# Banana Republic Shoes: Who makes them?



## mrchapel (Jun 21, 2006)

Just happened to be browsing BR's web site and notice they have a bunch of new shoes for the fall. One of them is this classy looking boot: https://tinyurl.com/kjshn

Are any of these shoes, specifically the link I posted, worth the price? Does anyone own any BR shoes? How do they hold up? Who makes them? Thanks!


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## pt4u67 (Apr 27, 2006)

Not really sure as to who makes them but at retail they are a total rip off. I can assure you that very soon they will be on sale. I wouldn't pay anything over $50-60 for anything from there.


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## Andy V. (Jan 16, 2004)

Dang, I work at a Banana Republic and I have no idea who makes them. 

They're certainly not worth over $100, ever. I have some BR boots and some driving shoes that are comfortable and have garnered some compliments, but I don't expect them to last forever. Still, they were a decent deal after markdowns and my discount.


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## richstyle (Aug 14, 2006)

mrchapel said:


> Just happened to be browsing BR's web site and notice they have a bunch of new shoes for the fall. One of them is this classy looking boot: https://tinyurl.com/kjshn
> 
> Are any of these shoes, specifically the link I posted, worth the price? Does anyone own any BR shoes? How do they hold up? Who makes them? Thanks!


I have often wondered about the quality of BR shoes too. I own three pairs. The loafers held up well. Pretty basic and decent quality leather. Then I bought a black pair of their Prada imitations--you know, they look like bowling shoes but fancier. The leather, though, looks like plastic to me and I haven't worn them much. Then I bought a similar pair that's more of a gussied up sneaker and they are extremely comfortable but limited to casual wear of course. Very casual wear. I once wore them with a blazer and the woman I was taking out snapped, "You wear sneakers on a date!"

Finally, I bit the bullet and bought shoes for three times the price at Ralph Lauren-the classic cap toe and a blucher. Cost a bundle, but I'm set for quite a while.

Generally, I find BR rather stylish but the quality is hit or miss. Any thoughts?


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## jcusey (Apr 19, 2003)

mrchapel said:


> Who makes them?


This undoubtedly will come off sounding snotty, but it's not intended to. I assume that BR has their shoes made by whomever submits the low bid, and I would not assume that all of the different styles being sold during a particular season are manufactered by the same maker.


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## richstyle (Aug 14, 2006)

jcusey said:


> This undoubtedly will come off sounding snotty, but it's not intended to. I assume that BR has their shoes made by whomever submits the low bid, and I would not assume that all of the different styles being sold during a particular season are manufactered by the same maker.


You're probably right. And it doesn't come off as snotty at all. BR would probably cop to it anyway. They're a mass-market purveyor of clothing, just a touch above the quality offered in most mall stores. They serve their purpose.

I think Andy V. had the best advice. If you can get them on sale, it's a fairly good value. Better yet, if you can snag an employee discount it's a great value. So make friends with a BR salesperson, start with Andy V.


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## kronik (Dec 27, 2005)

Hi Andy V.

Kidding.


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## EL72 (May 25, 2005)

richstyle said:


> Generally, I find BR rather stylish but the quality is hit or miss. Any thoughts?


Would Cary Grant wear BR?


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## Brian13 (Aug 9, 2006)

speaking of employee discounts, anyone here a NM employee? 
i hear they have 30% off, i would really love to make friends with an employee here, maybe i can get a lobb shoe on sale and at employee discount!
:idea:


i will throw in a little cash incentive! would not that be a good idea? rather than sell the shoe and get your 8% commission that can be taken back with a refund, why not buy it with your employee discount, i pay you back in cash, and a 8% commission on top of it, that way, the commision is permanent.


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## spire (Sep 5, 2006)

I'm sure different Banana Republic shoe styles and lines are made from different sources. Some are "Made in Italy". While I usually choose not to pay full retail, for any shoe and Banana Republic shoes may not be couture or "high fashion", they certainly are not low quality, made in China, sold at the "dollar store" shoes. I find them to be perfectly acceptable and well made, definitely not "cheap". In fact, I have some Bagatts and Casadei high end shoes and to this day, my all time favorite pair of shoes is a pair of Banana Republic shoes I purchased 8 years ago and wore often enough to require they be resoled two years ago. They still look new and still get compliments, I absolutely love them. No, I don't work for Banana Republic, we don't even have a store in our city. I found them at a local aftermarket discount outlet.

I think *mrchapel*, that if you like the BR 'Firenze' ankle boot, I would go look at them in person. Personally I would hope to get shoes I liked on sale or find something similar on eBay. Often on eBay you can find even higher end shoes in similar styles for far less money. But it's your budget, your taste, your feet, and you're the one who will be wearing them, so you have to decide if you're going to get your money's worth out of them.


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## Soph (Sep 25, 2005)

runaway asian children working for rice in sweat shops


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## Kaufman (May 15, 2006)

BR shoes are truly cruddy products.

As I initially wrote when joining the forum, I do a lot of my shopping at the trendier mall stores, including JCrew and BR, and buy a lot of Polo apparel as well. Lexington Ky isn't amenable to fine shopping and frankly I can't afford a lot of nicer stuff just yet. 

I bought a few pairs of BR shoes during a sale a few months ago... dropped some salad dressing on one of the pairs a few weeks later. Well tried to rub the dressing out with a damp cloth. Mistake. The color came out with the cloth. Took the shoes to a local shoesmith... he told me that my shoes were painted the brown color that they were - the leather wasn't actually tanned that color. So he repainted them for 10 bucks and they look fine now. I guess when you buy a pair of shoes for 45$, you shouldn't expect much.

I have another pair of suede shoes from BR - the seams are coming undone.

I will say this though - I do find that JCrew shoes are awesome. They hold up well, and they are comfortable. I had a pair of shoes that I wore daily (pre-Andy) and they lasted 4 years. Still have some tread to spare.

But honestly, take it from me - skip the BR shoes...


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