Can Portland Leather Goods Make Great Shoes?

Portland Leather Goods Men's Low Top Sneaker in Honey Color | First Impression Review

It has been almost two years since I discovered Portland Leather Goods. Since then, I have been buying their leather bags and have always loved their totes. The speed the company has been expanding since they moved their production to Mexico is mind-blowing. Next, we started seeing small leather goods like various pouches and crossbody bags. Before I could buy all the countless products they have, they decided to get into the shoe business. They even started a new side brand called Patina Footwear, a genius name for leather shoes.

The new Patina Footwear covers both men's and women's shoes. The men's collection currently has Welted Brooklyn Boot, Welted Chelsea Boot, and Low Top Sneaker in the line-up. However, for today's first impression review, I like to focus more on the low-top sneaker as that's the first pair of shoes I bought from Portland Leather Goods. Besides the standard leather options, you can also choose a canvas pair for the low-top sneaker.

Based on the product images on the PLG website, the honey color looks warm and vibrant, but in reality, the color is more muted and resembles your vintage well-used leather briefcase. In this case, I prefer the toned-down color, which would make it easier to coordinate with other pieces in my wardrobe.

The design itself is nothing out of the ordinary. It is very similar to most low-top sneakers in terms of visuals. However, there's a nice touch for them to add a little burnished edge effect for the honey color option, making the brand new sneaker look great on the get-go.

The first thing I want to mention while getting into the details is that Patina leather shoes are made with a full-grain leather upper, not something we often see in the sneaker world. Upon taking a close-up look at the sneaker, you will notice some subtle leather grain and texture, which makes the leather sneaker more interesting. Besides the full-grain leather upper, the shoe is also leather lined, and the insole has a slight arch to give you comfortable support. In addition, using waxed shoelaces and metal eyelets really provides the sneaker with a more polished, finished look. However, one thing I like to see improvement on is the outsole. The rubber outsole has little texture and may not have the best grip depending on where you walk.

Regarding sizing, I ordered my regular US size 9, which fit me perfectly. It feels just right, and I should still be able to wear a pair of thicker socks if I want. In addition, the sneaker is not as narrow as other European sneakers I have, so my toes are not squeezed, and my feet felt very comfortable the first time I slid into the sneakers. I love the wider fit on this pair of sneakers, and it is nice that you don't have to wait for the shoe to break in to feel comfortable. Finally, my favorite feature of this pair of sneakers is the heel cuff. It is slightly padded on the edges, so the sneakers don't slip off my heels when I walk in them.

While trying on this pair of sneakers for a brief period, I noticed creases developed on the toe box area, so it will be interesting to see how the shoes hold up if the pressure pushes the crease area to detach from the rubber outsole. So far, I feel pretty confident with the craftsmanship as I don't see any glue residue sipping out on the seams like my New Balance sneakers.

In my opinion, this is a solid start for Patina Footwear! I am glad I picked up a pair during their labor day sales, and the Chelsea boot will be the next one for me! For this first impression review, if I had to rate it, I would give it a 9/10 score! It looks excellent, feels fantastic on the feet, and now I simply need to wear them more and see how the outsole performs!