Singaporean Brand, Yeossal, has come out causing a storm in the Menswear Industry. In a day that is saturated with far too many internet brands popping out of nowhere thanks to Instagram, only to be doing what 20 other brands have already done, finally, there is someone out here really standing out in both shoes and clothing offering competitively priced products that are knocking style out of the park!
I, personally, have been very impressed with all that they are doing, from the polo shirts to their safari jackets and most importantly to their hand welted range of shoes. It’s impressive and scary at the same time as the quality that is being created for the price is unimaginable and leaves you wondering about the future of the shoe industry. So, let’s take a look at this new range and what they offer.
Yeossal Handwelted MTO Program
The shoes are hand welted and made to a very high standard. They are made in a small, family-run workshop in China and are impressive to say the least. If you don’t believe this, you can read and see the review I did on these HERE. The level of craftsmanship rivals that of European made shoes and this is what is so impressive and somewhat scary to be honest. Because if the world catches on, there might not be a reason to buy European made shoes other than prestige. But also, I think that in a perfect world, China’s labor prices will go up so that the workers are paid fairly. But the bottom line is that it is a crazy good price for a hand welted shoe at this caliber. So here are the specs:
Price: Ranges from $918 SGD to $968 SGD for the base price on the models. The MTO fee is another $120 SGD which is included in this price that you are already seeing on the website. That is around $700 USD
Models: There are 21 models available. And this only the beginning and am sure that there are more to come
Lasts: 6 varied options
Leather: There are 5 categories with 26 total options
Soles: There are 3 soles of which two have toe-tap options to be added
Heels: Tapered or Straight.
Turnaround time: 2-3 months (not bad at all, considering more European times are 4-6 months depending on the maker)
Their sizing is somewhat tricky so make sure you read that part carefully. But I tell you that once you get the size down, the shoes fit like a dream. At least the pair that they sent to me did.
Their styles are great. You can see though that being regular guys that started this company that a lot of what they released has some direct inspiration to many of the higher-end brands of the industry like Saint Crispins, John Lobb, Gaziano & Girling, Corthay etc. And while some of these brands might not like this, sometimes they also have to realize that not everyone can afford shoes that are +$1500 but can make it justifiable at half that price, which is right where Yeossal falls into place.
Here are some suggestions to the last fitting for all of you to understand the nuances of each one.
This program is quite new so there are not a lot of photos outside of their stock models but I imagine that this will build into quite the successful program for the offer of price versus quality mixed with the good amount of styles/models they have, that are well rounded and attractive to say the least
Here are a few more facts, direct from Yeossal themselves:
- MTO surcharge of SGD $120 (GST inclusive) or SGD $112.50 (GST exclusive for all international orders). The prices shown on the online store are already inclusive of the MTO surcharge and the base price.
- Material and other add on surcharges like metal toe tips are available at a small fee
- Group MTO is available. 4 pairs minimum to waive off the MTO fees
- This MTO product is returnable, YES! (though with a 20% restocking fees)
- 22 models are available as part of the MTO catalogue for selection. Several other models including boots will be introduced later in late September (due to leather availability).
- 6 lasts in total with 3 new lasts. Namely SG65 (contemporary soft square last, TTS), DR70 (modern round toe last, TTS and fits similarly to SG65) as well as GQ06 (classic round toe last with generous volume)
- There are a total of 25 choices for leathers museum, smooth calf, grained calf, suede, hand patinated. I’m working to expand this range in the next couple of months.
- 3 types of sole with optional metal toe taps are offered.
- 2 choices for heel (tapered or straight)
- Base construction is Handwelted with beveled waist. Goodyear welted and blake constructions will not be offered in this MTO program
- Fitting shoes will be available in-store for in-store fitting by early September.
- Est. delivery lead time is about 2 to 3 months (max)
For any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to them at [email protected]
They have a great team and are very friendly
Sincerely,
Justin FitzPatrick
What is even scarier is the fact that this maker is progressing at an exponential pace!
The owners, in their late 20s, started this new workshop 18 months ago.