Mens Footwear

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Mens footwear at Yards Store, from welted boots built to be resoled for a decade to running shoes designed to be worn out and replaced. Which end you want depends less on brand than on

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Choosing between trainers, boots and shoes

With five hundred pairs on one page the filters matter more than the scrolling. The quickest way in is by what you need the shoe to do rather than by brand, because the same brand often sits in two categories — Adidas makes both road runners and Terrex trail shoes, and Hoka does the same.

Broadly: trainers covers everything from retro runners to trail shoes, boots holds the welted and hiking end, and casual shoes takes the flatter, smarter shapes. Sandals and slippers are separate again.

Mens boots

The boots divide by construction, and it is worth knowing which is which because it determines whether a pair can be resoled. Red Wing and Paraboot are welted — the upper is stitched to the sole rather than glued, so a good cobbler can replace the sole several times over. Paraboot uses a Norwegian welt with two visible lines of stitching, which is close to watertight and the reason those shoes cost what they do.

Hanwag is the hiking end, made in Bavaria, and includes a bunion last for wider forefeet that almost nobody else offers. Clarks Originals sits apart from all of it — the Desert Boot and Wallabee are moccasin and chukka constructions on crepe soles, which are lighter and more comfortable but less weatherproof.

Mens trainers

Three groups. The archive runners — New Balance, Karhu, Mizuno, Diadora — are reissues of shoes originally built for running, low and usually in suede and mesh. They are made for wearing rather than running in.

The performance end is Hoka, Adidas Adizero and Merrell, which are current running and trail shoes with the cushioning and grip that implies. If you are actually going to run, take one of these; if you want the look, take an archive model, because performance foam breaks down whether you use it or not.

Between the two sit the court and canvas shapes — Veja, Novesta, Clarks and Paul Smith — flatter, plainer, and the easiest to wear with tailoring.

Sizing and fit across brands

Sizing is where most footwear returns come from, and it varies more than people expect. Japanese and European brands are often cut differently from British and American ones, welted boots need breaking in where trainers do not, and a moccasin last fits nothing like a chukka last even in the same size.

[BLANK — general sizing guidance across the footwear brands stocked. Needs shop-floor input: which brands run small, which run large, and whether any are worth ordering a half size either way.]

See what's reduced in footwear sale, or come and get properly fitted in our Manchester and Sheffield shops.

Footwear FAQs

The upper is stitched to the sole rather than glued, which means the sole can be replaced without disturbing the rest of the boot. A welted pair can be resoled several times over a decade or more; a glued pair generally cannot. Red Wing and Paraboot are welted, which is most of why they cost more than they look like they should.
Most of the trainers in this range are archive models — reissues of shoes originally designed for running, made now for wearing. The genuine running shoes are the Hoka, Adidas Adizero and Merrell models. If you plan to run in them, take one of those; the cushioning foam in a performance shoe degrades with age whether you use it or not, so an archive reissue will not perform like the original did.
Red Wing, Paraboot and Hanwag are all built to be resoled, and Paraboot and Hanwag both run their own resoling services. Clarks Originals crepe soles can be replaced by most good cobblers. Trainers with moulded or foam soles generally cannot be resoled economically.
Some of the range is carried in our Manchester and Sheffield shops, though what is in store varies from what is online and changes through the season. Footwear is the category most worth trying on, particularly boots, so it is worth calling ahead if you want a specific model in a specific size.