CNES Shoemaker has recently dropped one heck of a new collection, some ready to ship, some as Pre Orders and some as GMTO’s. However, they seem to do things a bit unique for the GMTO, which makes it almost seem like it would be a regular collection model. I will explain more below.
While expanding on new models and ideas, I still wish that they would do more daring colors, like Burgundy’s, Blue’s and more suedes in unique colors etc. Pretty much they have been limited to black, brown and tan shoes on offer. But I guess depth will come with time as they build their brand presence. But the only way to get there is to support the brand. So please continue to read more and check out these beautiful new models at pretty incredible prices.
For those that are not so familiar with CNES Shoemaker, allow me to explain a bit more as it can be confusing when searching for them on Instagram. The company is originally Vietnamese and the shoes are predominantly goodyear welted, made out of Vietnam. The following shows the difference between their various accounts and which one to use when ordering, depending on your location:
Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh) – @cnesbespoke on IG
Singapore – @cnes.co
- The Vietnamese site is www.cnes.com.vn and mainly has models for MTO with select stock for local audience/taste.
- The Singapore site is www.cnes.co and has models catered more for the international customers (i.e. outside of Vietnam)
- HQ is based in Ho Chi Minh City
- The management team behind CNES Shoemaker is the same for all, so there is no different team or a separate group. They are all under the same ownership.
The unboxing video I did on them is also a great resource for understanding more about their price points and quality.
For their new collection, I see that they are greatly improving on their finishing, shoe patterns and the fact that they have some very nice new, lasted shoe trees. Their first collection saw some streaky patina-like burnishing that was a step in the right direction but not quite there yet in terms of finesse. Now, they appear to be doing more subtle burnishing and more in-depth museum-like finishes, which I find more much appealing and would bet that most other clients do, too.
Their latest releases are split into 3 categories: 1. Ready-Made, 2. Pre-Order and 3. GMTO. The ready-made stock speaks for itself. The Pre Orders are set to be done by the end of May. The size run on these is from 38 to size 53, if you can believe that. So there is a lot of depth there. The GMTO’s are unique as there is no minimum quantity and they come with complimentary lasted shoe trees. The stock is set to be done by the end of June and the last day to order is the 8th of May so that is a pretty quick turnaround time. The sizing availability is also from 38-53 which is incredible, to say the least.
The RTW stock is around $278 USD. The PreOrders are discounted to $218 and the GMTO’s with lasted trees are $298. All of the welted shoes come with a fiddle back and beveled waists as well as closed channel soles. The value is pretty impressive. The leather is typically French, using crust, vegano and box calf. A good portion of it from Tannery Annonay.
If you are on the hunt for a good-priced, solid welted shoe, give them a look. Remember, at sub $300 they won’t be a Gaziano & Girling but at this price, they offer one of the better values around for all of the bells & whistles provided on each shoe!
https://www.cnes.co/collections/new-arrivals
I’ve been following the Shoe Snob for many years, always been a fan of the blog, but I have to say that I find it a bit sad to see that both here and in social media it’s a vast amount of content coming from your advertisers. I’ve never seen a single post marked as advertisement or sponsored content or anything, but it can’t be a coincidence, and for me to have trust in a source like this I would need it to be open and clearly stated when things are written objectively and when it’s part of some advertisement deal. It’s a shame, but nowadays I don’t know what is what when it comes to the Shoe Snob.
Hello Jonas, I am sorry you feel that way. If you have been reading as long as you say you do, you should feel confident in knowing that I only write about what I believe in or like, or feel others might like even if I do not per se, for style purposes but believe in the quality or design direction etc. You won’t know as you do not access my email or messaging facilities but you can most certainly imagine how many brands come to me to show their stuff and how many I turn down as I do not feel they represent what I stand for. Therefore, I only accept ‘advertisers’ that are brands that I stand behind and believe in, for all of the customers. And you do not see ‘advertised content’ being written as it is not being dictated to me like advertising content normally is. I have free reign in what I say, in what I write, in how I write it, and when I write it, like I always have. It is not a paid by post type of arrangement. And I am always objective. That is why I turn down brands I don’t like, so I do not have to be writing about stuff I do not believe in as I would not lie. My voice has never changed. My morals have not either. So in reality, nothing has changed except that more brands want to advertise and so I have slightly more advertisers than I did 10 years ago. And 14 of my last 20 posts on the blog were not about any of my advertisers unless you are counting my own brand, which is not my advertiser but rather my brand.
So, while I do write about my advertisers, yes, I still am writing/showing plenty of other content too. If I could post 10 photos a day on IG without the algorithm blocking my account I would, but if I do that I harm my own account. I am sorry you feel the way you do but I do feel it slightly misplaced without thinking of my side of the story, too. Truth be told, without my advertisers, the blog would not exist as the reality is that I do this blog for passion. It does not pay my bills. It helps marginally, but if I did not gain anything, I would not have time for it as I would need to find other ways to support my family. So, one must also be compassionate of that. This is not my full-time job. This is what I try to do in my spare time to keep people knowing about shoes. Spare time that I really do not have as I run a business. If you cannot appreciate that and only want to focus on the fact that I write about brands that support my blog, then to me that is the real shame because I am sure that over the years you have gained much knowledge from my writing and my time spent doing so and the struggles I went through to gain and share all of the knowledge put into this 11-year-old blog. -Justin
Hi, Justin. Great article, thanks for sharing. I have 1 Blake-stitched Oxford from CNES, purchased at USD95, and I must say the build-up and leather quality are superb, especially the leather, much better than my Meermin.
Besides, maybe you can have a look into IBEX from Pakistan. Recently I purchased a pair of Burgundy wingtip Oxford from them. Hand-welted, semi-bespoke, with leather outsole, for USD159 during their sales. They will only make the shoes after you chose the style, size, width and color. The overall quality was a surprise, with good leather quality(source from Pakistan), good workmanship, high density of stitching etc (in my humble opinion, cause I am still very new in exploring quality dress shoe).
Please keep up the enthusiasm and share with us more of your expertise.
Hey Eric, thank you for sharing your experiences. I appreciate your kind words and support. It means a lot. Enjoy your shoes. Keep looking to upgrade. You will enter a world of surprise 😉 -Justin
Hi Justin,
I have read you ever since you started on web; and I can bet a million dollars that Nobody has done what you already have! Your sincerity and truthfulness is as transparent and solid as the first day. For advertisers, that goes on multiple social media, of course, tilting more in favor of the advertiser; as for your blog, it is not the case, anybody reading your blog for some time would vouch.
You have educated and given a new horizon of thinking about the concept of a well-dressed man, to so many of us, and we salute you and respect you for that.
About 10 years ago, when I wore a deep purple shoes in my office, it was shock to everyone on the floor, and then a pale yellow, and then a green cordovan, and then a green-tan spectator, it goes on and on; it was only your writings that were the biggest confidence booster to me, in those times, when everyone seem to think that shoes mean black or dark brown, cheap glues stuff !
But gradually, the criticism changed to appreciation and anticipation !
Keep it up, we stand by you, as ever.
Regards,
Nadeem.
Dear Nadeem, thank you so much for your comment and kind words. They mean the world to me and I appreciate you standing up for me and saying so on a public forum. People often forget what it’s like to be on this side of it and only think of what they want. I am glad to know that people like yourself, still appreciate the effort I put into it, even though as my own brand grows, my spare time fades. Yet I am still here doing my best for readers like you that enjoy what I can try to bring to the industry on the whole, in the hopes to inspire and educate people on fine footwear. Thank you again for your words, your long term support and for keeping good shoes in circulation.
Best Regards
Justin
Hi Justin,
Thank you for the blog and the you tube channel…
I recently bought a CNES shoes and I had horrible experience with them… The shoe immediately creases when I first wore it so I sent them to replace with a bigger size and they used all the tricks not to accept the replacement… one time the said the crease is perfectly normal.. one they said they can’t replace discounted shoes though nothing mentioned on their website that this pair is discounted and finally they stopped responding at all… I would highly recommended against buying from such a company where customers satisfaction is not important for them… on the other front there leather quality is ready mediocre…
Thank you
Ahmed
Hello Ahmed, thanks for your kind words and support. Creasing is normal. Without seeing the shoes and more of the context I cannot make a judgment on the situation at hand. But just because a shoe creases, even badly, doesn’t warrant a return, at least not paid for by the company.