What a daunting task it can be to order shoes online!
“I love returning or exchanging stuff I bought online!” said NO ONE EVER.
It's our hope you'll get the perfect fit!
First off, let us brag a little. Our return rate is only 12%. That is incredibly low, considering the return rate for online shoe retailers typically ranges from 20% to 35%.
We’ve done our best to help you choose the correct size when ordering, and we believe the comfort level of our shoes also plays a significant role in our low return rate.
Our shoes have a wide fit, designed to give your feet plenty of space. We like to think of the narrow-fit shoes out there as being comparable to wearing a pair of tight jeans, whereas stepping into our shoes is like trading those jeans for a pair of loose sweatpants and breathing a sigh of relief. That´s how your feet will feel, we promise!
So how do you get the size right, and when you receive your shoes, how do you know if they’ll be just right for your feet?
Our hand made leather shoes are crafted from vegetable-tanned, chromium-free leather. Chromium-tanned leather, the most commonly used type, is produced in just one day. It offers durability and water resistance but poses environmental risks due to chromium pollution. In contrast, producing chromium-free leather requires eight days.
This meticulous process uses 100% vegetable tanning agents such as oak bark and chestnut, ensuring exceptional durability and quality without the use of harmful chemicals. What does this mean for the look and fit of the shoes?
Shoes with character, uniquely yours
Our handmade leather shoes are crafted from vegetable-tanned, chromium-free leather. Chromium-tanned leather, the most common type, is produced in just one day. It's durable and water-resistant, but it poses environmental risks due to chromium pollution.
Producing chromium-free leather takes eight days instead. The process uses 100% vegetable tanning agents like oak bark and chestnut, giving exceptional durability and quality without harmful chemicals. So what does that mean for the look and fit of the shoes?
The leather is remarkably soft and only gets softer with wear. Our shoes won't have that hard, sleek, shiny look, quite the opposite. We've actually had customers return shoes, mistaking the natural "wrinkled" texture of chromium-free leather for signs of wear. That's how uncommon this leather still is: most leather products use chromium tanning because it's faster and cheaper, which makes the difference worth noting.
Our leather develops character and moulds to your feet, stretching where it's needed to fit the contours of your foot. In our popular Cognac Brown especially, it also develops a unique patina over time.
Since the leather stretches where needed, we recommend a close fit to start with. You might expect to leave extra room for your toes, the way you would with harder, less stretchable chromium-tanned leather, but there's no need here.
A close fit is what lets the Carbon Step™ footbed and the chrome-free leather work together the way they're designed to. Choosing a size too large can stop the footbed from properly supporting your feet, and stop the leather from moulding to your feet's contours.
Like all our leather models, ZUMA Linen will also stretch and soften with wear. If they stretch too much, a gentle 30°C wash cycle will bring them back to shape.
When trying your shoes on for the first time, it's normal for your foot to fill the footbed completely, from heel to toe. You can check this by taking the insole out and standing on it. If your foot fits neatly within the insole, that's your size. The leather on top will stretch where it needs to.
One example: a customer owns two pairs of HELSINKI boots in the same size, one worn with normal socks and one with thick SAANA wool socks. The wool-sock pair is now too loose with normal socks, since the leather stretched to make room for the thicker sock.
Top tip for high arches: if you have a high arch and the shoes feel tight at first, wear them with thick wool socks for a while (you can fold the ZUMA's heel down to make room). Watch the leather stretch to fit.
VIBAe sizing: we don't make half sizes. Go one size up from your usual if your perfect size falls half a size up, you plan to wear thicker socks, or you just prefer a looser fit.
Exchanging for a different size is always an option if you need it.
Use the size chart we've provided, and trust yourself. You know your feet best.
