Hey gents, today we are talking about shoes. One question I often hear from those of you starting your research into higher-end shoes is the difference between a shoe made in Spain versus a shoe made in Portugal. Many well-known brands at every price point make their shoes in both countries, but today we’re focusing on just two: Idrese, which are made in Spain, and Undandy, which are made in Portugal.

I own several pairs of both brands: here’s what I’ve got to say.

A bit of recent history.

Portugal’s footwear industry has exploded in the past few years: many high-end shoemakers from France and Italy have moved to there cos the labor costs are lower while the craftsmanship remains high. Although Portugal was known, rather derisively, as the “China” of Europe throughout the 1990s, they’ve ascended the ranks since joining the Eurozone, which caused a lot of low-end shoe factories to shut. This allowed more room in the economy for investment in higher-end brands that required more skilled labor and better materials.

You get what you pay for

As with any product, you’ll always find a direct relationship between craftsmanship and price point. And it’s important to remember to compare shoes at similar price points. You can’t compare a $150 Jack Erwin to a Carmina that costs upwards of $500. When you’re looking at shoe brands at similar price points--in this Undandy and Idrese, quite often the clearest sign that you’ve bought a good shoes is its leather quality, which is why Idrese’s shoes are slightly more expensive than Undandy’s.

The craftsmanship on both brands is quite similar. Both brands make most of their shoes by hand and use a Goodyear welt or a Blake Stitch (not sure what those mean? Some friends of mine and I explain shoe construction here), but the leather is what I find to be the real difference between these two count. And this is a common factor across many shoe brands at many price points. 

Allen Edmonds is a great example of this. Allen Edmonds is very open to the fact that they use some of the finest European tanneries to then make their shoes in the U.S. This is why you can’t compare their shoes to some other U.S. manufacturers that aren’t also sourced from there.

I see this as well with shoes out of Mexico. There seems to only be a certain quality of leather that comes out of the country. Even though the craftsmanship can be really great, unless the company is importing leathers from a different country, and then manufacturing their shoes, then the shoes aren’t completely comparable.

Idrese vs. Undandy: The Bottom Line

The two leathers are comparable but I can see exactly why there’s a slight price difference between these two brands. For the moment, based on my experience, Spanish leathers are a little nicer.  I would love to see some examples out of Portugal of really high-end, rich, and durable leathers, but I haven’t seen it at, at least not at Undandy’s Price Points.  

But for a custom shoe, Undandy’s prices are still amazing. It’s fantastic that we can go to Undandy (or Idrese, if you want to pay a bit more) and get these custom, homemade shoes that aren’t going to run you $500-$600 is great.

Another reason that Idrese is slightly more expensive is that the people people at Idrese are really focused on high-quality materials even aside from the leather. I actually built my pair of Idrese shoes with a Dainite sole, which is something you can’t even get from Thursday Boots. Their only shoe whose higher price I didn’t understand was their sneaker: when it comes to sneakers out of Portugal and Spain, I find it very hard to see a difference between the two because a white leather will discolor quickly no matter how high-quality it is only get. With sneakers, what you want to look at is whether they sneakers have Margom soles or not because they are the gold standard in the sneaker industry. 

When you’re looking at the difference between shoes made in Spain and shoes made in Portugal, you’re probably going to find very similar styles and silhouettes. But when you’re looking at shoes with very similar prices, if there is a $50 variance for the shoes made in Spain, it’s most likely because the shoes made in Spain use nicer leather. 

Of note, there are some shoemakers who import Italian leathers into Spain or Portugal. Oliver Cabell is a good example of this: they import Italian leather for their sneakers being made in Spain, which is why their sneakers are a similar price point to Undandy’s custom dress shoes!

Conclusion

So there you have it, gentlemen. I hope my analysis of the difference between shoes from Spain versus Portugal is helpful to you as you step up your shoe game.

In the mean time, talk to me!

What’s your experience with Undandy, Idrese, or any of the other brands I mention above? Do you see a difference in their leather quality or craftsmanship? As always, I’ll be down in the comments below to answer your questions. You can also reach me on Instagram or Twitter. Videos and blog post ideas are always welcome there.

Until next time, gents…

This is The Kavalier.