How to choose the right shoes, quality criteria, genuine leather

Italian manufacturers

Many people associate this country with such material as genuine leather, and for good reason. Not only clothes, but also shoes made of excellent quality leather can be found from Italian manufacturers.

The Alba company produces footwear products for residents of large cities.

The entire range can be divided into three lines: classic style, everyday options and trendy solutions.
You'll love Alba's shoes and boots if you're looking for something truly unique in design, but don't want your outfit to be too fussy or busy.

Vitacci is an Italian-Russian company whose hallmark is high-quality materials and animal prints.

The company's products are quite affordable, but the product is not lacking in reliability.
The brand's designers love to decorate their models with stones, rhinestones, perforations, embroidery and even fur.

The most popular model from Valentino is the pointed-toe stiletto pumps.

Shoes from this brand are easily recognizable by their straps with flat metal spikes, thanks to which the classic model becomes original.

For lovers of bright and eye-catching design, we can safely recommend Dolce & Gabbana products.

Large gemstones, rhinestones, embroidery, appliques, leopard print, mesh inserts make each pair a masterpiece.

Breathable, waterproof and comfortable shoes from the GEOX brand are presented in a wide range of models for every season.

Prices are quite affordable, and wear-resistant materials make sandals, shoes and boots durable.

The impeccable quality and sophisticated design of products from Italian manufacturers will not leave anyone indifferent. I am glad that branded products can be purchased not only in Italy, but also in Russia.

How to choose the right shoes

Choosing shoes for yourself is, of course, not like buying a cow. However, it is noticeably more difficult than a dress or handbag. Many people have probably been in a situation in their lives when the shoes in the store seemed to be of excellent quality and comfortable on the feet. And then suddenly it turned out that it was rubbing somewhere, pinching somewhere, or, conversely, dangling, rubbing the calluses on the foot. Or seemingly comfortable shoes would soon become completely unusable. And the realization comes that money and time were wasted, something was not checked during the purchase. How to choose the right shoes so that they are comfortable, beautiful and of high quality?

There are a lot of criteria for assessing the quality of shoes; shoe industry professionals know them all well. But we, ordinary citizens, even if we read all the requirements, are unlikely to remember them in order to use our knowledge at the right time. Therefore, we will try to pay attention to at least the main ones. In accordance with the law on the protection of consumer rights, purchased shoes, if you have a receipt, can be returned to the seller within up to 14 days if they do not suit you in size, style, quality, color, etc. But I would like to avoid additional hassle and immediately choose for myself shoes are correct.

You should not think that the quality of shoes is higher, the more expensive the product. The well-known ancient rule: a heifer is half a heifer overseas, and a ruble can be transported, also applies to shoes. Imported boots, shoes, sandals, sneakers will always cost more than those produced in your area. In addition to the costs of transporting a consignment of shoes, the supplier must also pay customs duty. Sometimes in this case, compensation in price is possible due to the fact that shoes are produced in countries with cheap labor. If shoes are produced in high-tech countries, such as Germany, Austria, France, the price will increase due to the addition of the company’s brand. The most suitable price-quality ratio may be found in shoes that are made using imported technology, but in Russia. The most unreliable option in terms of quality is Chinese or Turkish shoes, made as counterfeits of well-known world brands.

It is best to buy shoes that suit you not on a tray or in a tent, but in a store where you can examine them in good lighting and try them on comfortably. What should you consider? Compare the length of the left and right shoes by placing the heels of the shoes next to each other. Evaluate the same height of the heels. Touch the heel surface with your fingers. Closer to the sole it should be hard, and higher it becomes elastic and then soft so that the border of the hard insert is not felt.

The upper of the shoe can be made of various materials. It is clear that the best option is genuine leather. They have now learned how to make artificial leather in such a way that it is very difficult to distinguish it from natural leather. Genuine leather can be calf - the most durable, pork - cheaper and less durable, and goat - thin for elegant shoes. No matter how well made natural leather is, upon careful examination, all elements of its surface differ in pattern. The faux leather pattern is absolutely perfect. When you touch natural leather with your hand, you feel warm, while leatherette feels cold. A product made of genuine leather wears out over time, taking the shape of the leg. Leatherette does not have this property. In shoes made of genuine leather, your feet feel comfortable as the leather breathes.

Sometimes stores sell shoes made of so-called pressed leather. Usually sellers explain that this is a pressed material of genuine leather crumbs. This material cannot be called natural leather in the same way that, for example, chipboard (chipboard) cannot be called natural wood. Both wood waste and leather waste are held together using very unnatural chemicals.

Most often we purchase shoes with a smooth leather surface. If we want to give it water-repellent properties, we treat it with special compounds. Patent leather already has these properties, but it requires more careful handling to prevent scratches. Velor shoes or shoes made of fleecy leather - suede - are not so susceptible to mechanical damage, but it is quite difficult to clean them from dirt.

If you are buying shoes made from genuine leather, and even more so from artificial leather, then you definitely need to pay attention to the lining material. The leatherette lining is harmful to the feet; it accumulates dirt and does not absorb moisture. Genuine leather lining absorbs moisture. It should not be painted, otherwise it will get dirty. All this also applies to insoles. In winter boots or boots, the insoles must be removed so that they can be dried.

A pair of shoes should not only be examined from above, but also felt inside with your hands to make sure that the seams do not protrude anywhere and will not rub the foot.

A few words about fasteners. The simplest and most reliable option is lacing, but this type of shoe is not always suitable. The shoe is most suitable for sports shoes. Velcro is sometimes used. They are very convenient due to their ease of use, especially for older people. True, sometimes over time Velcro begins to poorly fulfill its purpose. The zipper is most often used in boots. You need to check whether it is sewn neatly and whether the fabric does not get caught in the slider when it moves. Nylon zipper is considered better than metal zipper. A slider or pawl most often has a flat base that fits against the boot. This design is easier to manufacture and more elegant. However, a more massive slider with a convex base will be more reliable; such dogs are made by Belarusian shoe manufacturers.

Elegant dress shoes always have high heels. Not every woman can walk in such shoes. And, although a lady in high heels looks impressive, wearing such shoes every day and all day long is harmful to the spine and joints, since the load on the spine is not distributed evenly. High heels are especially contraindicated for older people. Wearing shoes without heels is also not recommended; it may cause pain in the feet. The optimal heel height is from two to four centimeters.

When choosing winter boots, you should give preference to thick, fairly soft and flexible soles with good anti-slip tread. The sole can be secured by stitching or gluing (sometimes with imitation stitching). In terms of moisture protection, the adhesive method is better.

When buying imported shoes, do not trust only the size indicated on them. Each manufacturing country takes into account the characteristic features of the foot of a given nationality. In Italy or France, women's legs are narrower, in China they are wider. Finnish, German, and Austrian shoes most closely match the width of a Russian woman’s foot. In Soviet times, in addition to size, domestic shoes also had a designation of fullness. Currently there is no requirement for manufacturers. In addition, shoes, boots, boots, sandals, etc. differ in the height of the foot. Italian shoes are characterized by low instep. Therefore, any pair of shoes must be tried on. It is better to try on shoes in the afternoon, when your feet are slightly swollen. You need to try on both shoes, since everyone's left and right feet are slightly different in size. Walk around the store floor to make sure you are comfortable.

And, of course, when choosing shoes, you need to think about what kind of shoes suits your appearance, figure, and the shape of your legs. Platform shoes slim a woman with full legs. Short boots are not very suitable for a woman with thin legs. By the way, the price of boots does not depend in any way on the height of the boot. Light color visually increases the size of the foot. The horizontal strap on the shoes visually shortens the leg. The best adviser in this matter is a mirror. Look at it with passion.

For the summer season, you always want to buy shoes or sandals in an elegant, bright color that matches your new dress or suit. If your income is modest, then the most practical option would be to buy black shoes; black will go with any color of clothing. For the summer season, for working in the garden and vegetable garden, for going to the forest to pick mushrooms and berries, you will definitely need rubber shoes - boots and/or galoshes. Rubber, of course, does not allow water to pass through, but it also does not allow air to pass through; feet in rubber shoes do not breathe. These shoes must be worn with woolen socks and felt insoles. This means that you should try on rubber shoes in a store with a wool sock. Now rubber boots with fur insulation are sold, but the insulation, which cannot be removed, cannot be dried well. It is better to choose boots with removable insulation.

A modern woman at any age wears jeans or sportswear. For such clothes, it is best to choose light sports shoes with low heels, sneakers or sneakers. For dry weather, you can buy light, cute slippers, or sandals with an open heel, which will be very comfortable for walking a lot. In any case and in any season, in order for your feet to be truly comfortable and comfortable, you need to be able to choose the right shoes when purchasing.

Larisa Viktorovna Vyskubova, 05.10.12

British stamps

English manufacturers offer not only Oxfords, but also all kinds of sports, casual, festive and even house shoes.

The Manolo Blahnik company successfully combines classics and avant-garde in the design of its shoes.

Manolo Blahnik

History of creation

The son of a Spanish woman and a Czech, Manolo Blahnik studied design in Paris. His first creations related to shoes for men. But he soon realized that his creativity had little place in men’s fashion and decided to please the fair half of humanity with his designs.

At the age of 37, he opened his own boutique in New York and began collaborating with famous designers. The founder of the brand is personally involved in the development of the design of new shoes and controls the process of their creation.

What kind of shoes are produced?

The boutiques of the Manolo Blahnik brand are home to elegant high-heeled shoes of different lengths, brightly colored ballet flats, laconic ankle boots, slippers and loafers, mules and sandals with extraordinary decoration.

Peculiarities

The brand is known for high-quality materials and hand-tailoring. Manolo Blahnik shoes are distinguished by their original design and comfort.

The company produces only 80 pairs of shoes per day, which confirms its exclusivity.

Interesting Facts

Like Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik shoes and sandals also got a role in the TV series Sex and the City, but not a cameo. American fashionista Carrie Bradshaw almost never takes off shoes from this manufacturer and considers them almost the most valuable exhibit of her stylish wardrobe.

In addition to Sarah Jessica Parker, celebrities such as Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Winona Ryder are in love with Manolo Blahnik shoes.

Price

You can buy slippers for 600 euros, and for stilettos you will be asked for more than 1000 euros.

Don Manolo with his creation.

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Don Manolo with his creation.

The Spanish designer is conquering the world.
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The Spanish designer is conquering the world.

Sarah Jessica Parker, like her heroine, cannot go past Manolo Blahnik.
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Sarah Jessica Parker, like her heroine, cannot go past Manolo Blahnik.

German brands

When looking for quality shoes, we don’t always think of German companies. But in Germany there are worthy representatives of the shoe industry.

Marco Tozzi focuses on comfort - the designers have developed a shock-absorbing sole that makes every step you take soft and springy.

There are models for narrow and wide feet; every year the brand releases at least 10 new collections.

All Rieker brand products have a flexible and incredibly light, but at the same time frost-resistant sole.

Models from Rieker are the best option for everyday wear.

Tamaris company is one of the most popular in Germany.

Russian fashionistas fell in love with this company for its affordable prices and the comfort of its models, even in high heels.

Comfort and reliability are the main principles of German production. Be sure to check out the range of companies from Germany.

Russian manufacturers

The rating of Russian quality footwear brands includes companies operating in different price segments. If you want to support a domestic manufacturer, you can choose a pair that you can afford.

The Zenden company wins the hearts of customers with an incredible breadth of assortment , and the affordable cost of goods allows fashionistas to satisfy not only their immediate needs, but also their wildest desires.

If you value comfort, take a closer look at the products.

Imported raw materials are used in production, European technologies are used, so the quality of shoes is always at its best. A carefully thought out and perfectly executed last will give ease of movement to women of any age.

One of the leaders among brands of very good quality shoes in Russia can be called Tervolina; their shoes are truly durable and reliable.

All materials are hygienic, the shoes look solid, therefore, despite the cost, this brand has many fans.

Among budget domestic brands, the Econika brand stands out.

Their models are distinguished by an original fashionable design; the company pays a lot of attention to the design of its sales floors. Young, stylish mothers will be especially pleased with the products of this company - Econika regularly updates its line of “Mom and Daughter” products.

Westfalika is the only Russian manufacturer that cooperates with foreign designers.

Exquisite models are accompanied by high reliability and a comfortable last. For shoe care, Westfalika produces its own line of products.

Now you know which brands are of the highest quality in Russia; branded leather shoes are highly valued by our compatriots.

The secret of Chinese "skin"

January 24, 2018

Vice-President of the Russian Union of Shoemakers Vladimir Denisenko, in an interview with a correspondent of the electronic publication Svobodnaya Pressa, spoke about what is happening in the Russian footwear industry.

— How do you assess the current situation in the Russian footwear industry?

(V.S.) — The capacity of the Russian shoe market is 500 million pairs. However, today only 30 million pairs of leather shoes are produced in our country. This is catastrophically low. It turns out that in Russia only one pair of leather shoes is produced for five people. For example: in Europe, one or two pairs of leather shoes are produced for every resident. And during the Soviet Union, at least one or two pairs were produced per person per year. For children's shoes, the situation is better, but not much. Today Russia produces 7-8 million pairs of children's shoes. Our country imports the same amount of shoes for children.

Thus, in Russia only one child out of three wears leather shoes. What happens? The child spends the entire day at school wearing “synthetics”. Then he goes outside and plays football again in “synthetics”! Doctors confirm the increase in allergic and fungal diseases in children. This is simply genocide of our population. Remember our childhood, everyone had leather boots and sandals. We and our children grew up wearing leather shoes. In Russia, it is necessary to produce at least one pair of leather shoes per child, because imported leather shoes are not always leather.

— Does this mean that the leather is faked?

(V.S.) - Take shoes made in China. Written: leather. But all the edges, all the cuts are folded, stitched, hidden... Because a huge part of the shoes is not leather, but split leather (a cheap inner layer) with a polyurethane coating. And it seems like the base is leather, but in fact such “skin” does not breathe, does not allow moisture and air to pass through, that is, it does not possess any of the valuable properties of real leather.

Recently, the so-called “eco-leather” has appeared. But this is the same “synthetics” disguised as leather. However, marketers resort to this trick, which is essentially deception, in order to increase sales. The lion's share of Chinese shoes that are supplied to Russia, unfortunately, is exactly like this. I believe that in the state industry strategy and program (“Strategy for the development of light industry until 2020”, “Industry development program until 2025”) it is necessary to set the task of producing shoes from natural materials, and primarily for children.

— Is it now possible to make high-quality, but inexpensive leather shoes in Russia?

(V.S.) - Yes, really. By the way, when we opened stores in Moscow, we were faced with the fact that people coming to the salons did not believe that leather shoes could cost 3 thousand rubles, because everywhere such shoes cost 5-6 thousand rubles. We have to convince visitors that shoes can be leather, of high quality and at the same time inexpensive.

— Do you wear your own shoes?

(V.S.) - Of course! Moreover, my friends, some of them businessmen, people who are far from poor, buy shoes in our stores. Children's shoes are purchased only from us; a better price-quality combination simply cannot be found. This year they launched a new product - “Anti-ice” shoes with spikes on the sole. The brackets with spikes are movable and take the “spikes out” position for icy conditions, and the “spikes in” position for moving on any floor covering. This is an invention of my Italian friend, patented technology. He supplies such soles to Canada, France, and the Alpine regions. We were the first to start producing these shoes in Russia. Such models are just right for our Siberian and Ural climate, for ice conditions.

— The production of shoes and clothing in Russia is a difficult task. What helps you not give up?

(V.S.) - I’ve been doing this business all my life, I know the production inside and out, it’s difficult to deceive me on any issue. I was the chief mechanic, chief engineer, commercial director, and then was elected general director. Now we are the largest footwear holding in the country, a kind of production cluster that includes many production facilities. For example, we produce insoles and soles ourselves. We managed to maintain the block production, which, by the way, is the only one in Russia. Although during the Soviet Union the production of pads was taken very seriously

- Why?

(V.S.) - In fact, a lot depends on the last; it is this that affects the comfort of the shoe. Previously, there were scientific institutes that developed pads for different regions. For example, for the northern peoples there is one last, for the Ural and Siberian regions there is another (people there, as a rule, have wider feet). We have saved this data and are developing it. Therefore, even now we measure feet, analyze data, and make lasts taking into account the characteristics of Russians’ feet. Therefore, our shoes are always more comfortable than any Chinese shoes made according to Central European patterns.

— Liberal economists and politicians have the opinion that Russia cannot and should not produce anything. “Everything can be bought,” they say. What will happen to Russia if it stops producing shoes?

(V.S.) - The destruction of our industry began with such a worldview. The first person to say that light industry goods need to be imported was Gaidar. I don’t understand why they erect monuments to him. After all, these people destroyed the entire military-industrial complex and basic industries, including light industry. Our state has turned into a country of security guards and sellers. And people need creative work. And a lot of people in Russia, especially in single-industry towns such as Ivanovo, for example, need industrial employment. Throughout Russia, both female and male labor of an average technological level are in demand. And people need it!

— How do you feel about Chinese shoes?

(V.S.) — The production of shoes in China, which is done for Europe, is fundamentally different from what is supplied to Russia. The most toxic materials, synthetics, glue are for Russia. The Chinese say, “You want it cheaper, but there’s no other way to make it cheaper.” They can be understood: in Russia there is absolutely no control. Europe has a system of REACH standards, according to which imported goods are randomly checked. The contracts stipulate that products must comply with this system. And if any batch of shoes exceeds the indicators for formaldehyde, toxicity, or other indicators, then the importing company is subject to a fine of millions of euros, as well as a ban on the supply of these products in the future. Therefore, low-quality shoes, for example, are not supplied to Germany or Italy in principle. But it is easily supplied to Russia, because there is no control in our country.

Previously, Rospotrebnadzor tested shoes for formaldehyde content, but now this control has been abolished, and only leather is tested for formaldehyde. We have freed ourselves from checks so much that our children and adults are unprotected. The Chinese take advantage of this by bringing all the “poison” to us, and our dishonest businessmen only contribute to this by importing contraband. Such products are sold for 300-400 rubles in shops and huge shopping complexes, which have grown over the past year or two in all cities of the country like mushrooms after rain. If we put things in order with smuggling, shoe production in Russia will double, this market will be occupied by domestic production, and these will be high-quality shoes. At the same time, the budget will also benefit.

— Why hasn’t the problem of smuggling been solved for years?

(V.S.) — Four years ago, at a meeting on light industry, Vladimir Putin announced data on the smuggling of light industry products. Then this figure was 39%. At a similar meeting in 2017, the president announced a figure of 34%. “The dynamics are unconvincing,” he noted. Moreover, our industry surveys show that in Russia the smuggling market reaches 50%. The President instructed the prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the FSB to take all measures to suppress the illegal import of products. The departments are due to report in February 2020. Let's see what they say. In the meantime, the prosecutor's office has come to check smuggling in our stores - in Samara, Kurgan and other cities. Indeed, why catch dealers in the markets, why identify fly-by-night companies?! There is a large manufacturer who will not hide or run away, and from whom you can look for “smuggling.” True, they haven’t found it yet (ed. - laughs).

Information from the resource https://svpressa.ru/economy/article/190271/?rss=1

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