Solovair
UK-made leather boots and shoes company. Claims to be a former manufacturer of a portion of Doc Martens back in the 1950’s.
Curious if anyone owns any of their shoes and how their products might hold up over time.
8 Replies
Bought myself a pair of their penny loafers a week ago over morjas alternative. Break in hasn’t been as bad as expected
i like this “Gaucho Crazy Horse Gibson Shoe” a lot, $199. not sure what this style of shoe is called though, i know doc marten has a similar line. would be willing to buy a nicer brand second hand if anyone has recommendations
Ive had some boots in the past. They really are just docs. Only benefit i found was some of the shapes are a bit nicer.
Not to say theyre bad, but its worth considering if you cant find basically the same boot but cheaper with docs
I've had some issues with cracking and flacking on some of my docks I wonder if they would be the same with Solovair.
That is a derby but a lot of brands will also call it an oxford
I have a pair of the 8 eye derby boots. Like above they are essentially just Docs but constructed a bit better. I like the fact that they can be resoled so I don't mind that I paid a bit more for them
I have a pair of their kiltie loafers and I really do like them. They arent as shiny in person as the photos online made me think
Only thing is they can get really uncomfortable after a few hours. Owned them for almost 2 years and they still havent quite "broken in"
Love Solovair ❤️
I have plantar fasciitis and I need to use inserts to walk around pain-free but the shoes themselves need to have adequate structural support for them to work. Solovairs are super comfortable for me whereas Docs are total shite in this regard. I believe it's because Solovair still use a wooden shank in their construction, something that DMs have dropped to cut manufacturing costs.
I have a pair of dealer boots in gaucho crazy horse and some gibsons in black grain, both have seen a few years of wear and they're still going strong. The soles aren't even that worn. I can't comment on the quality of the hi-shine leather but I wouldn't be surprised if it's better than DMs.
It's also just nice that there's a decent option for the distinctive Doc style of footwear since DM has gone to shit.
Does anyone know about the sizing of their loafers, the tassel loafers specifically? They're not available in any stores near me and I was wondering if they fit similar to the Dr martens ones so I could just try those on