Nepenthes Arrow Moccasin with Crepe Sole

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—01. Leather tanned in the UK.

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Back in early May I picked up a pair of the Nepenthes Moccasins and have been wearing them consistently since. These heavy, Swiss leather mocs are nearly the same but have been tanned in England and built to mold to your feet and still breathe exceptionally well. The additional crepe sole accents the leather and extends the sole of the leather as well. The darker ring strap and white stitching are another small detail that solidify this shoe as another brilliant Nepenthes collaboration.

—Nepenthes NY

Arrow Moccasin for Nepenthes

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—01. Special pattern for Nepenthes.

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Nepenthes are one of the masters of collaboration, and this spring they made up a new ring shoe with Arrow Moccasin. The thick, oiled leather is low to the ground, allowing for nice feel, although maybe not recommended for those with sensitive feet. The ring closure provides a nice design twist, but the mocs remain quite simple and more wearable than some of Nepenthes past projects.

—Nepenthes NY

Arrow Moccasin Chukka

As more and more American brands are rediscovered by boutiques stateside, in the UK and in Japan - it's often the latter who have done it first, best and continue to explore the archives and abilities of the craftsmen. Arrow Moccasin have been around for a long time and currently have a couple pairs available at Oi Polloi, but it's this chukka that just arrived in Japan that I particularly like. Usually the moccasin construction on Arrow's models has the upper stitched directly to the crepe sole, but these new models have added the leather layer to the crepe sole. They still utilize the moccasin construction, but it adds a layer of toughness to the shoes that allow them to stand up a bit better to foul weather. I also feel like the structure makes them look and feel more substantial on foot. —

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Ring Boots

I posted some Ring Boots by Quoddy in the last 'LOOK' update, and it was interesting to read the comments about people's preferences on which ring boot they like the most. I tracked down a few different models which I like the look of, but as a shoe I would be very particular about, I think the Quoddy or Yuketen would be my first choice. In fact, Yuketen make this ring boot with their crepe sole as well which is even better. Than cut of the ankle, the colour of the leather, the size of the mid-sole, the leather used and of course the type of sole are all things to consider. I'm not overly excited by some of the shoes with crepe soles climbing their way up and over the foot, but I think the balance and shape of the crepe on Quoddy's ring boot is just right. The sole on Arrow Mocs might be too thin for some, and wear out quickly. I might switch our their chrom-pac leather for something lighter or more pliable, such as something Yuketen uses. When it comes down to it, there are elements of each that I quite like, and maybe it will be possible to combine them in the future. In the meantime, I'd be interested to hear what style of ring boots you most like? I'm not even sure I've seen anyone wearing ring boots around the city to be honest, so do you even like any of these? —

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