Yearn Shoemaker / SlimShoes / Arterton London: review of a sponsored pair (Part I)

DISCLAIMER

No blogger makes this as explicit as @shirtingfantasy: the review pair is received freely from Arterton London via brand owner William (@prof.contingency). Apart from the free pair, @shirtingfantasy did not receive any remuneration, either in cash or in kind, for writing and publishing this review. The content and opinion expressed in this review is @shirtingfantasy's own, and not subject to prior vetting or approval by William, his brand, or his PR team. 

The received pair as photographed in outdoor lighting. The shoeshine was done by @shirtingfantasy. See a subsequent photo comparing the factory shine and amateur "mirror" shine by @shirtingfantasy.

After @shirtingfantasy's unsponsored review of his own pair of Acme MTO, he was contacted via Instagram as to whether he is willing to do a review for a pair of SlimShoes / Yearn - by their international retailer Arterton London.

It is @shirtingfantasy's view that we need more non-professional reviews, i.e. someone with no vested interest in the industry. So, shoemakers, come on, send your free pairs to @shirtingfantasy for unbiased review (haha). 

Another editorial direction @shirtingfantasy has tried to maintain since 2018 is the "realistic yet better side" of the reality. There is too much "negative energy" to make our lives less than happy these days, so when you see a review series suddenly discontinued, it can be due to one of two reasons (i) @shirtingfantasy getting exceptionally lazy, or (ii) the outcome should better not be publicised, for the benefit of the brand owner. As a "not-doing-it-for-a-living" blogger, @shirtingfantasy invites you to ask - either by leaving a comment or shooting him an Instagram message, to hear the brutally honest views on some comment not suitable for publicising on a blog. 

It was only after @shirtingfantasy decided on what model and leather option to request (1st choice: brown patina, 2nd choice: green suede - if brand is not confident about their leather quality) that he discovered Kostas of Misiu Academy had done a review on the same style from Yearn. 

Kostas's Yearn Shoemaker Review. In this review, Kostas of Misiu Academy critiqued on shipping and unboxing ("ruined edges and in rough shape" of shoe box), smell ("when I opened the box there was a strong, potent chemical smell") and gave his professional comment on patina and stitching. 

It is perhaps necessary to also disclaim on @shirtingfantasy's background (namely, the lack thereof) at this point. First, he doesn't have extensive experience with Carlos Santos, so you cannot consider him a competent individual to discuss patina shoes with. Second, he is not doing a shoemaking course any time soon, so readers looking for more professional discussions should be prepared to become disappointed.

@shirtingfantasy is primarily a shirt guy who had received bad, bad influence from a number of shoe addicts. @bamboohkg is his friend and first shoe mentor who introduced him to Meccariello and handmade shoes in general.  As for enlightening him on quality and value, brutal truths about makers, and detailed insider info on China makers, the immense influence and intelligence from Mr Fox "nine-tailed fox" (also sarcastically self-aliased as 特別樸素的窮狐 in a certain WeChat group) is hereby acknowledged. 

An ardent advocate of "true value", and a name that shoe sellers and brand owners should remember

To save typing, this review would be done in a QA format (supplemented with pictures, each should be worth a thousand words as the proverb would say).

1. How long did the production take? Is the review sample representative of normal production?

Honestly no idea. William contacted @shirtingfantasy in January 2022 and the details were mostly nailed by end of the month. As Arterton London did not have this style in stock, this pair was made as a single pair special order. Chinese New Year and the pandemic had mysterious influence on production and shipping, so overall it took around 2.5 months. The normal lead time should be shorter.

@shirtingfantasy has no knowledge of the communication between Arterton London and Yearn. William claimed that the leather selection and finishing would be representative of the normal production. The cautious reader may take this with a pint of hypertonic saline. 

2. Did you get broken shoe box or broken shoes on arrival? Any chemical smell? Is it going to cause cancer?

@shirtingfantasy does not have an acute eye on packing like some other reviewers (example 1, example 2), since he mostly discards the shoe boxes after confirming the shoes are okay. Perhaps reviewers from the shoe retail industry would have additional interest and a fixation on the integrity of shoe boxes on arrival, but as a rather carefree customer in general, @shirtingfantasy doesn't mind. 

Shoes came wrapped in shoe bags (some brands prefer not to put shoes into shoe bags on delivery and use the bags as a sort of cushion), and there was no visible damage. 

@shirtingfantasy is more interested in disinfecting the box and the shoes

Liberally sprayed with HOCl solution

In anticipation of paranoid customers like @shirtingfantasy, Yearn should use a waterproof pigment ink marker in the future. (N.B. @shirtingfantasy comes from an occupation well-known for poor handwriting, so this label is considered very legible)

As for the eagerly anticipated "chemical smell" (aka glue smell), @shirtingfantasy can confirm that it is present. But this kind of smell is also present on TGC, TLB or other makers that have a quick turnover - as the insole is stuck on as one of the final steps, after which shipping would occur. The customer's solution is to air the shoes before wear. 

We have a lifetime risk of 1 in 2 to 1 in 3 (depending on biological sex) of developing cancer anyway, and I would argue that shoemakers have a higher risk than the average customer. 

3. Tell us something about your amateur observation on craftsmanship.

@shirtingfantasy had a consistent grade of C or below in visual arts at school, so anything craft-related is out of his reach. So let's stick to the basic observables, nothing too artistic or profound. 

Shoes came somewhat polished - wearable on a daily basis. The fine pores are clearly visible.

On the left: factory shine. On the right: @shirtingfantasy amateur "mirror". Note that a thicker wax would necessarily obliterate some of the pores (just take a closer look at the apron), but is necessary for the good impression in the cover photo of this review. 

Shoes are overall neat and tidy. No obvious missing stitches, uneven colour patches or patina mishap. Vamp and split-toe stitching are well-executed: vamp stitching is even and without unsightly variations in stitch length, and split-toe stitching is comparable to industry reference (i.e. Edward Green Dover).

Yearn vs Edward Green. In terms of apron stitching density, Edward Green (bottom) wins hands down - the shorter stitch length gives a more refined, elegant look. In terms of stitching evenness, however, the two are largely comparable (and Yearn may even be slightly better). Note also the very fine creasing on Yearn (top) - if every pair from Yearn is at a comparable level of leather quality, the value proposition would be very, very strong. 

Yearn vs Saint Crispin's - 1. Saint Crispin's (right) monk strap is cut in a more "streamlined" manner (see the next photo). Both shoes have a back seam (Saint Crispins' is rotated to the inner side to create a seamless heel look), so the arrangement and shaping of the monk strap largely boils down to design decisions. Note how Saint Crispin's finer stitching also leads to a more dressy look. It is a little surprising how Yearn's crust leather has even finer creasing than Du Puy aniline box calf ("VNA" colour 076 according to Saint Crispin's coding). 

Yearn vs Saint Crispin's - 2. As can be seen from this photo, the pointed monk strap on Saint Crispin's is also matches the sleek look of this kind of single monk. 

Saint Crispin's vs Yearn vs Edward Green. From top to bottom, Saint Crispin's "Single buckle Monk with hand stitched Norwegian apron", Yearn's review pair, and Edward Green's iconic Dover dark oak on last 606.  

4. What do you think can be improved?

Yearn touts a fully handmade pair, i.e. handwelted, hand lasted and with handsewn outsole. However, it does seem that Yearn did not leverage the flexibility of handmade in achieving the highest possible level of finishing (c.f. Acme). This is understandable given the difference in retail price (Yearn: GBP 308 - 350 ex-VAT, Acme: USD 1480 and up). 

However, as a responsible reviewer, @shirtingfantasy feels obliged to give a few unprofessional observations as to how the shoes could be improved. 

(1) Despite the outsole being handsewn, the fudge wheel marking does not seem to match with the stitching. 

A more careful fudge wheel selection and/or a more refined production sequence could have allowed the two to match. 

(2) Despite the hand lasting and hand sewn outsole, there is no significant waist tapering or any attempt to "blind" the waist.

Currently, ready-to-wear shoemakers have churned out different methods to imitate the "blind waist" on handmade bespoke pairs, even on their factory made ranges (example 1, example 2). 

(3) Sole and heel finishing are rather lack-lustre. 

William did mention some narrow waist on his spec sheet. The waist is certainly somewhat bevelled, but whether it is visually narrow, @shirtingfntasy would leave it to the reader to judge. 

Yearn RTW vs MTO. The pair sent for review is a special order made to (clearly) RTW specs. 

Some similarly-priced factory "benchmade" brands e.g. TLB and J. FitzPatrick, are also moving towards hand-finished refinements. In the current "finishing arms race", the handmade-ness of Yearn RTW would be something the average customer cannot see, touch and feel. 

Waist looks rather flat. Note that the soles look slightly more shiny on receipt, the fading is due to the paranoid wiping with HOCl disinfectant. The heel block is not shaped. 

The "handwelted bumps". @shirtingfantasy once had a friend, somewhat new to handmade shoes, complaining about the nail mark and stitching bumps on a bespoke pair as being unsightly. So while a bumpy insole delights the handmade enthusiast, it is a double-edged sword if customer education is not done properly. 

To end the first part of this review, @shirtingfantasy would like to provide some teasers on the leather quality: the flex-your-feet test. In the coming week or so, the pair would be put to gruelling field test of the concrete jungle. Would the leather sole survive 10,000 steps a day for five consecutive days? Would the upper age unexpectedly and crack? Would the patina be faded by our acid rain? The reader is invited to follow The Shirting Fantasy Blog (https://shirtingfantasy.blogspot.com) for an update. 

Yearn Shoemaker (domestically: SlimShoes)

https://yearnshoemaker.com

https://arterton.co.uk/collections/yearn-shoemaker-hand-welted-footwear (retailer)

Minimum order: 1 pair

Price range: 

RTW - from around USD 399 (Yearn) / GBP 320 (via Arterton)

MTO - surcharge of USD 50 ("standard leather sole and 8 stitches per inch for outsole stitching")

"Premium MTO" - USD 1000 and up ("beveled or fiddleback waist with 12spi outsole stitching, real leather for toe and heel stiffeners and comes with last beechwood shoe trees")

Handmade options: "hand-lasted, handwelted, and fully hand-sewn outsole" for RTW, MTO and Premium MTO