After An Interview with JIANG Daoyuan was published, many readers asked, how good is this brand of shoes? I immediately got a pair and took a look with everyone.
Let us go.
Unboxing
The theme color of the Badia brand is green, as is the shoe box, which is a lighter dark green. The logo is pale gold.
One of the interesting things is that the logo is vertical.
Sticker information is thorough. If I hadn’t talked to JIANG Daoyuan, I wouldn’t have understood what BOC1 meant.
B stands for Badia, O does Oxford, C stands for Cap Toe, 1 this is the first cap toe oxford model of Badia.
I think this naming convention is clear, but personally, I still prefer a name which is easier to remember.
The last is 1. Many brands name last with digital code, and Badia’s code name is the shortest I have ever seen.
41 is the European size, and I feel it corresponds to UK8.
Leather is boxcalf.
Colo is codename again, and I can deduce it when I look at the shoes, Dark BRown.
The lid opens, a shoe bag and a card.
The texture of this shoe bag is not very impressive, but design of wooden knot at the end of the drawstring is good.
The back of that card contains a lot of information, I won’t repeat it here, the font feels pretty good.
Last
The last is worthwhile to notice because JIANG Daoyuan as a bespoke shoemaker, cares about and spends a lot of energy on it.
Badia’s last is original and has a lot of considerations both aesthetically and comfortably.
This round toe of 1 last, from the top view, is wide enough, and the roundness is between Italian and English. The transition from toe to widest point is natural.
Like most Asians with wider feet, if you choose a smaller round toe, the transition will be too steep, and the toe will appear more pointed.
The comfort of this shoe is reflected in the volume of the forefoot. The vernacular gives enough space, but it doesn’t look stupid. The overall feeling is atmospheric, stable and not showy. And the beautifying elements that Badia loves to use give Badia’s brand characteristics, low-key, and the details are ingenious.
Pattern
A pair of Punched cap toe Oxford.
For such a classic style, this pair of shoes has two small attractions. Of course, this is what I have personally seen or experienced, maybe JIANG Daoyuan has more thoughts of his own, or others can see elsewhere.
The first is the brogue on cap toe is particularly continuous, so that the vision looks like imitation from all angles.
I don’t have any problem with real cap toe, in fact, I like it very much, but this “simulation” will make people feel more refined.
The second is the fine brogue on both sides of the laces.
This is the beautifying element that Badia prefers to use. The brogue here is smaller than those on cap toe, but how different is optimal? The current design, in my personal opinion, seems to be a little too detailed.
Craftsmanship
One is 45 degrees fudge along the welt. The purpose is to make welt visually narrower, and the fudge adds a certain aesthetic.
Heel seams, I have a specific article summarizing different styles, this pair is the most mainstream British design and my favorite.
Outsole
Single coloured sole with slightly bevelled waist, very conservative and classic.
The heel is simple, without copper nails. Where the leather joints rubber, there are very fine knurling, again inadvertent details.
Details
Information on lining is concise but tells enough.
Summary
Badia is a very original brand, beautiful, comfortable, and the brand character is low-key dexterity.