We have all been there. You are standing in a department store, holding a beautiful pair of leather shoes. You check the price tag, and your stomach sinks. $600. For shoes.
You turn them over. “Made in Italy,” it says. But you live in the real world. You have rent due, and honestly, you just refuse to pay for the CEO’s third yacht just so your feet look good.
Enter Beckett Simonon.
You may have seen the ads or heard the whispers on Reddit’s Male Fashion Advice. But are they actually good? Or is it just hype?
I spent weeks digging into the brand, interviewing long-term owners (5+ years of wear), and analyzing their controversial “made-to-order” model.
Here is the unvarnished truth about the “Warby Parker of shoes.”
The Broken System They Are Hacking
To understand Beckett Simonon, you first have to understand why you usually get ripped off.
Before launching this brand in 2011, co-founders Nicholas Hurtado and Andrés Niño ran a traditional leather goods label. They saw the ugly truth firsthand: Retailers routinely mark up products by 8 to 10 times the manufacturing cost .
Why? Because retailers know a huge percentage of inventory will never sell. So, the shoes that do sell have to cover the losses of the ones that don’t. You are paying for their waste.
Beckett Simonon said, “What if we just… didn’t do that?”
They ditched the middlemen. They ditched the warehouses full of dusty boxes. They created a direct-to-consumer, made-to-order model . They only make a shoe after you order it.
The “Wait” is the Secret Sauce
Let’s address the elephant in the room: The shipping time.
When you buy a pair of Beckett Simonon sneakers or Beckett Simonon boots, they aren’t arriving tomorrow. In fact, they might take 2 to 3 months to arrive .
I know, waiting stinks. But here is why you should actually like the wait.
In traditional retail, a company has to guess what you want to buy 9 months from now. If they guess wrong, they dump those shoes at a Marshalls for $40. To avoid that risk, they cheap out on materials.
Because Beckett Simonon makes everything to order, they have zero unsold inventory . This frees up their budget to use insane materials. They aren’t paying for storage; they are paying for full-grain Italian leather and Blake stitching .
Would you rather have cheap sneakers tomorrow that fall apart in 6 months, or heirloom-quality boots in 60 days that last a decade?
The Quality Check: Are They Actually Durable?
Let’s get technical for 30 seconds.
Many big brands use “genuine leather” (which is actually the lowest grade). Beckett Simonon uses Full-Grain Leather . This is the top layer of the hide. It breathes, it develops a rich patina (that unique aging look), and it is tough as nails.
Regarding construction, most of their dress shoes use the Blake stitch . This makes the shoe lighter, more flexible, and easier to resole than a clunky Goodyear welt. It hugs your foot like a glove.
One Reddit user reviewed their boots after 5 years of wear, noting that the leather still looked fantastic and the rubber heel caps showed minimal wear despite minimal care .
Real world test: These shoes are comfortable out of the box. Unlike stiff luxury brands that require a month of bloodying your heels, users report a very short break-in period because the leather is high quality and supple .
The Price: Why It Feels Like Robbery (In a Good Way)
Here is where they win.
A comparable pair of Italian-made, full-grain leather oxfords at a mall will run you $400–$800.
A pair of Beckett Simonon Deans (their classic Oxford) runs between $189 and $239 .
You are paying for the materials and the artisan’s time. You are not paying for the return shipping on the 500 pairs of ugly shoes the mall couldn’t sell.
The “Cons” You Need to Know About
I am not a cheerleader; I am a journalist. There are downsides.
- Patience is Required: As noted, if you need shoes for a wedding next week, do not buy these. You will be disappointed .
- Not “Truly” Custom: While they call it “made-to-order,” it is actually batch production. They wait until they have enough orders (like a Kickstarter) and then run the machines. Occasionally, if you order a popular style, they might have an extra pair lying around that ships immediately, but don’t bank on it .
The Verdict: Who is this for?
Buy Beckett Simonon if: You are a smart shopper. You value the feel of real leather over a logo. You are organized enough to plan your wardrobe 8 weeks in advance. You want to look like a million bucks without spending your paycheck.
Skip it if: You are impatient, or you only buy shoes once every 5 years and need them now.
In a world of fast fashion that is destroying the planet and your wallet, Beckett Simonon offers a quieter, smarter way to dress. You aren’t just buying shoes; you are voting against the insane retail markup.
Have you tried Beckett Simonon? Let us know in the comments how your pair has held up!
Harvey Glen