Like many other footwear-obsessed guys of a certain age, I have fond memories of spending hours on NikeID, the sneaker giant’s early custom design web platform. This was the first place I found that allowed me to create my own pair of shoes with color and material combinations you’d never find on a store shelf, and I spent hours in school computer labs and on my family’s PC dreaming up the wildest pairs I could—sometimes as a joke, sometimes as an aspiration to what I might someday wear. I never had the money to buy any of my designs, but a creative spark was kindled.
Now I’m in my thirties, and while the platform I sunk so many hours into is still around (now expanded and called Nike By You), I’m not a surly teenager who only wants to wear sneakers. I’m an adult, so my taste has matured to include boots and dress shoes into my sartorial repertoire. But I’ve retained my love for flashy design, especially for the more formal pieces of my wardrobe, which allow me to stand out in the buttoned-up crowds at important days at the office or special events. So when I was given the opportunity to review Taft x You, the new custom design service from one of my favorite footwear brands, I felt like a grown-up kid playing one of my favorite games in a mature new milieu. I haven’t that much creative fun in a long time.
Read more: Best Boots for Men
Taft
Taft’s standard offerings already stand out from the typically staid upscale footwear market, combining eye-catching patterns and a wide range of materials with high-level craftsmanship (the direct-to-consumer brand’s boots, shoes, and sneakers are hand-cut and painted by artisans in Spain and Portugal).
The Taft x You design platform opens up the brand’s treasure chest to creators at home, offering 13 different silhouettes as canvases for a truly expansive range of material, texture, and fabric options. The UI is simple and intuitive to navigate, and I played around on it using a phone, tablet, and computer without any glitchy issues (that said, the company recommends using a PC for the service on its website).
As the user designs the different aspect of their boot, shoe, or sneaker, they can see how their choices will look from every angle. I was immediately transported back to my middle school design days when I began the process, and I spent a few hours mocking up multiple potential options. Finally, I settled on the Dylan Boot, a sleek silhouette with a strap that I can envision wearing as dress shoes at a wedding or down with a nice pair of jeans. I wanted my personalized pair to stand out from anything else I have in my closet, so I opted for green embossed leather in the front and the vibrant Kashmir fabric pattern for the heel, with a rubber tread pattern on a leather sole.
Taft
Once I was sure I was set on the design, I locked in the order. That’s where you have to be careful, since the program has a strict final sale policy. The customized shoes run for $275 to $375, so any mistake would be a costly one. That type of price tag might be high compared to a dress shoe off the shelf of a department store, but once you consider that it’s a personalized pair of handmade leather shoes, stacking a Taft x You purchase against an expensive streetwear sneaker or designer shoe feels like a good value to me.
Read more: Best Dress Boots for Men
After about five weeks, I received my boots in the mail. They were individually packed in plastic, with a complementary dust bag and shoe horn. The boots were everything that I had envisioned and more, made with unmistakable quality and a solid fit. Even if I don’t wind up ordering another pair in the future, I’ll definitely go back to the Taft x You platform to explore every design idea that pops into my head, just like I used to when I was a kid.
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