Frequently Asked Questions

I’m new to quality footwear. Where do I begin?

Congratulations! Quality footwear is a wonderful way to elevate your dress and an essential part of developing a wardrobe that will outlast fads and trends. There are many blogs out there with great information to get you started in your journey. I would recommend learning a bit about shoe construction first and then opening up Instagram to have a look at some of the most popular brands in the world such as Edward Green, Crockett & Jones, Viberg, and Alden.

Why quality footwear?

As opposed to cemented footwear you will often find in department stores, quality stitched footwear is typically made of better leather and is resoleable. This means that it will a) age better and b) last longer, as the soles are what typically wears out first in a shoe.

Are your shoes handmade?

We here at House of Agin have very strong views on the word 'handmade'. It is a word that has been twisted over the years (along with words like 'handcrafted') and no longer means what it once did.

When it comes to shoes, we believe a shoe is only considered handmade if it is handwelted and hand lasted with hand stitched outsoles. Machines are permitted to sew the uppers. By definition, a Goodyear welted shoe is NOT handmade. At the minimum, the brands we carry are handwelted, making them ‘more’ handmade than most, but we will only describe a shoe as handmade if it is completely true.

What size do I buy?

Learn more about sizing here. Feel free to contact us at info@houseofagin.com.

Do you use full grain leather?

This is another term that is regularly abused in marketing, in addition to ‘Genuine leather’ (which is not in fact a grade of leather quality). Simply put, we recommend focusing more on whether a leather is from a reputable tannery, and is fit for purpose – for example, a Horween Chromexcel is a pullup leather that is lightly corrected, and is very suitable for casual footwear but not so much for dress shoes.

We would recommend reading this article by a professional leatherworker with a great deal of experience working with leathers from the most popular quality shoe brands in the world.

Are our shoes made of full grain leathers? Some are. Some aren’t. The leathers we choose are nonetheless world-class.

Is it possible to make customisations beyond what is listed on the website?

In many cases, yes. Get in touch to discuss what you have in mind.

I have a crazy idea that I think a lot of people will like. Can I get a discount?

The best way to get a GMTO going is to find a community of like-minded individuals (such as r/goodyearwelt or Styleforum) who are willing to commit to ordering the same makeup. We need 6 orders to reach the GMTO threshold, but feel free to reach out if you have 3-4 friends and we may put in an order for a personal/stock pair!

How do I care for my new shoes?

There are many guides online about every aspect of shoe care. At a minimum, we recommend a horsehair brush for dust and to help blend scuffs, and a shoe conditioner such as Saphir Renovateur or Bick 4 to be applied sparingly once every few months.

Pigmented shoe creams are great for covering scuffs, and wax polish is needed to produce a mirror shine.

I have some questions that aren’t answered here that I think are pretty basic. Can I ask you?

Absolutely. Feel free to reach out with any questions by email at info@houseofagin.com.