Even Allen Edmonds Has Never Made Shoes This Nice Before

Allen Edmonds teases a new collection of boots and dress shoes it says raises the bar on American craftsmanship.

Published August 22, 2024

·

Updated August 29, 2024

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Even at $425, the going rate for its most popular shoe, Allen Edmonds offers good value. It’s a testament to the quality of craftsmanship you can expect from the heritage American brand founded in 1922. No wonder Allen Edmonds has sold over two-million pairs of the Park Avenue oxford since it debuted in the 1980s.

Now the brand wants to raise its own bar, said Jay Schmidt, president and CEO of Allen Edmonds’s parent company, Caleres. And it plans to do that with a new high-end line called the Reserve Collection that showcases the brand’s “belief that the traditional way of making shoes is the best way,” it says.

Allen Edmonds Reserve Collection

Starts at $800

Allen Edmonds Reserve Collection

Like its evergreen styles, the models in Allen Edmonds’s new collection are made, by hand, in Port Washington, WI. There are eight in total, including brogues, loafers, cap-toes and derby boots, with prices ranging from $800 to $3,000.

Allen Edmonds shoes — The Reserve Collection spans eight models, brogues, loafers, cap-toes and derby boots.

According to the brand, the shoes undergo a rigorous process that includes stitching, staining and painting — all by hand. It takes 72 hours, and 14 craftspeople, to complete a single pair.

Beyond the use of rare leathers, such as genuine crocodile skin, Allen Edmonds used special lasts from its archive, modernized for what it calls a “contemporary fit.” It also revamped old-school machinery to help bring each Reserve pair to life.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ALLEN EDMONDS | Making shoes for your life’s work since 1922 (@allenedmonds)

The move upmarket

Allen Edmonds’s move upmarket is not wholly surprising, and it shows a brand eager to stay relevant amid changes in the world of fashion.

In 2024, “heritage” is something of a tired term, overused by hundreds of brands over the last two decades to convey quality and provenance with their wares. But even if Allen Edmonds deserves the moniker more than most, it may no longer be enough to help the brand stand out from the pack.

Allen Edmonds croc dress shoes — Allen Edmonds moves way upmarket with models like the Maxell — a made-to-order dress shoe with crocodile leather, retailing for $3,000.

Brooks Brothers, whose clientele included everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Andy Warhol over the years, filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and shuttered dozens of stores. However, the biggest name in heritage menswear will hope the worst is behind them now.

It brought on Michael Bastian to serve as the brand’s creative director and relaunched the hugely popular Black Fleece collection of high-end formalwear that debuted in 2007.

As for Allen Edmonds’s Reserve Collection, the shoes will be available starting in September. Look for them at the company’s own retail locations, as well as Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom.