwise virtually unknown to most of the world (save a few shoe nerds like myself) and giving spotlight where it is due. All too often do great brands who make amazing shoes go unknown for far too long all because their passions lay more in shoemaking then they do in marketing (which is how it should be but it hurts the business unfortunately as there needs to be a good mix of the two).
Therefore, welcome the new age of Skoaktiebolaget who has recently announced the drop of Edward Green — which means their shoes are all on discount online — and the introduction of Carlos Santos and a new patina service. Carlos Santos has always been a brand that peaked my interest from afar but never really had the pleasure of studying the brand up close and personal. And while I know that there are good shoes that come out of Portugal from past experience with other brands, I realized that the difference from pictures online and real life was vast. But as the Skoak team are as big as shoe snobs as myself (and so is Jesper, if not worse 🙂 and they all seem to vouch for CS and have only good things to say about them, then I trust their quality is intact.
The new range of shoes is meant to be in line with an introductory goodyear welted offering, giving you good value for money and if they are as good as they seem to be or as other people say, then it seems like a very good bang for one’s buck. But what is most interesting is the patina service that they offer which means that for any shoe that is on offer at Skoak (or nearly all of them), one could in theory customize the color (however limited to the shades available). It’s not a full-on-pick-your-own-patina but at an extra cost of only £33 it’s not a bad option if you don’t want to go for the standard choice.
Happy Shopping!
A couple of years ago i purchased a pair of black full-brogue Oxfords from Carlos Santos which i stumbled upon by accident in a small shoe shop here in the Hinterland of lower Bavaria. The owner of the shop told me about how they had acquired the sales contact to CS through some highly motivated young man at the shoe-fair in Munich who was on determined to promote a sense of style as well as the word of well-made but little-known shoe brands in Germany where both is regrettably widely absent. That was before the financial crisis hit. Sales plunged, distribution was cut back and especially the smaller iberian brands, which produced mostly for the home market as in contrast to british or italian ones, were hit pretty hard by the economical recession and the overall decline of income in Spain and Portugal. To import and retail this and some other similar brands grew increasingly difficult, as the shop-owner explained, I don’t think i have seen any pair of CS since then.
To cut a long story short – i still own those shoes, wearing them quiet often in business environments and appreciating their sturdy quality, comfort and classical, unostentatious design. I can really only say good things about them and would recommend them, their leather was quiet stiff at the beginning but holds up very well over time with only slight creasing. So i am truly glad that Skoakti found a way to introduce them to a bigger audience now – i feel they deserve it and offer really good value for the buck. And thanks to Skoakti i now know where to find them, if i ever “needed” another pair – the patina option is intriguing. 🙂
Very interesting post Justin. I must say I had never heard of CS until last week when I was speaking to Herring Shoes and was told that they have new styles made by CS. I am not looking forward to receiving my new double monk Shakespeare’s from them.
Keep up the good work.
ooops obviously meant I am looking forward to receiving…