Review

An Honest Review of Beckett Simonon Shoes

April 29th, 2022

Written By

Tony Gorga

Tony Gorga is an author, sartorial enthusiast, and regular contributor to a variety of publications documenting lifestyle for the modern man.

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Are They Better Than Allen Edmonds?

In addition to ‘direct-to-consumer’ and ‘quality’, words like ‘ethical’, ‘sustainable’, and ‘made in small batches’ get tossed around quite a bit in this new age of #menswear. They’re used almost as a counterpoint to the key discriminators for many heritage brands. Beckett Simonon is one of those companies riding the wave.

Beginning in the early 2010s, this small leather goods manufacturer has evolved to feature a full range of reasonably priced dress shoes, loafers, boots, sneakers, and bags.

In this deep-dive review, we’ll take a look at the Beckett Simonon story, ordering and manufacturing process, and then review some of their more popular styles to tell you what works, what doesn’t, and how they stack up to the perennial elephant-in-the-room: Allen Edmonds.

An Overview of Beckett Simonon

Nicholas Hurtado and Andrés Niño, two longtime friends, had a small leather goods business early in their careers. Called “Hasso,” the brand was successful and eventually sold in some 13 countries. But, in the course of building the company, the pair saw a darker side of retail.

Third-party vendors for Hasso products would often charge six, eight, and even 10 times their manufacturing cost, marking up their items to cover the cost of paying for storage of unsold merchandise. Not only was this exploitative of consumers, but wasteful for the labor of producers and the supply chain needed to make these goods. Even more, the phenomenon of ‘need-it-now’ instant gratification actually created less respect for the items. There had to be a better way.

Beckett Simonon had its genesis, then, in a spirit of respect for the planet, supply chains, and the hands making your goods. But, its name came from an unusual combination of literature and punk rock. “Beckett” is a reference to the renowned Irish poet, playwright, and Nobel Laureate Samuel Beckett; Simonon a nod to Paul, ace of bass for The Clash.

When the company began in 2012, Hurtado and Niño priced their shoes at just $79. There was no Kickstarter, no splashy launch video or even Adwords. But, thanks to a combination of luck and some timely forwarded emails in their network, the initial production run of 1,000 pairs of shoes sold out in under a month. By most accounts, the quality was above average for a sub-$100 pair of shoes, but nothing extraordinary.

As word got out and sales increased, the company was able to reinvest in the product, source better materials, and continue to both refine designs and expand their lineup.

Today, the company has a presence as a niche brand with a dedicated following among menswear enthusiasts seeking a well-designed product on a refined last without having to shell out four or five bills to get it.

Where are Beckett Simonon shoes made?

In an era of intense competition where “Made in Italy” or “Made in Spain” still hold particular esteem, Beckett Simonon manufactures their shoes in Bogota, Colombia. While the country flies somewhat under the radar, it has a rich heritage in fine leatherwork.

By vertically-integrating the supply chain, the company is able to avoid many of the costs associated with third-party manufacture and storage of goods. More importantly, they believe they’re able to have more complete oversight of the process and quality assurance.

Are Beckett Simonon shoes Goodyear welted?

While the Goodyear welt ranks up with ‘Made in Italy’ or ‘premium quality’ in the lexicon of buzzwords, Beckett Simonon currently utilizes a Blake stitch on all of their dress shoes and boots.

A Blake stitch is a process by which the leather upper is folded under the insole, and then sewn directly onto the sole of the shoe using a single thread. This produces a lighter, more streamlined shoe than a traditional Goodyear welt.

While welted shoes are more time and labor intensive to produce, they aren’t necessarily better quality than a Blake stitched one. While we would prefer a welted boot, stitching makes for an elegant and streamlined dress shoe. Either of these are far better options than glued shoes, though.

The Process: How long does it take?

Beckett Simonon shoes are made largely by hand or with the help of a hand-operated precision machine. The outline of the upper is traced and cut with a deft hand and put on the last. Stitching is done with the McKay machine, but nails are done by hand. The uppers are left on the last for 72 hours and allowed to air-dry instead of quick-drying with an artificial system. Each shoe goes through around 150 steps, and the process is oddly satisfying to watch.

As late as 2019, turnaround was as little as 60 days from order to delivery. However, ongoing COVID-related supply chain issues as well as increased scale of production have pushed the timeline to, at the time of this writing, closer to 120 days.

But, this is the nature of many made-to-order operations. It’s supposed to take a little time. Part of this is designed to make fashion more sustainable and reducing the environmental impact of producing your clothing. Another part is getting you, the consumer, to make purchases for your wardrobe years from now and not just attending next weekend’s wedding. And, a third component is from a business standpoint: making something to order means little-to-no excess inventory, thereby reducing overhead and the cost of storing goods (which would otherwise be passed on to the consumer).

Beckett Simonon Oxfords

Quality & Construction

Having been fortunate to sample and wear a number of the company’s Oxfords over the last three or so years, I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on the materials and build. Let’s cover them here.

While Hurtado and Niño used Argentinian leather in the early days, they’ve moved away from it because it just didn’t live up to either customer expectations or their own. Today, Beckett Simonon uppers are made using full-grain calfskin from Gruppo Mastrotto, a tannery based in Arzignano, Italy.

The leather is, from my armchair quarterback perspective, excellent for a $200 shoe. It’s supple and pliable, and there are no visible blemishes, pockmarks, or signs of sanding or grinding to remove imperfections.

The midsoles are fully lined in full-grain Vachetta leather. There is some natural cushioning, but there’s no cork midsole conforming to your foot the way, say, a pair of Allen Edmonds would.

The outsoles are leather as well. They’re made from what is, essentially, a blend of bovine leathers compressed together using natural binders of mimosa, quebracho wood, and chestnut.

With that said, these are still $200 shoes and, despite cutting out middlemen and running a lean operation, manufactured to hit that mark. So, compared with a shoe retailing for around $400, the leather will likely not be as thick or as supple.

Construction is, frankly, excellent. The stitching is just as tight and even as some of my far more expensive pairs. I’ve experienced stitched shoes where shoddy workmanship has resulted in excess stitching poking the balls of my feet when walking. This isn’t the case here. And, each pair of Oxfords I’ve had has held up beautifully over the nearly three years I’ve had some of them.

However, I would resist the temptation to polish too frequently. Each of my smooth leather Oxfords have arrived beautifully polished and coated with carnauba wax. But, in an attempt to take one pair’s shine to the next level, I found quite a bit of the polish came off! A clear coat restored most of the luster, though.

Comfort & Fit

“Comfort” is always a difficult topic to discuss, especially around shoes. Some guys like their shoes like a pair of raw denim — something broken in over a few wearings to conform to the contours of their feet. Others want a soft, squishy kind of ride right out of the box. Me? I’m somewhat in-between. I recognize truly high-quality leather may take a little to break in. But, I’m not willing to sit through a week of blisters on my heels.

Beckett Simonon has built in a nifty detail to counter this common problem in dress shoes. The inside of the heel has a little patch of roughout leather stitched into it. This creates a surface for your socks to catch and stop sliding around as you walk. No slipping, no rubbing, and no blisters.

I found Beckett Simonon Oxfords to be pretty comfortable out of the box. It was quite tight on the vamp for the first couple of hours and left quite a big gap in the facing. But, with little time, the leather began to stretch and mold to my foot. By the third or fourth wearing things had loosened up quite nicely and the upper had begun to mold around my foot. Six wearings in, they began to feel like an old friend.

That is, of course, when I found the right fit for me. I’m a 10B on a Brannock device, which means I need a narrow shoe. While I do appreciate the narrow waist on Beckett Simonon’s Oxfords, they only come in standard “D” widths and are loosely based on Allen Edmonds’ 65 last (what the classic Allen Edmonds Park Avenue sits on.)

A standard 10 in these shoes is okay for me lengthwise, but leaves quite a bit of gapping around the mouth. If you’ve got an average width foot, you should be just fine with your normal size. But, my narrow foot means I need to take a full size down to a 9. Even with that, I’ve got plenty of room to wiggle my toes around — and no gapping at the sides. If you’re a fella with a wider foot, try going half a size up on the lace-ups.

Style & Design

Beckett Simonon’s Oxford selection has seemingly doubled even in the last three years. What was once just captoes and wingtips is up to, at the time of writing, 12 styles to include austerity Oxfords, two kinds of Adelaides, and wholecuts. They’re offered in five different colorways, from a classic black to not-quite-brown-not-quite-tan “oak” finish.

Beckett Simonon seems to be able to roll out so many varieties because they use a similar last for many of the models. Look at the tip of the toe box and you’ll see a slightly raised ‘bump’ on nearly all of them. It would appear both easy and cost-effective to spin up a new variant.

This isn’t to say these are cookie-cutter shoes, though. While at first glance, these look to be classic Oxfords in a kind of hybrid between English and American styles, each one of the Oxfords has its subtleties.

Consider the most conservative of these- the “Dean” in black. The toe cap extends much further up the vamp than Allen Edmonds’ Park Avenue model. This gives the impression of a longer, more elegant shape to the foot.

Or, take my current favorite, the “Durant” in Bordeaux/burgundy. It has the same extended toe cap and slight almond toe as the Dean for that lovely shape, but also some additional elements. Both the heel and toe feature broguing and pinking, and the upper vamp features a U-shaped ‘Adelaide’ design. Some may consider this quite busy, but I think it creates an interesting look without going too far. It’s an Oxford! It’s a Brogue! It’s a…Broxford?

The Verdict

Having owned four pairs of Beckett Simonon Oxfords over the last three or so years, I can say they’re well worth it and punch far above their price point. The leather isn’t amazing-but, in my view, it is superior to a standard shoe from Cole Haan or Johnston & Murphy.

The styles are versatile and easy to wear in a variety of scenarios. However, I would gravitate toward darker finishes on the Oxfords. The ‘oak’ is somewhat similar to the ‘coffee brown’ from Allen Edmonds. While the ‘tan’ may, in theory, be close to Allen Edmonds’ ‘walnut’ finish, in my experience the colorway borders on orange.

They will largely run true to your normal dress shoe size if you have a standard foot. If you’re like me and have a narrow foot, consider taking at least a half-size down, if not a full size; gents with wider feet should look to take a half-size up.

Err on the side of a little snug at first, as the leather will stretch and conform to your foot over three or four wearings. When properly sized, then, the Oxfords are well worth it.