First impression: The pair that I bought is a size 42 sample pair that had already been worn by their model for photoshoot and the website stated that minor aesthetic imperfections should be expected. Right out of box, there is a minor laceration on the leather of the heel tab on the right shoe and minor imperfect stitching detail on the inner arch of both shoes, both of which are largely unnoticeable and not a deal breaker unless you look close enough. The insole is not cut properly to fill the inner shape and the gap between the insole and the inner sides of the shoe is noticeable when walking. Loose threads are also visible in the inner. These seem like a QC issue and feels slightly disappointing.
Quality: The full grain leather upper feel supple out of box. While the texture of the leather is not as smooth as Nappa leather on Italian leather sneakers, it definitely feels premium. The rubber outsole feels similar to a Margom sole texture-wise and does not feel stiff on the feet when walking. Only time can tell if they will be as durable. The insole feels like a PU insole with leather padding on top. It provides sufficient comfort and cushioning for walking together with the rubber outsole and the leather padded footbed will eventually mold to your feet the more you wear them. The interior is entirely leather lined with a suede heel patch for added traction. The tongue feels stiff initially but gradually softens and feel comfortable with wear.
Aesthetics: The Loreto can be considered minimalist as it has no visible, exposed branding and the silhouette is not as chunky as the average sneaker. But the silhouette does not feel as minimalist as say, the Common Projects Achilles Low due to its slightly bulkier look. It feels more similar to a Stan Smith as far as silhouette is concerned and is best worn with a pair of no-show socks or ankle socks. The white eyelets also make it feel less minimalist compared to similar products with blind eyelets. Under natural lighting, the leather colour looks slightly off-white even though it is advertised as white and the waxed laces feel much whiter in comparison. The part of the leather that connects the tongue to the toe box is extremely soft and that part creases noticeably all the time unless the instep of your feet just happened to fit the volume of the shoe perfectly (explained below), which I consider to be a minor aesthetic imperfection.
Sizing & fit: I fit comfortably in wide sized New Balance athletic sneakers and my feet measurement with thin socks is 26cm heel-to-toe with a width of 10.1cm which is roughly in the middle of a D and E fit. The recommended size based on the size chart and advise to size down will be size 41 but I have enough experience with leather sneakers with similar silhouette to know that these generally fit narrow in the toe box. So I went with the size 42 sample pair when it showed up on the website. The problem was that there is a lot of vertical height between my instep and the upper resulting in extra volume and a very loose fit overall. This was probably why the website suggested down-sizing due to “slightly big cutting” In addition, my pinky toe is touching the inner side which is cupped by the rubber sole where the stitching is present resulting in an uncomfortable maiden wear experience. My quick fix was to remove the insoles of a pair of old SAF issued Zoot trainers and used it as an insert for the Loreto. The inserts fit the inner shape perfectly, closed any gap that the original footbed cutting failed to, filled up some vertical height/volume of the shoe in the instep & forefoot and raised the height placement of my toes such that the pinky toe is no longer placed at the part of the stitched rubber sole but is instead placed higher next to the leather inner that can be stretched. After a month of continuous wear and break in, the fit feels almost perfect. Wearing thin socks results in a relaxed fit while thicker socks result in a snug fit both of which are comfortable and do not put pressure/friction on my toes from the side. It is recommended to test out the fit in-store if possible and scrutinize the sneakers for any QC issue similar to what was noted above before purchasing as always.
Pricing: The Loreto is priced at S$135 at the time of writing. The sample pair that I bought was marked down to S$99 and further discount brought the final price to approximately S$85. Getting a pair of minimalist full grain leather sneaker at this price point is a steal even with the problems that I faced above.
Overall thoughts: In my opinion, the Loreto would be perfect if the construction can be changed to reduce the vertical height/volume of the inner, switch to blind eyelets instead, include wide sizing, add more support to the leather connecting the toe box and the tongue so that it does not crease as easily (or stiffen that part), and improve on QC. I will rate this a 4/5 overall and consider it to be a worthwhile purchas...
