Huntsman Leather Konrad II – Review

Background

Huntsman Leather is an Australian-based label focused on Goodyear Welted shoes that launched earlier this year. Their goals are simple: to make high quality shoes affordable and accessible and give back to the community through its support of the charity Spur Afrika. I’ve come to know Huntsman Leather when Jesse (@burzanblog) first posted on Instagram about his handsome-looking grained calf plain toe blucher from the brand. A few months ago, Jin Ling, the founder of Huntsman Leather, asked if I would be interested to review a model of their ready-to-wear collection. So the Side Gusset has spent a while examining Huntsman’s shoes and here are my thoughts.

A Closer Look

The pair I received from Huntsman to check out is a pair of classic double monk strap with a plain cap toe, namely Konrad II. The model was recently introduced by the team, modified based on their bestseller Konrad. The shoes were shipped in a nice juniper cardboard box with two separate shoe bags in the same colour.

There they are, Konrad II in navy calf leather

Design

Before I go into the quality of make, I want to talk about the design of the shoes. The Konrad II model is built on a reasonably elongated last which is slightly squared at the toes but without being aggressively chiseled and protruding. I think the last goes really well especially with the double monk designs which should be well-proportioned and smart looking at the same time. The shoes also feature double cross-over strap design with three fastening options to suit slightly different foot shapes. So in terms of aesthetics, basically what we have here are classic and timeless designs with a contemporary approach. A nice pair to cater for various occasions.

Materials

Now let’s look at the materials. This pair comes in navy calf leather which is quite subtle in terms of colour. From a personal point of view, the upper leather feels pretty nice and the colour is not too showy. The subtle navy also suitably enhances the shoes’ versatility by working almost like black shoes (with more fun and less conventional of course). In my opinion, the pair sits comfortably with charcoal and grey suits at the office.

Side view – the navy leather really stands out, especially when my wardrobe is overwhelmed by brown/espresso dress shoes

The calf leather here is vegetable-tanned and free from chemicals during the production process. The upside of this method is that the leather tends to create beautiful patina easier with wears. Huntsman sources their calf leather from selected tanneries in Italy which are currently supplying leathers to some of the big names such as Gaziano & Girling, Crockett & Jones, Berluti, etc. Jin further elaborates on their carefully selected calf leather:

“The most characterized property of their exceptional calf leather is that their calves are smaller in size and thicker in skin, creating for a more unique and higher quality product. The number of hair pores in a calf skin remains the same throughout their life, which is why the younger calf’s skin has the softest and finest pore coefficient.”

Construction & Finishing

Each and every pair of Huntsman shoes is crafted by a team of skillful artisans in the southern regions of Spain, where some of the highest quality leather shoes are made. Konrad II is constructed using traditional Goodyear welted (GYW) method. When asked about the rationale behind adopting GYW construction which would inevitably increase the production cost, Jin

explains to the Side Gusset:

“I believe that the GYW is one step more refined in terms of construction, quality and durability. And we want to offer what we believe to be the best from day one. We had the opportunity or option to create Blake-stitched for a lower price but wanted to keep true to what we believe in.”

Moving on to the finishing of the shoes. Overall, the quality of make is solid. The stitching and closing around the shoes is also clean and neat without loose threads that I can observe. The shoes also feature open channel sole, which is fairly common for shoes at this price point. But Huntsman took a step further by hand-painting the sole with a glossy finish that embellishes the shoes.

The sole work that team Huntsman takes pride in

The finishing at the heel edges is also neatly done and does not disappoint

The heels are relatively straight in and outside

I also want to highlight the importance of interior finishing because very often, it’s what inside the shoes that counts. In this case, I am pleasantly surprised that the shoes are in fact made with thick and full leather lining. The full, instead of half, leather lining is certainly something you would rarely get from shoes at this price point. From my experience, full leather lining shoes generally provide better comfort, moisture absorption and durability (assuming the same quality of leather is used). With the full leather lining (plus the necessary reinforcements between the lining and uppers) here, together they install longevity in the shoes since day one and I won’t expect them to wear down easily for years to come.

Sizing & Fit

In action

Now to the fit of the shoes. Huntsman shoes fit true-to-size generally so one should take the size of his well-fitting shoes as a reference point. However, my case was a little bit complicated here because my feet size was usually in between size (UK 6.5/7) so fit advice was needed. Apart from asking my normal shoes sizes in different brands and lasts, the Huntsman team also suggested sending them the measurement of the maximum length of feet to ensure accurate sizing advice can be given.

The sizing advice is spot-on

Frankly, when I took the sizing advice and went for UK6.5, I was actually a bit hesitant as to whether the width of the shoes would accommodate my ‘bony pinky toe on the right foot’ well (please refer to my earlier article on Hiro Yanagimachi for details). But as things turn out, I shouldn’t have worried about this nonsense, the width of Konrad II fits me nicely from day one. When I first wore the pair, I didn’t feel pressure at the instep and my heels were gently supported without feeling stressed as I walked. Overall, a snug fit but not tight. So it doesn’t take much time for me to break in the pair. I must thank them for the excellent customer care and spot-on advice provided.

Conclusion

So here’s the verdict. If you are looking for a pair of decent-looking GYW dress shoes with a good value for money, Huntsman Leather is definitely a good option to consider.

The price for their RTW collection ranges from $399 to $449 AUD. The price they charged is very competitive considering the material specifications, construction method, finishing (with the sole works being the highlight) and quality of the leather. And apart from RTWs, MTO campaigns are also available from time to time at their trunk shows so individual designs (leather type, specific colour, details of interlining and finishing of the sole) can be created.

Meanwhile, the communication with the team was smooth all along and they are always eager to receive feedback to improve their products. These cannot be done if the founder and his team are not interested in making high-quality shoes themselves. So all in all, Huntsman Leather is certainly on the right track of development. And when asked about the future plans for Huntsman after their successful trunk shows in Sydney and Melbourne lately, Jin revealed:

“The first is to grow the brand or profile of Huntsman Leather and this will be done through a series of domestic trunk shows. It would be great to grow this to international trunk shows (i.e. Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong). Medium term would be to introduce the option to create customized designs on our website as well as a feet measurement app. Ultimately, our goal is to grow our presence online and be a business to be able to keep costs low and continue offering our shoes at lower prices.”

Well, sounds like a plan and hopefully we’ll meet at Huntsman’s Hong Kong trunk show very soon.