Hey, looking into investing into a pair or two of shoes for work. I’m in IT now but worked warehouse and restaurant jobs before this and shoes were by far the biggest qol purchase I made. My current job is pretty relaxed on “business attire” but I want some sneakers and slip ones that look professional while being comfy and will last awhile. All my past work shoes/boots have been Red Wings and that’s the standard im looking at.
Was just about to recommend Vans. In other post I’ve shown my past collection of them and praising how durable they were even after me abusing them.
That was 7-4 years ago, I still have 2 pairs of them in good condition, someone else has the remaining. Maybe they make them different now. “Enshittification” I guess. I’ve hiked, skated, partied in them and wore them casually as well.
I’ve been wearing them for about 20 years. Back then one pair would last me 2/3 years of daily use, they’d start looking funky after a year or so but all the stitches would hold, they wouldn’t get holes, etc etc. 4 to 7 years ago they probably lasted less than a year already, and now it’s 6 months before the sole starts separating. Probably the effects of continually optimizing costs and using lower grade materials and processes.