With this whole work from home thing, shoes have become one of the most irrelevant items in our closet. But have you heard about this super-cute brand from Sweden called Swedish Hasbeens? They have all their shoes made by artisans, every pair individually by hand.
They are designed in an old traditional way, employing ecologically prepared natural grain tanned leather. The entire construction is not only environmentally friendly, but it’s also of impressive quality. The shoe platform is from a solid piece of lime wood.
But how can you walk all day long in these hard wooden shoes and still be comfortable? Well, it might seem counter-intuitive that hard, wooden clogs would be any comfortable.
You can have your Swedish Hasbeens exclusively in your home. They don’t actually have to touch the streets of New York, for that matter, but they can become your snug, elevated indoor shoes.
Since they are slip-on, they are easy to grab and quickly get on your feet. However, they are probably not the most practical shoes for long daily walks.
They are comfy, but they are slightly too heavy for a long day walking in a city. Nonetheless, you can always pack them on for future trips and meals out.
Comfort
Swedish Hasbeens are well on the stiff side. Even after several months of wear, these shoes are likely to remain stiff. They only adapt to your foot after subjecting them to a good deal of wear. Not to mention that they can remain stiff, however.
That means they might pinch or rub against your skin pretty badly, particularly if you don’t make allowances with a larger size for wider feet. Also, please don’t make the mistake of getting them wet in an attempt to make them soft. It will only add to the stiffness afterward.
The natural grain leather will only soften and stretch with wear and eventually fit like a glove. The more you wear them, the better the leather gets. You may consider adding olive on the untreated natural colored leather to make it look better or make it resistant to water and dirt.
We also recommend using your Swedish Hasbeen in dry weather. This is because wood and natural leather mostly don’t do well with moisture, which can make the shoes stretch out a lot.
Wetting them will easily prejudice their natural color to a much darker tan, which is still lovely to the eye. However, if you’re so much into the natural color, be sure not to get them wet or oiled. They will surely darken and disappoint you.
Also Read: Do Doc Martens Run Big Or Small?
The Size
One thing that potential buyers need to consider is that Swedish Hasbeen runs small, according to most previous users. It also makes sense that since European sizes are generally half a size in US terms, you will be better buying half a size up or down from your true size.
For instance, if your foot size is 8M, you can go either into a 38 (7 ½) or 39 (8 1/2). So unless you’re someone with wider feet, it would be best to order your true size (up or down half-size).
If you choose to get the smaller of your size range and are willing to make custom adjustments, that shouldn’t be a problem. On the other hand, if you order the bigger of your size range, you might have to shrink your shoes a bit.
However, if you have a wider foot, you should go for two sizes up (1 ½ size up). That means if you wear sizes 8 US terms (7 ½, 38), you can get a size 10 US (9 ½, 40) to accommodate the width of your feet.
Maintenance
That brings us to the next point: in order to keep your Swedish Hasbeen healthy and natural for long, you definitely need to oil them, probably with olive oil.
Check the care guidelines for exceptions. Otherwise, this natural coloring is actually a temporary thing unless you want to wear them while they are new.
Still, even with the drawback, we can easily excuse the Swedish Hasbeens because it’ what happens with any un-dyed leather, which is exactly what these shoes are.
The next thing is that while most reviewers say they are comfortable, the case may be different for some. One can even say it all depends on what your expectations are, for that matter. But here, we’re talking about wooden soles with no padding, which for the most part, doesn’t reflect the general definition of comfort.
It’s not a surprise for your feet to start hurting after walking around the city, crying out for cushioning- though this can be considered as a personal gripe. Even if you’re partial to wearing heels and platforms and are used to making trivial sacrifices for style, you might not like having these clogs on for walking or standing for long.
Luckily, socks help, and you can also add some orthotics for cushioning, in which case you’d definitely have to order the larger of your size. The shoes offer some arch support, but for those with high arches, you might want to add more support.
Bottom Line
All things considered, Swedish Hasbeens is great footwear overall, and taking a star off for the comfort won’t be fair either. After all, these are simply classical wooden clogs serving at their best.
Most importantly, they are made of all-natural materials that you can literally get rid of in the garden when you’re done- which might interest those who feel less frivolous about buying shoes that they don’t need.
However, we can confidently take one off on the basis that this brand should be offering half sizes by now. Sizing should not really be an issue, considering the price and all the popularity in the US. Buyers would attest to the fact that fretting over what size to get isn’t a walk in the park with this footwear.
Not to mention numerous contradictory reviews stressing size advice. Of course, you can always return them if they turn otherwise, but that would be an inconvenience, a disappointment, and a waste of time, diving so hard for an informed decision.