Native Shoes Review

Native Shoes aka. “The Hipster Croc” caught my eye prior to their release when a friend of mine at a trendy Vancouver wine bar was sporting them.

“What the hell are those?” I believe was the first thing I said.

They appeared to be a hybrid of the contentious Crocs holey shoe and some kind of old school Keds or Converse sneaker. I’m not sure if Sneakerheads will find this a bastardization of sneaker culture, or if they will find them cool and functional, but either way I couldn’t help but want a pair.

There aren’t too many totally original choices for footwear, and when the summer temperatures hit I was in need of some cool cool footwear. Flip flops are great, but wreak havoc on my aging body, so the Natives seem to fit the bill with a little more support, but still adequate ventilation.

Amazon.com seems to be the best source for a pair, with some good deals from a range of retailers. My shoes arrived promptly, and I’ve been wearing them around the beaches of the Okanagan for a little while now.

So how are they? Well, let me start by saying that they have definitely raised some eyebrows and turned a few heads. It’s nice to be on the leading edge for a change. In terms of fit, I ordered mine a size down on advice from Natives as I am normally a 9.5 and they only come in full sizes. My question to them was “what size Natives should I wear — do Natives shoes fit small or fit big?”

The advice I received for me was to order them on the slightly snugger size and let them stretch out as they break in.

Now that I have them I can say that erring on the smaller side actually worked fine. They appear to fit a little long, but the model I ordered, The Jefferson, also fit on the narrow side which fit my feet perfectly. So going down a half-size was actually fine. If you are ordering these shoes online, also keep in mind that you’ll likely wear them without socks, which changes the sizing a little bit too.

They are fairly stretchy which should accommodate wider feet, but if I had wide feet I would likely order the loafer styled Corrado, which seems a bit boxier judging by the photos.

So what’s the verdict? These shoes are pretty damn comfortable, and are certainly way easier to walk around in than flip flop sandals. I like the style, and the price was reasonable. They are well vented, but because they are plastic my feet feel mildly clammy in them after a while. I like the breeze through effect of all the vent holes though.

I think overall I would consider these my sport utility shoe for summer activity. They’re perfect for walking around town and look cool enough to pass for dinner on a summer patio, but are breezy enough for a trip to the beach. I’m going to say I’m still into flip flops for direct to beach travel, and for short walks, but for those extended meandering summer outings I’m going with the Natives. At $60 Canadian they aren’t overly expensive, and they’re still obscure enough to be a bit of a fashion statement.

I like them.

Check out Native Shoes at Amazon.com