The Styleforum x Archibald Sneaker GMTO

[stephenaf2003]

How is the roo compared to the calfskin on first impressions?

@ArchibaldRoh would you suggest the kangaroo or the calf skin to be more durable in the long run? Keep in mind I am on east coast of Canada so would deal with all 4 seasons lol

I have to say I’m really partial to the roo. All of the folks complaining about the wrinkle and creases are just confused, those wrinkles etc.. are the selling point of roo as far as I’m concerned. I like both the calf and the roo, but I love the look, feel and texture of the roo. Really looking forward to my white Roos showing up, and sad that I seem to have missed out on the off white roo.

 

[stephenaf2003]

Those above are actually the Sienna.
The ones below are the "Tan" (the actual color name from Archibald).

oops, thanks for correcting my mistake, I went back and fixed the post with correct color ID.

 

[ArchibaldRoh]

The creasing on my white kangaroo's looks pretty bad compared to the black ones , I was told that it's normal from that leather but the combination of all the creases and the tongue problem makes them a pair that might end up collecting dust in the closet , I know that I was taking a risk when I decided to order a pair but was expecting a better QC, I have some experience with these type of sneakers ( factory direct) not brand names since I own a few Epaulet ones so I was expecting at least same QC.

I was told on an email that it's because of the heel stiffener etc, but IMHO and with all the shoes I've owned , this is a QC issue and the leather feels loose on that part , if you have a softer leather you have to tight it a bit more while on the last, but I won't go into those manufacturing details , I wish The Archibald team success with this project and hope all these issues can be resolved on the 2nd batch.

That is a black calfskin, not a kangaroo.

I think there is enough of a misunderstanding with how kangaroo leather can be that we might scrap doing it altogether moving forward. You are the most informed of any customer we are likely to have. Again the shoe has to be judged on the feet and not out of the box as if latter was the priority we would use a more treated and hardened leather and wouldnt have that press against the heel stiffener. It is there with out other pairs as well, including the Ghirlandina and with wear as some people on the forum will confirm the stiffener loosens and leather acclimates and when foot is in shoe the issue is gone.

 

[dhoff10]

I have to say I’m really partial to the roo. All of the folks complaining about the wrinkle and creases are just confused, those wrinkles etc.. are the selling point of roo as far as I’m concerned. I like both the calf and the roo, but I love the look, feel and texture of the roo. Really looking forward to my white Roos showing up, and sad that I seem to have missed out on the off white roo.

If my kangaroo pair fit I would stick with it, and who knows maybe it would end up becoming my favorite leather. It does have a different look to it. I don't think my pair came with any creasing but instead what looked like pronounced grain

 

[ArchibaldRoh]

If my kangaroo pair fit I would stick with it, and who knows maybe it would end up becoming my favorite leather. It does have a different look to it. I don't think my pare came with any creasing but instead what looked like pronounced grain

I wish i didn't reccommend the 46! This was my fault totally as you had it right im the start.

 

[ArchibaldRoh]

Uh, I hate to throw salt on this wound but this is much bigger than originally suggested in the larger post.

Also the story is shifting. My first communication with you guys - you were insistent that it would resolve itself. Then you said it was due to the handmade nature of the product. Then it was a flaw effecting all the shoes. I think you can understand this is getting frustrating.

Your post implies that you knowingly sent a shoe that you did not test as the template for production. If this is true, this was not a design flaw but a massive oversight in QC on a most basic and fundamental level that rippled into the entire run. Aside from having just implicated yourself in that, that does not leave me more at ease but ever more nervous about what is to come.

Waiting for tomorrow’s post with bated breath.

No story was ever switched or changed. We received your communication which was the first any one of us ever got wind of the situation. We acted and investigated from there whilst shoes were being dispatched. We stand by everything written in the post and have been transparent with the entire sequence of events. What I explained above was no different to the official statement, I just realised that perhaps something got lost with the length. Again, bullet points might help clarify this

Now there are plenty of people happy to hold onto the shoe and it is receiving a lot of praise. The fact that it isnt perfect and we pretty much were on the verge of perfect going into production in March, kills me it really does.

The tongue gate has been pointed out but hasnt bothered most people. They will hold the shoe and wear and test them and provide more feedback going forward. These same people will form the basis of a special community we will put together and obviously will receive special consideration and treatment going forward.

I am terribly sorry you are so disappointed with the shoes, I will have customer support send you a label for the return.

For everyone else, please stay tuned. I have put together a set of solutions that we will be turning around fairly quickly and acting upon. In the long run, you will all be very happy and as a private business owner who recognises the value in each and every one of you will make it up to you.

 

[ArchibaldRoh]

Also, if anyone ever wants to reach me, there is a direct line to a whatsapp that only I have access to. This is not for customer support, but a way for you to reach me should you ever need.

I am committed to building a brand that is different and does things differently.

Cars, electronics, clothing, shoes many things in retail have design flaws that show up due to some break down in process somewhere along the chain - it can happen. Should it happen, certainly not. Is it ok it did, no it is not. But it does happen particularly given it is a design flaw and not a quality, quality control, or craftamanship issue. A design flaw in an approved sample that was not tested as the other assumed identical ones were and this was kept perfect so it could be sent back for production. That is internal transparency of where it went wrong intended for all of you, our partners in this project. In our case it happened at the weirdest moment in the weirdest way and yes I do think and remain very confident we could have caught it if not for the lockdown and restrictions.

The very inclusion of a bridge and us only finding out about it a few days before the bulk was delivered is testament to the fact that this was no normal series of events. For the consumers in this thread, it is another shoe and you are more than welcome to ascertain if it holds any value for you and make a call. For those that are joining us for a longer and dare I say more fruitful journey.. I have for the first time in a week woken up with genuine excitement. I cannot hide that the whole saga was flattening and had me almost re-consider this entire thing.

I think the SF01 v1 is a genuinely great shoe and I purchased mine immediately when they came in. Again that doesn't mean i disregard what is wrong with it but thst doesnt mean i cannot be proud that it exceeded expectation in many respects (in part because they are handmade by genuine shoe makers whose speciality is the handwelted article) but recognise we fell short in others (tongue gate and bridge inclusion and anticatoing in some cases).

There will be no flaw in the HW-01.

Rose Anvil is reviewing the shoe with design flaw and all. He knows the story of what happened and found out about it through the forum (credit to @ThePetros) and in many ways it feels like a major missed opportunity as this could have catalpulted our idea and what we are able to do with it together to the next level.

However, he has already indicated quite a bit and seems very excited and positive.

 

[ThePetros]

I don't this is exactly fair to say, @ArchibaldRoh. I totally understand the stress you're under on this - but this is what this forum is for. Even though I've been vocal on here about the problems, I have also been defending the quality of the shoes. I am not disappointed, but it is totally reasonable to say this goof is an egregious mistake - it really is. Indeed, I have no intention of returning them and have been advising people not to.

However, I do believe I have valid reasons to be unhappy as @NonChalant321 and I have outlined in our posts - re: moving forward and dealing with the affected customers. I am utterly pleased with this shoe - but I'm not sure everyone at Archibald has adequately spoken to the wider group that feels wronged. While as you say ALL shoes were affected by the flaw, there is a portion that has no visible issue and another portion who does. Therefore there is a group that will feel far more unhappy with their end product.

I have reread the official message, and yes you are correct. I'll admit I was wrong here, it does state what you wrote yesterday. For that, I apologize unreservedly.

However, in less transparent language - the interpretation as you wrote yesterday was lost completely.

 

[EgoCamisas]

I am happy with my shoes so far. I have been testing them the last few days and yes, as I posted previously, I do have the tongue gate problem but honestly, once they are on I just don't care and my feet make the leather pieces kind of touch and no toes are shown. I can understand that not all feet are like mine and that in many cases the spot will 'open', since there really isn't much leather there.

In any case I can live with it and the shoes look beautiful and are very comfortable, so who cares.

That is a black calfskin, not a kangaroo.

I think there is enough of a misunderstanding with how kangaroo leather can be that we might scrap doing it altogether moving forward. You are the most informed of any customer we are likely to have. Again the shoe has to be judged on the feet and not out of the box as if latter was the priority we would use a more treated and hardened leather and wouldnt have that press against the heel stiffener. It is there with out other pairs as well, including the Ghirlandina and with wear as some people on the forum will confirm the stiffener loosens and leather acclimates and when foot is in shoe the issue is gone.

I had high hopes on more variations of roo actually... what a shame

 

[Rewiag]

...every sample tested prior was perfect..

Just out of curiosity: If the samples before did not have the issue, why was the issue introduced in a later sample? What was changed compared to prior samples?

 

[NonChalant321]

I look back to the posts on this thread from March 12 and the following days and realize we've all been through a crazy journey in the time it took it took to order and receive these shoes. There was a time when we were debating on this thread whether COVID was going to be serious vs something worrisome for just the old and chronic. It's like an interesting snapshot in time that feels longer ago than really was.

Although Rohan suggests it will be just a shoe to many in the community, it's a little more than that to me. Aside from all the positive points and flaw mentioned, I think looking at my SF-01 v1 shoe will always remind me how much life and society changed in the span of time this shoe was produced, and being from an area that was hit hard I'll be honestly thankful I made it alive to wear them.

 

[cavdb]

That is a black calfskin, not a kangaroo.

I think there is enough of a misunderstanding with how kangaroo leather can be that we might scrap doing it altogether moving forward. You are the most informed of any customer we are likely to have. Again the shoe has to be judged on the feet and not out of the box as if latter was the priority we would use a more treated and hardened leather and wouldnt have that press against the heel stiffener. It is there with out other pairs as well, including the Ghirlandina and with wear as some people on the forum will confirm the stiffener loosens and leather acclimates and when foot is in shoe the issue is gone.

Thats sad to hear.
I was hoping you would do a roo unlined loafer down the line

 

[andrel42]

Just received my white SF-01's this morning and I must say they are most comfortable and a very good value! As someone who is known as a shoe-aficionado (shoe-aholic to some) I am very happy with this pair so thanks to the Archibald team for that!

 

[XxLogo]

@ArchibaldRoh I am still awaiting size advice in email. Would it just be advisable to just send you the photos on here to be quicker?

 

[kammerer66]

New kicks came in yesterday, and they are amazing. The suede pair is especially striking. I see no quality problems whatsoever, apart from the tongue design which does not bother me.

The only minor, minor issue is... this is not my order.

Archibald customer service already responded, they will track the intended owner of these beauties and organize the exchange. Chances are, these were ordered by someone on this board. If so, enjoy the picture for now