Gentlemen’s Footwear: An Introduction

Carmina shoes. EG Cappelli and Drake’s London ties. Finamore shirts.

When Young Yoo first contacted me a few months ago to tell me about the online store he was opening, his planned lineup read like a grail status short list of classic menswear brands. Just as compelling as the planned inventory was Young’s motivation: at 5'6" with 5.5 UK feet, he specifically wanted to expand the options for high-quality menswear available to short men in the US.

And while there’s much for men under 5'9" to get excited about with today’s launch of GentlemensFootwear.com, Young still has plenty in store to intrigue those who are taller, larger-footed, or–with free worldwide shipping–outside the US.

Take those Carminas, for example. Gentlemen’s Footwear has about a half-dozen competitively-priced stock models, ranging from a conservative brown half-brogue to a more daring, yet no less tasteful, navy double monk strap. Sizing in the first run ranges from 5.5 UK (6.5 US) to 9 UK (10 US), but in a few weeks Young will put in another order that will include sizes up to 12 UK. If you see something you’re interested in and don’t see your size available, be sure to shoot Young an email at info@gentlemensfootwear.com to have your size included in the next order.

In the midst of launching his business, the Los Angeles-based Young was kind enough to answer a few questions from me about his goals and motivation. I’ve edited our back-and-forth for clarity.

In the interest of full disclosure, Young offered me a care package of a tie, Saphir shoe care products, and an Abbeyhorn shoe horn as a token of appreciation for the work I do at This Fits. He asked for absolutely nothing in exchange, not even hinting at a request for a post. I volunteered to cover the launch of his store, as I’m excited about what he’s doing and, well, he seems like a genuinely good guy.

Aliotsy: You first reach out to me because I write quite often about dressing shorter men, and Gentlemen’s Footwear was born out of your frustration with finding clothes and shoes in your size. Can you share that story?

Young: Being 5'6” and wearing a UK 5.5 in footwear, it has always been an arduous and frustrating process finding US retailers that carried my size. I was aware of a few international shops that stocked smaller sizes, but I didn’t want to risk ordering from overseas, either. Finding quality size 14.5 dress shirts was an even more disappointing task. After multiple frustrating attempts, I began thinking about the extremely limited choices that smaller men like myself are constrained to, and took it upon myself to think of a solution – cue the inception of Gentlemen’s Footwear!

Young’s a dapper guy in his own right. Here he is with his dog Cookie.

Aliotsy: Your stock list for launch includes some highly-regarded names in menswear. Can you share what you’ll be offering?

I’m very excited to offer Carmina Shoemaker from Mallorca, Spain. As many of the readers may already know, Carmina offers Goodyear-welted shoes that incorporate leathers from select tanneries, such as the storied Horween Tannery in Chicago. Carmina Shoemaker offers, in my humble opinion, top quality for its value and I am a huge fan myself. Gentlemen’s Footwear will also be offering Saphir shoe care products, Finamore Napoli dress shirts from Italy, Drake’s London ties and pocket squares, and last but not least, E.G. Cappelli neckwear from Italy.

The rest of the interview after the jump, plus pictures of Young’s stock Carminas and a few MTO shoes…

Aliotsy: What’s your elevator pitch–what is Gentlemen’s Footwear?

Young: GentlemensFootwear.com is an online store in which a modern gentleman could have easy access to beautiful, high-quality footwear and garments.

Aliotsy: Quite a few online menswear retailers have debuted over the past couple years. What differentiates Gentlemen’s Footwear?

Young: As an avid follower of classic menswear, I was actually very excited to see the growth in retailers these past few years. I think it’s a great thing! Through this emerging market, consumers, like myself, are becoming more and more knowledgeable about their purchases and are steering towards proven quality menswear, instead of your typical high fashion brand names. It is all too common for businesses today to disguise their inferior products behind fancy packaging and over-the-top marketing to maximize their profit. We collaborated only with storied and skilled artisans who are confident in their product’s quality.

Aliotsy: Do you offer MTO shoes? If not, do you plan to?

Young: Yes! We definitely plan on doing some group Made To Order shoes with Carmina as well! This is a great option if you would like to customize your shoes with different colors or materials for a truly unique pair. We will be launching a ‘Gentlemen’s Footwear Affiliate’ discussion thread on StyleForum next week on June 3rd to discuss different MTO options. So stay tuned!

MTO Navy shell cordovan wholecut wingtip for a Gentlemen’s Footwear customer.

Aliotsy: Looking forward, what are your plans for Gentlemen’s Footwear over the next few months?

Young: As a new store venturing into this business, I feel like there is still so much to learn. I will definitely continue to partner with these highly-esteemed, quality artisans to offer unique and beautiful products that will catch the modern gentleman’s eye. We will also have larger-sized footwear arriving in the next few months and are always searching for new artisans to collaborate with, so stay tuned!

Thanks for your time, Young. To everyone else, you can follow Young on Tumblr here.

And if you’re in the market for high-quality footwear and menswear accessories, be sure to check out GentlemensFootwear.com.

Three stock Carminas for Gentlemen’s Footwear: a burgundy cap-toe, a dark brown half-brogue, and a navy suede string loafer.

MTO cigar shell cordovan cap-toe boot.

As is appropriate for a store called Gentlemen’s Footwear, Young stocks Abbeyhorn shoe horns and Saphir shoe care products, including creams, brushes, and Renovateur.

The tie selection from EG Cappelli and Drake’s London is tasteful and wide-ranging, including unlined grenadines, wool-silk herringbones, and beautiful foulards.

Young reviews swatches at the Finamore Napoli showroom in New York City. The Finamore shirts will be exclusives to Gentlemen’s Footwear, with four staple blue and whites arriving this week, and a herringbone and dark denim arriving in time for fall.