I just summarized Badia’s collection of styles a few days ago, which surprised me. Because Badia has always been a Goodyear brand in my impression, why was it that most of them were Blake construction? With this question, I consulted JIANG Daoyuan, it turned out that Badia is working on product layout, and shoes in different directions will use different constructions. Blake focuses on lightweight shoes, such as the acclaimed horseshoe buckle Loafer, while the more classic styles will use handwelted construction. If the actual meaning of handwelting is that the shoe can be resoled more times, then the classic and exquisite models deserve it more which is logical.
Let’s take a look at this Chelsea boot from handwelted collection.
Unboxing
Badia used a green shoebox, and the material of the shoe box was not textured, and handwelted collection uses a black textured box. The logo is vertically placed in the center of the shoe box which is rare.
Information on sticker is not very comprehensive. The style is BBC. Color black, leather calfskin, size 39.
Unveil the shoe box and the branded wrapping paper comes into view. Rather than more common print paper, it is hard plastic paper. The texture is very good! The row of Italian below, can anyone help interpret it?
Unfolded, is a small card of art and wooden shoehorn.
The linen shoe bag also matches the new black logo. A rope is attached to the tail of the shoehorn, although I don’t know what practical value it has, but in terms of aesthetic charm, there is an improvement.
Further unwrapping, the shoes were placed in this thin gauze-like material, and I didn’t feel quite right.
Last
Badia’s last is very recognizable due to its slenderness, but I wouldn’t use the word sharp to describe it. The important reason is the strong chisel toe.
Generally, checking chisel toe uses profile side view to witness the toe suddenly diving, this pair of Badia, even from top view, sees very obvious diving.
I’m not keen on slender lasts, and it’s not that I can’t appreciate them from an aesthetic point of view, but my conservative personality doesn’t match the aggressiveness expressed by sharp toe. Whether it can be unified and harmonious is one of the most important criteria for testing products.
There is no aesthetical fault in all angles on this last.
Pattern
The first thing that catches people must be the V-shaped incision. I haven’t verified who has the original design.
Design of Badia is very subtle and elegant.
Construction
The construction is handwelted. I had a conversation with JIANG Daoyuan about this. I said, from a product perspective, can consumers tell if it’s handwelted or Goodyear welted? It’s more psychological, he says. I feel the same way.
As I said many times, I have also experienced the stage of value and specification oriented because I care about cost performance. Spending same 3,000 yuan, I am happier with a handwelted shoe than Goodyear welted. Even if the last is different, product finish is different, I don’t bother, handwelted has better value!
Returning to this pair of shoes, from the perspective of craftsmanship, is very exciting, and it also carries Daoyuan’s own persistence.
What impressed me the most in the picture above? Very narrow and delicate welt.
When you look closely, stitch density is absolutely wonderful, and fudge density is very close to stitch density. The stitching is neat, close to the upper, and the edge is extremely narrow.
Even the stitching and cleanliness of the edges of the waist are not exaggerated at all.
This vertical mark on the heel, I don’t know what to call it, and it’s not a broken heel. Seen on J.M. Weston’s icon 677, Chasse.
JIANG Daoyuan insists on a balanced taste of moderation. The level of craftsmanship of this shoe, if you want to make a thinner sole, I think it is okay, but Daoyuan chose a very slight, almost invisible arc flat sole. The thickness, with the forefoot I so visually estimated, about the golden ratio. Then the edges of the sole, including a circle on the heel, are painted black. He deliberately homogenize most of the elements.
Summary
Daoyuan said that he hopes that this new collection will realize his balanced and relaxed design language. What I saw was the expression of his last in different shoe models, the increasing maturity, and then the higher quality leather shoes.