The Sk8 Hi, or whatever it is, is the only pair of shoes I wear aside from some rain boots. They show little sign of wear after two years. I’ve also had an interesting and and slightly uncomfortable interaction with a homeless person saying “nice old school kicks” and giving me a high five. So my anecdotal data definitely holds up. Perhaps it’s the model. I also have a musician friend who’s been wearing the same pair of the same model for 10 years including a tour.

This even happens with expensive shoe brands. Loakes and Church’s are two such brands of shoes and Danner boots used to be decent too.

Small shoe makers get a good reputation for quality then can’t keep up with demand and sell or partner with huge fashion companies which cut costs and offshore manufacturing while keeping the price high.

Enshitification for shoes I guess.