The Velasca Shoe Review

The Velasca Shoe Review

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velasca shoe review

I was approached a few months back by the good people at Velasca because they were interested in a Velasca shoe review appearing on this here blog.  At the time, I had only recently heard of the brand, and I had never seen the shoes in person before.  Which I now know is because they do not have a physical presence here in the US.  Furthermore, they are also a young brand and do not have much presence on social media and other blogs.  So as we all know by now, I love reviewing and talking about new brands; so I obliged.

Velasca launched in May of 2013 by two friends, Fabian Matteo and Enrico Casati.  The young gentlemen grew up together in Italy and have, over time, developed a love for shoes; especially those made in Italy.  The goal of Velasca is to deliver Italian made shoes to consumers at a good price and value, which in this case, involves a direct to consumer business model.  In dollar terms this means you are getting a Good Year welted shoe for around $250.  Which puts them up against the likes of Jack Erwin and Meermin.  So this leaves us with the obvious question, are the shoes worth it?

how to wear gray shoes men

Enrico was nice enough to let me choose the shoe I wanted to review.  Although many of the shoes caught my eye (they have a lot of colored suede, which I tend to favor) I settled on the El Selvadegh (The Wild One).  I ordered a size 42 which fits me well.  For reference, I typically wear a size US10 and UK9.  El Selvadegh is a gray suede cap toe oxford (check out my thoughts on How To Wear Gray Shoes, which serves as a preface of sorts to this review) with the sole and welting stained black, which keeps the look simple and also allows the shoe to be easily worn.

velasca shoe review
As you can see, the design of the shoe is quite simple.  Which is nice, as it puts more emphasis on the gray suede, which is certainly not something that is seen often.
velasca shoe review
The shape of the shoe (as defined by the last) is very conservative.  It reminds me a bit of Allen Edmonds and Alden shoes, which tend to have wide round toes and voluminous toe boxes and heels.  Personally, I prefer shoes to be a little sleeker (less voluminous) than this.  In their favor, however, the welting does not stick out past the upper much; which is not something I particularly like to see as it just makes a shoe seem bulky.
velasca shoe review
Here you can really see how the heel is shaped.  When I wear the shoes I can tell there is excess space in the heel, fortunately, when the shoes are properly tied there is no heel slippage.
gray suede mens shoe
Again, you can see the volume of the last.  But at the same time you can see how the pattern is well mated to the last.  In other words, the lines of the shoe are pretty nice.
velasca shoe review
The shoes are Blake Rapid stitched.  Which is an alternative to Good Year welting.  Both are excellent methods of construction.
velasca shoe review
If you look on the right inside of the shoe (top of photo) you will see the tan leather lining coming away from the gray suede outer.  This is something that shouldn’t happen and should be caught at the quality control stage or production.
gray suede mens shoe
The welting is even and clean.  There is also very little black stain on the base of the upper (this is a good thing), which has been a problem with other brands (like Scarosso).
velasca shoe review
That profile.
velasca shoe review
From the front.

When all is said and done I do quite like the El Selvadegh.  I think Enrico and Fabian were wise to keep the design simple and classic when using a unique leather like gray suede.  Although the shoe is a little voluminous for my tastes it does fit my foot well and has been comfortable to wear; which is obviously very important.  However, this may not be an issue for you if you prefer more voluminous looking shoes.  With that said, the shoes have gotten some good usage so far I expect them to continue to be worked into the regular rotation.

So should you buy shoes from Velasca?  That depends.  If you are looking for a slimmer and sleeker shoe then Velasca would not be for you.  Or if you are looking for a brand that has a really diverse product catalogue you may also want to look elsewhere.  but Velasca is still a very young brand so I expect their offerings will increase.  But if you like the style of Velasca’s shoes and you want shoes that were made in Italy then Velasca is great option for you if your budget is around $250.  For the price the shoes are well made, so there is a good value on that front.  Velasca is also a great option for people looking to get dress shoes in rare colors, like gray suede (they also have attractive models in green and light blue suede).  So like all products, it is up to you to decide if Velasca’s shoes fit with your style.  Head to the comments section if you have any questions, comments or experience with Velasca shoes that you want to share.

JLJ

 

Note: FYGblog did receive these shoes for the purpose of this review.  As always, the utmost effort was taken to maintain an unbiased stance in reviewing them.

6 COMMENTS

  1. These seem similar in price to Shoe Passion (which I’m doing a review for as soon as they come in). Any experience with that brand? They use Goodyear as opposed to Blake, and they look nice. Raphael over at Gentlemen’s Gazette had good things to say about them, as well as Antonio Centeno (about their winter boots, at least).

  2. Hi Jay,

    I am looking for a nice sleek wingtip in the sub USD 200 price range. Would you recommend the Velascas for this or the Jack Erwins?

    Would love your feedback on this.

    Thanks
    JM

  3. I am in Italy (Turin) and have just purchased 2 pairs of captoe oxfords (Black and brown). I have yet to break in but just by holding the shoes in my hand and looking at them tells me Velasca is serious about making quality shoes. Thumbs up so far!

    The leather is full grain, the fit is perfect (my size is 42.5 for Velasca); the sole looks fantastic.

    The store manager in Turin is a very nice lady who was super helpful and good product knowledge.

    All the best,
    Fareed

  4. May I suggest that Velasca also consider making single sole shoes ? A lot of discerning gentlemen are into thin leather soles.

  5. Velasca any day! Sturdy construction, break in fast and leather quality is awesome. Colro range is also more diverse.

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