Sexy body, beautiful skin
The Horween Chromexcel leather hightop sneakers from Gustin.
TL;DR: Iconic shape in premium leather at a fraction of the price.
Spoiler
In Random Observations #14, I mentioned that a few brands reached out to offer samples of their products for review. One of them was Gustin, who kindly offered me the option to choose anything from their in-stock section. That’s basically the whole deal: they send me a product of my choice for free, and I review it without any commitments or edits. As soon as I checked what Gustin had in stock, it was a no-brainer — I already had a particular item in mind that had caught my attention nearly 10 years ago. But first, let me tell you a bit about the brand.
About Gustin
Remember the rise of Kickstarter projects in the early 2010s? Well, that’s how Gustin launched. Their initial project — a pair of White Oak Cone Mills denim jeans (from the now-closed original fabric manufacturer of Golden-era Levi’s) cut and sewn in San Francisco for $81 paid in advance — met its fundraising goal in just one day with over 800 backers. The direct-to-consumer crowdfunding model enabled customers to access quality products at wholesale prices and proved popular enough for Gustin to expand into more categories beyond jeans, including overshirts in heavyweight fabrics, jersey knits, chinos, joggers, leather accessories, and sneakers.
Besides affordable quality denim, it’s probably their sneakers that helped spread the word about Gustin the most. The initial release back in 2015 dropped a bombshell on the online menswear community. The sneaker appeared almost identical to the Common Projects Achilles — the ultimate minimalist white leather sneaker since the mid-2000s — yet was a whopping 2.5x less expensive. I don’t have my pair of Achilles at hand to make a side-by-side comparison, but the single fact that I’d even need to in order to communicate the minuscule differences says a lot already. You can find some pics on Reddit though. When you add the visual similarity to the fact that Gustin sneakers are made in an Italian factory that produces sneakers for luxury brands including Lanvin, it’s not hard to connect the dots. "We’re doing for shoes what we’ve done for denim," Gustin said in their original announcement of the sneakers. I believe they did.
Silhouette
Let’s start with the body. While the Achilles is commonly referred to as a minimalist silhouette, I’d actually call it the silhouette, straight up. I loved it when I first got into clothing 15 years ago, and I still think it’s an iconic shape that can hardly be refined any further. It’s so plain and simple that when I went on a quest for a perfect sneaker, I actually had to exclude the Achilles — they are closer to plimsolls than sneakers to me.
Anyway, when Gustin approached me, their white low-top sneakers were my first thought, despite the fact that I already own two pairs of similar-functioning white leather plimsolls. But when I checked what else they had in stock, I discovered the high-tops in Horween Chromexcel Color 8 leather. Almost the same shape, in a different form factor, and incredible material? Let’s go.
It would be easy to assume that high-tops are just a high version of low-tops, right? Wrong. This has to do with the origins of the two silhouettes. I’ve already dropped the name of a different brand far too many times in this article, but although very similar, Gustin low-top and high-top sneakers are actually two different models.
To be fair, you’d have to do a side-by-side study to notice, but here’s how the high-tops differ from the low-tops:
No padding inside the tongue and around the ankle.
No lining.
No extra piece of leather on the outside along the lacing.
Bound edges on the tongue and around the lacing.
Tongue loop.
Metal eyelets.
Full-height extra piece of leather on the back of the heel.
Arc stitching on the heel counter.
Since Gustin says the shape is inspired by "the now-classic sneakers we grew up wearing," I also checked how the high-tops compare against Converse Chuck 70s in terms of proportions:
Total height is 1.2 cm lower (14.8 cm vs 16 cm).
The outsole appears to be 1.2 cm lower (3.2 cm vs 4.4 cm).
The collar appears 3.1 cm wider when measured flat (10.9 cm vs 7.8 cm)
It’s hard to measure precisely, but I find the toe box to be almost as low (another characteristic feature that makes them feel closer to plimsolls).
While the differences might seem minor, they make Gustin’s high-tops appear noticeably sleeker than Chucks. That said, I don’t find them too refined. In some pictures, Gustin’s toe shape might appear a bit too sharp, but when compared against the Chuck 70, they’re pretty much the same. I also appreciate the low-profile toe box and the elegantly swooped ankle and back lines. I wasn’t sure about the metal eyelets and bound edges when I first opened the box, but that hesitation disappeared on the first walk.
Overall, I still believe this is an iconic — even sexy — shape that can hardly be refined any further. I totally get it when people say they look too dressy in pictures. But once you put them on, they’re just beautiful. And then you beat them up — because that’s what you do with plimsolls to achieve that unlikely kind of luxury. Even more so with leather like this.
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Materials: Margom Serena Soles
Let’s save the best for last and start with the soles. Gustin has opted for the luxury sneaker industry standard: Italian-made Margom Serena cupsoles, used by literally everyone from Common Projects, Jacques Solovière, Diemme, and Buttero to Acne, Marc Jacobs, Jil Sander, Off-White, and Brunello Cucinelli.
Similarly to the uppers of the Gustin high-tops, the Margom Serena sole looks like a refined version of the Converse Chuck’s sole. These are even, flat soles where the only visual elements are the uniformly embossed sidewall at the toe and the heel license plate, which perfectly complement the overall sleekness of the silhouette.
Gustin adds a thin layer of cork between the insole and the outsole, which theoretically should provide some level of cushioning. But you mostly rely on a leather-lined insole. Ultimately, these are plimsolls — not your ultra-cushioned all-terrain sneakers.
Judging by my other sneakers on Margom Serena soles, these are very hard-wearing and can last for years (unless you’re up for an election campaign). What I especially like is that besides glue, they are stitched to the uppers. I already mentioned in a previous article that I hate the look of the holes that appear when uppers unglue from soles in the vamp area. Stitching doesn’t fully prevent this, but it definitely minimizes it. And even when small holes do crop up, the stitching kinda communicates: "hey, we’re on it — nothing to worry about." Finally, the stitched-on cupsole construction leaves the option to replace the soles once worn through — but so far, none of my Margom-soled shoes have needed that.
Materials: Horween Chromexcel Color 8 Leather
Now, to the star of the show. To be honest, this leather is the single reason why I opted for the sneakers. Thank god they’re available in high-top form, because I want as much of this leather as possible. It’s going to age beautifully, I don’t need convincing.
Let’s dive back down memory lane for a second. It was around 2010 when I discovered the world of menswear through Blogspots, Tumblrs, and Styleforum. I was a student; my occupation didn’t require any formal attire. Still, like everyone else on the menswear internet at the time, I fell in love with Alden — the traditional American shoemaker. You don’t need to know much about clothing to appreciate the beauty of their silhouettes, the same way you admire timeless architecture, cars, or interiors. For some reason, the pinnacle of Alden’s shoes was considered to be models made of Horween Shell Cordovan leather in Color 8.
Well, Gustin uses Horween Chromexcel leather, not Shell Cordovan, in their sneakers. Plus, Alden’s Color 8 is slightly different due to additional coating. Still, I’ve been intrigued by the legend of Color 8 for all these years.
Frankly, Color 8 is an unlikely color for shoes. I’d describe it as cherry or burgundy — more reddish than brownish. Good for a solid wood cabinet or maybe a wallet. But shoes, especially plimsolls?... I’d never had shoes of a similar color, and fresh out of the box, it felt a bit pretentious to me. But boy, does it look beautiful up close.
I can now see why Alden applies an extra coating for their formal shoes. Horween’s original Color 8 in these Gustin sneakers is somewhat translucent. You can’t see this from above, but up close, the natural imperfections of the cowhide come into play: little stains, minor scratches, and wrinkles. There’s so much richness to this leather, which is accentuated — not hidden — by the Color 8.
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And of course, the leather itself. Along with Shell Cordovan, Chromexcel is the signature cowhide leather from the world-renowned Chicago-based tannery, Horween. They’ve been using the same recipes for over a century to tan their leathers with tree bark extracts and condition them with natural waxes. Cowhide is usually thicker than calf, yet its fiber structure is looser. So, Chromexcel is chrome-tanned for softness and resilience, then vegetable-retanned for a full, three-dimensional appearance that develops beautiful patina over time. After tanning, it’s stuffed with oils, greases, and waxes to achieve the pull-up effect: the leather lightens when flexed. Finally, it’s hand-coated in layers of dye to build color depth.
What does all this mean in practice? The Chromexcel leather in the Gustin sneakers is both thick and pliable. I was afraid my feet might get hurt, especially in the high-top silhouette. But the sneakers were actually comfortable right from the start. On the first walk, I went out for an hour — and by the time I came home, I felt I might’ve rubbed something if I walked more. But a few days later, I walked over 10,000 steps in them without any problem. In fact, I felt confident enough to take them as my only pair of shoes for a two-week trip afterwards. Now I’m curious to see how the leather evolves after 14 days of everyday wear.
Size and Fit
If you already own sneakers with Margom Serena soles, Gustin recommends taking the same size. That’s exactly what I did. Typically, I wear US 11 (EU 44–44.5) in most footwear, but for Gustin, I went with US 10 (EU 43), and they fit me like a glove. I should mention that I have narrow feet, so for most people, taking a full size down from their normal size might be too much. Still, I believe the Chromexcel leather leaves some room for stretching.
Verdict
This is the real deal. It looked like it online — almost too good to be true. But now that I’ve tried Gustin sneakers myself, I can confirm: there’s no compromise. Quite the opposite: you get exactly what you see — and in the case of Horween Chromexcel leather, even better materials. Plus, I haven’t seen a leather sneaker in a high-top format this sleek in a long time.
Gustin offers two pricing options: $299 if you buy the high-top sneakers in Horween Chromexcel Color 8 off the shelf, or $229 if you back a crowdfunding campaign (with an estimated shipping time of three months). The white low-top version is priced at $249 and $199 respectively.
My plans for these sneakers are similar to how I use my Visvim 7-Hole ‘73 Folk — I’ll probably wear them in nasty weather whenever I don’t feel like wearing boots. They’ll likely take years to age, but I’m genuinely excited to see how this leather will progress — and of course, I’ll keep you updated.
Is there anything else you’d like to know about Gustin sneakers? Or maybe you have some experience with Horween Chromexcel leather yourself? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments — I’d love to hear from you and continue the conversation.
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Such pretty shoes! Love the details you covered.