Shoes are an absolute essential for any man. After all, the last thing we want is to spend our hard-earned cash on expensive shoes only for them to tear the next day after a sweet night out. From oxfords to loafers to boots, the vast range of shoes available out there can be very intimidating to think about, so to help you out we’ve scoured the city to bring you best shoe stores Melbourne has to offer. 124 Shoes is a store that exudes Italian vibes from top to bottom. Marketing themselves as ‘authentic shoes, not for the ordinary’, every product they have in store is handpicked from Italy’s finest labels and made by second and third generation shoemakers that have used traditional artisan techniques to make the finest shoe possible. You’ll find a diverse selection of laced shoes, boots, sneakers and loafers to keep those feet happy all year round. Brands: Alexander Motto, Antonito Maurizi, Area Forte, BB Washed, Buttero, Conflict for Interest, Ella Maurizi, Ink, Loake, Marsell, Moma, Officina Creative, Philippe Model, Preventi, Primabase, Rapero, Satori Gold, Shoto, The Last Conspiracy, The Wrong Shoe.
Shop 1/265 Little Bourke Street If you’re a man who loves making memorable experiences, Sneakerboy is the way to go. Their luxury kicks come from some of the biggest brands to date including Balenciaga, Adidas, Lanvin and Raf Simons. What sets this place apart from its competitors is the unique shopping experience. The store acts as a showroom display of sorts as you try on the sneakers then make the purchase online. With a bit of patience, the sneakers will arrive on your doorstep in no time. Brands: Common Projects, Alexander McQueen, Raf Simons, Filling Pieces, Golden Goose, Asics, Undercover, Adidas Originals by Hyke, Adidas, Buscemi, Balenciaga, Puma, Off-White, Y3, Pony, Giuseppe Zanotti, Nike, Lanvin, Balenciaga, Kris Van Assche Aquila is a store that can do no wrong. Although they have expanded into other realms of menswear, their heart and soul still remains strong in their diverse range of quality shoes. Aquila is a good solution or those who don’t want to spend a fortune, and their selection is large enough that you’ll find the perfect pair of shoes whether it be for work or play.
However due to their lower price point, you’ll need to put in a little more extra love and care into maintaining the shoe. They have several locations throughout Melbourne for your convenience along with an online store. Located in the heart of Melbourne, McCloud Shoes places a strong emphasis on traditional style dress/work shoes – perfect for any older gentlemen who likes to keep it simple and chic. Your feet are in good hands with the staff at this store, all of whom are extremely knowledgeable about everything to do with foot candy. What’s great is that they also offer a repair service where you can do full sole repairs for any of your old shoes that have been overused. At around $500 for a pair it’s definitely an investment, but it’s one you’ll be glad you made. Brands: Assorted, Barker, Centenario, Cheaney, Church, Cudworth, Florsheim, Georges, RM Williams, Rockport, Romika, Sebago, Secrid, Shelta Australia, Sioux, Aldo Brue Those with well lined bank account can do no wrong heading to Double Monk.
The crew here offer an entire range of premium shoes which promise both quality and longevity. Boasting an elegant product range is an understatement. Luisa is Melbourne’s no-fuss importer of immaculate men’s footwear direct from Italy. First opened by Stefano Stefani in 1989, the warehouse to extends its impressive range to include some of the world’s finest footwear straight off the runway and latest lookbooks. Brands: Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, DSquared, Lanvin, Stefano Stefani Wooten is the destination to get your feet into some of the city’s finest handmade shoes. They offer custom designed footwear, orthotic, prosthetic and engineered sportswear shoes. They can serve up pretty much any demand but we do recommend you guys hit up their online store if you want to speed up the process and get those puppies on your feet a.s.a.p.A circular doorway provides access to a passage lined with shoes at this futuristic sneaker store in Melbourne by local designers March Studio (+ slideshow).
March Studio designed the Sneakerboy interior to resemble an underground train station complete with a tunnel-shaped interior, polished concrete floor and dimmable lighting. The walk-in online store stocks a range of sneakers from high-fashion labels such as Balenciaga, Maison Martin Margiela and Lanvin to sporting brands such as Nike and Adidas. Rows of floor-to-ceiling shelving is divided into sections that each display a single sneaker. Customers can scan the shoes with the Sneakerboy app for product information and sizing. They can then purchase the sneakers via their smartphone with a Sneakerboy ID, or using an in-store iPad. Lengths of LED tickers with scrolling red text are attached to the edge of shelving on each side of the tunnel. When customers purchase a pair of sneakers, the tickers respond to the online activity and display comments such as "sold out" or "just purchased in Melbourne". The store is divided into two areas: the long display space and a fitting room located off to one side behind a wall of glass blocks, accessed through a hinged door of shoes.
Steel chairs that look like large, curved buttons are positioned on a raised platform for customers to try on sneakers, with iPads located within easy reach to purchase the shoes. The glass-block wall also backs onto the street, forming a section of the shop facade. The remainder of the black-painted exterior has the word "Sneakerboy" written vertically on the wall, to one side of the circular entrance. Other shoe stores we've featured include this boutique in Osaka with shoes displayed in mesh columns and a former butcher's shop in Barcelona filled with wooden pallets. Photography is by Peter Bennetts. Here's a project description from March Studio: The way in which we shop has changed dramatically over the past few years. Yet as High Street shopping is replaced with the convenience of the online store, the experience of touching, trying, and smelling an object will never be replaced. Whilst some of the larger chains are struggling to implement web based change, the new Sneakerboy concept store is taking it to another level.
The first of many to be rolled out, Sneakerboy Melbourne is at the cusp of this retail revolution. It is an online store you can walk in to; there is no stock, no cash, no till, and no product to take home. All that is needed to make a purchase in the store is a smart phone, (or one of the in-store Ipads) and a Sneakerboy ID. The rest of the available space is dedicated to the range of shoes, which means Sneakerboy can boast a larger range of stock on a much smaller footprint. The architecture and the branding of the store, (also designed at March Studio), follows this underlying business structure, and yet also brings the digital connectivity to the forefront. Sneakerboy Melbourne consists of two main areas; the display area and the fitting room. These two areas are expressed in the façade, a large circular steel portal directs the customer to the entrance and into the viewing chamber, whilst obscure glass blocks create a private, fitting room bathed in natural light.
The display area is designed with the same retro futurism of an Underground station, a reference to the sneaker's rise to fashion in New York's transport strike of 1966. Illuminated curved glass shelves house the entire range of sneakers, a viewing canvas for 162 individual shoes, which can be dimmed and adjusted by changing the lighting. Scrolling LED tickers under each sneaker display the shoe’s designer. Customers are invited to scan the product with the Sneakerboy App for pricing and sizing, and the LED's, a portal into the online store, can react and respond to online activity, displaying comments like "JUST BOUGHT IN SHANGHAI" or "SOLD OUT". 1200 metres of cabling, reminiscent of a server room, is exposed through the glass shelves rather than hidden away, a reminder of the hard wired nature of technology and connectivity. Customers are invited into the fitting room to check sizing and to make purchases. Constructed from 300 blackened steel pigeon holes, the fitting room is conceived as a library, housing all sizes of all styles.
