Santoni’s Goodyear range is not often talked about by the ‘real shoe aficionados’ of the world. But truth be told, Santoni’s Goodyear welted shoes are up there with the best. They are often overlooked as our industry is one of smaller, less known, cult-like following brands that are unique, obscure, and often considered ‘the underdogs’ of the menswear industry. There are exceptions to this such as Crockett & Jones, Carmina, and the other larger brands that sell a lot of shoes but Santoni is in another playing field, now more mixed with ‘fashion’ than quality welted shoes. But this is our mistake.
I have said it before and will mention it again here; around 15 years ago, I had the pleasure to visit the Santoni factory, or rather, ‘factories’ as they have three one after the other. I was given a tour by the big boss, Giuseppe Santoni, son of Andrea Santoni, the founder of Santoni S.P.A., which started in 1975. For a brand that is only 50 years old, I must say that what they have built is nothing shy of amazing and I felt this 15 years ago when I saw what they had built (in that time in only 35 years). I have been to several factories in my time, mainly throughout Europe and admittedly Santoni’s was easily the most impressive.
My history with Santoni Goodyear shoes started 20 years ago when I was selling them at Nordstrom. They were easily the best shoes we offered, at the time. More specifically the Santoni Goodyear range were the best shoes we offered. They have various lines and I am not a huge fan of the lower-end ones (that are still expensive). But the Santoni Goodyear line was always rarely offered. Maybe we had 1 or 2 models at any given time with few sizes. This, of course, was prior to the rise of the popularity of Goodyear welted shoes and blogs such as mine, as well as industry giants like Kirby Allison, Hugo Jacomet, and Simon Crompton who all helped to educate the masses. It is now a different world.
Somebody recently asked a question about Santoni Goodyear shoes on my YouTube channel and it made me think about the brand that I do like but often forget about. So I peeked at the site and noticed that now more than ever was a massive new collection of Santoni Goodyear shoes. I was impressed. And even more so, unless my mind is tricking me, with lower prices than normal.
What I saw was interesting and quite impressive. It would also appear that Santoni Goodyear is now at the forefront of their collection with many of their models offered in Goodyear Construction. A few years back, the majority of their offering was Blake Stitched Construction. Times have changed. I felt that they also went through a ‘fashion phase’ and now seem to be gearing towards more classic models, albeit with an Italian twist. Nonetheless, it was good to see. Santoni makes amazing shoes and deserves recognition. And I was pleasantly surprised to come across these models and the new direction they seem to be heading.
The Santoni Goodyear range is worth a look. Check it out below.
Read more about Santoni here
Visit their website: https://www.santonishoes.com/us-en/
