Joseph Cheaney and Sons, Edmund, Monk Strap Review
Just like other great British shoemakers in Northampton, UK, Cheaney has a long history of quality shoes. Cheaney was founded by Joseph Cheaney in 1886. They only used to provide shoes to other retailers and private label shoes. In the 20th century, they changed their path and started to manufacture their own labeled shoes. In 1966 Cheaney was bought by Church & Company which is a well-known and big shoemaker in Northampton, UK. Then Church & Company was bought by Prada, an Italian fashion company in 1999. Yes, the Prada that produces luxuries handbags and clothing. After Church & Company was acquired by Prada, the two owners, Jonathan and William Church stopped working for Church & Company. Ten years later in 2009, They bought Joseph Cheaney and sons from Prada and they have restored the brand back to its original quality and glory.
Since then, Cheaney is selling its quality shoes to everyone in the world. They have a very solid historical background and the team who knows how to make quality shoes. It’s worth trying these if you have a chance to.
Background
I have also purchased these when I was in university. I didn’t have many chances to wear these during my time in the university, because they are formal shoes. I mean, yeah we can wear it casually with chinos and casual shirts, but I remember only wearing them with suits.
After my army service and getting a job, I have worn them more. I have worn these to my interviews, and business meetings I have attended. They serve their purposes really well and most of all they look really great. To be completely honest, my wife absolutely hates the look of monk straps. She says they are ugly. In my opinion, they look incredibly nice with suits or chinos. I usually care and polish them with Saphir Rénovateur and Médaille D’or. Those two products give really nice shine and look at the shoes.
Overall
These are double monk strap shoes with two straps on the shoes connected to the leather covering the top part of the shoe. The buckles colour is between silver and gold. I think the buckles suit well with the colour of the shoes.
These are made with 125 last, which was developed in 2011 for the 125th anniversary of Joseph Cheaney and sons. Cheaney shoes say that these are the most English style last that they have. They fit my feet very well and I don’t feel any discomfort while wearing them.
The shoes have capped toes with a nice brown/walnut colour covering the entire shoes. The heels are around 3cm high. which gives a confident boost to anyone who wears it. Cheaney shoes are all handmade in their factory in Northamptonshire.
Monk straps
Buckled shoes that have a piece of leather going over the area near the ankles and forefoot are called “Monk Straps”. This is because in 17th century Europe, the monks secured their closed-toed shoes with buckles. After laces became popular, people didn’t care much about buckled shoes. In the 19th century, buckled shoes called Monk straps came back and these were a big hit in the fashion industry and were introduced as Monk straps. Then, it has become a standard of calling shoes with buckles to secure shoes, monk straps.
Cheaney Edmund leather
In my previous review about Grenson Archie brogues, I have mentioned that the grain leather on Grenson shoes look less like grain leather that I used to know. Well, Cheaney uses full-grain leather. They look like normal grain leather and these have smaller patterns on the leather making it look more pebbly.
Full-grain leathers are leathers that have been treated the least amount and they are known to be the best leather. They are durable and more waterproof than any other leather types. They crease very nicely and also very easy to keep. I do not own shoe trees for all the shoes that I own, but these shoes do not need to have shoe trees all the time. For anyone who is reading this, shoe trees are really important so try to have as many as you can; but if you don’t, you can always cycle them between shoes.
Sole
The soles on the Cheaney monk straps are Dainite rubber black soles. Dainite is also a renowned British solesmith. These soles are very sturdy and durable. They are more formal compared to the commando soles, but less formal compared to leather soles. Some people love the sound of the leather soles and the feelings on the feet, but personally I prefer Dainite rubber soles any day compared to leather soles. Especially since I live in the city, and it’s pretty slippery even with a slight bit of rain or it’s the worst on marble or waxed floors.
The soles are Goodyear welted, which means I can send these back to Cheaney’s company and put new soles on them. I haven’t done that yet but I look forward to the day when I can send my shoes to Cheaney’s original factory and get them refurbished.
Cheaney Edmund sizing
I got these for size UK 10.5. I usually wear size UK 11 or US 12 on Nike, Adidas, and other sneakers. For dress shoes, going a half size down from my UK size fits well. It could feel a bit tight at the beginning but eventually, it’ll fit perfect. They did fit a bit tight at the beginning but they have gotten more comfortable over the years as the leather on the shoes started to mold to my feet. That didn’t mean buy a pair of shoes that are super uncomfortable and that you can’t walk with them. Just shoes that fit a bit tight will eventually be okay.
The width on these Cheaney shoes is in F, which is the standard width for many people, and for my very standard feet, they fit nicely. I would suggest going for a G width if you have wider feet.
Insole
One of the best things I love about these is the insoles. I know that insoles are not necessarily seen by others unless you take your shoes off and even then who cares about other people’s insoles? We are able to see that Cheaney has even thought about the trivial part.
The recent lines of Cheaney shoes have their brand icon pressed on the insoles. Some production lines such as the 130th-anniversary line, or shoes produced before the acquisition from the Church brothers. Other popular brands paint or glue the brand icon on the insole.
Why does this matter? Sometimes, this paint or sticker fades and becomes less visible. Since Cheaney shoes insoles have their brand name pressed on to it, the brand mark doesn’t fade and even after many years of wearing the shoes it still looks great. I enjoyed that Cheaney has put in thoughts into those small things and cared about the consumers. This is very minor and many people won’t care, but it’s always good to see brands caring for small things.
Cost
Cheaney Edmund monk straps cost £360, which is around $450. The price range of Cheaney Monk straps is in the middle in my opinion. Cheaney shoes are less expensive compared to shoes at the higher end, but these are not on the lower end either. I would say the value of the shoes is justifiable considering the amount of work and effort Cheaney put into producing these shoes. Furthermore, these are durable and comfortable and last a very long time. These shoes will theoretically last forever because they are Goodyear Welted, which means that the soles can be replaced.
Check out my other Cheaney shoes review: HERE
