Luxe Brand Shoes – How to Know What You’re Buying

Let’s face it. We technically don’t NEED to buy luxe brand shoes. There are plenty of other good quality options available at much lower prices. So why do so many of us yearn for those luxury brands? The luxury brands drive fashion trends, and wearing their pieces reflects our personal styles, giving us a way to stand out from the crowd. Luxe brands also generally use high quality materials and craftsmanship. Well-made footwear can last a very long time if properly cared for. It’s the design AND quality that builds those brands and supports their higher prices.

But what happens when luxe brands start to skimp on the materials or the craftsmanship? Not good. At least not from our perspective. Athletic and athleisure shoes aside,  we strongly believe that most of our dressier shoes—flats, loafers, sandals, pumps, and slingbacks—should be made of high quality leather. With limited disclosure from the brands, it is getting more and more difficult to identify which shoes are made entirely of leather and which ones have been constructed with less expensive, synthetic materials.

Here’s a brief tutorial to help you know what to look for when shopping for shoes so you know what you are buying and can make informed decisions regarding quality and price.

How to find true Italian leather footwear

In some cases, the details you need are stamped right on the bottom of the shoe. If you see “Vero Cuoio” that is an Italian phrase meaning "true leather" and is a trademarked symbol by the Italian tannery industry association, representing genuine animal leather. This is a sign of a high quality, well-crafted shoe. Buy with confidence.

How to read labels on luxe brand shoes

Otherwise, the bottom of the shoe will be labeled. While there are many different parts of a shoe, when it comes to disclosing the materials used in shoe construction, there are three main parts as indicated in the image below. Shoe labels typically have a two-column format, with the left column showing the shoe parts and the right column showing the materials used for that part.

Shoe Materials Label Elements

Left column:

1.    Upper –The entire part of the shoe that covers the foot. The upper of a shoe consists of all parts or sections of the shoe above the sole.

2.    Insole and lining: This is inside of the shoe which provides comfort and support.

3.    Outsole: This is the exterior surface on the bottom of the shoe. It provides traction and durability.

Right column:

4.    Leather: This will be a symbol resembling an animal skin and is synonymous with genuine animal leather. The Italian tannery industry association trademarked the symbol in 2004.

5.    Coated leather: This is one of the processes of treating leather; basically the leather is coated with one of a variety of products for the desired look. A product in which the coating layer or glue lamination does not exceed one third of the total thickness of the product, but is greater than 0.15 mm.

6.    Textile materials: This means fabric, and the list is endless. This is one of the symbols that vegans, vegetarians and eco-friendly consumers look for because it means animal products are not used for the construction.

7.    Other Materials: Look for a diamond symbol or the words "man-made" to indicate materials like plastics or rubber. All of these materials are friendly for the vegan, vegetarian and eco-friendly consumer.

Examples of luxe brand shoe material labels

For example, if a label says, "Leather Upper Balance man-made", it means the upper is leather, and everything else (lining, insole, outsole) is made of man-made materials.

Here is another example of a shoe material label from a pair of Kate Spade pumps. In this case the upper, insole and lining and the outsole are all made of leather. This is what we are looking for to indicate high-quality materials. Again, buy with confidence!

Shoe Label Indicating All Leather Construction

Next time you are shopping for shoes, you will be much more informed and can make better decisions on your shoe purchases.

Happy Shopping!