In my latest unboxing video we take a look at Vietnamese shoemaker, Thinh Nguyen aka Elegal Shoemaker.
Elegal Shoemaker is a fairly new shoemaker on the scene, working as a solo artist pumping out Blake stitched/Mckay and Goodyear welted shoes for under $300. In fact, closer to $250 and more specifically $260 for the shoes I am reviewing as it has a double leather sole.
Running solely off of Facebook and Instagram, Elegal Shoemaker has made a little name for themselves selling to many of the aficionados there. The shoes are solid and well-made. Like many new brands that hit the industry, I do believe that there are things to work on, but nonetheless, stacked up against 95% of the shoes in the world that sell for only $250, I would take these in a heartbeat.
In this Elegal Shoemaker unboxing we find that the shoes themselves are very solid. The sole is robust and looks very well done. The finishing is good and they had a very clean sole stitch. Like other makers that come from SE Asia, I do feel the leather was not of the highest grade as it was very porous. The fit was accurate although the heels are low and make me feel like I would fall out of them. This is not uncommon for Asian shoemakers as it fits the feet of their local consumer base, but not those in the West.
All in all, as I mentioned for $260, it’s one heck of a shoe! I look forward to seeing how Elegal Shoemaker progresses and builds out his line.
Learn more about Elegal Shoemaker:
Did the price include shipping?
I did not pay for them so cannot answer, but I sincerely doubt it as they are shipped from Asia which is quite costly and the shoes are already super inexpensive
This guy is not a shoesmaker at all. He’s just a shoeshiner that get a reward from a non-reliable organization.
His shoes are made in an OEM factory for multiple brands in Vietnam. That’s why it’s so inexpensive.
He doesn’t know how to welt shoes at all so I wouldn’t consider him as a shoesmaker.
I had good experience with him for my first MTM Derby in 2023 but later on by 2025 I had another pairs made and it was a horrible customer experience.
He doesn’t have the capability of controlling his suppliers which lead to multiple times of missing date with my shoes designs.
I had 6 months of waiting without knowing my final products look like, and one day he just sent me a pair that doesn’t fit, barely snug into it.
And when I had my discussion that the shoes aren’t correctly made and not the right last for me, he initiated that there is nothing wrong with the shoes and he doesn’t want to argue with me about it. That was the most impolite answer that a maker should say to his customers.
I guess now he got more order from foreign customers, local customers aren’t primarily his target but his attitude is unacceptable.
AGAIN, just be cautious when you place order, HE IS NOT A SHOESMAKER
Thank you for sharing Chris and I am sorry for your experience