There is nothing worse than seeing a guy wearing a nice watch with cheap, tatty old shoes on. Literally, nothing worse. Unfortunately it’s a surprisingly common occurrence. For some reason, when it comes to dressing up it seems that shoes are an afterthought for a lot of guys, as opposed to the foundation of their entire outfit. We wanted to help correct this egregious fashion faux pas by introducing you to a viable solution – Ace Marks shoes.
Ace Marks – Artisan Dress Shoes
Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard the name Ace Marks before, they are not exactly a household name. In fact, technically they’re not really a ‘name’ at all yet although they can lay claim to the impressive achievement of having the most funded shoe campaign in Kickstarter history – close to $465k last time I checked – and there’s still about 2 days to go!
Based in Miami, Florida Ace Marks describes its yet-to-be-produced products as bold, comfortable and affordable handcrafted Italian leather shoes with a buyback option that strengthens communities (more on that in a minute). Each pair is made with full grain leather and is crafted, dyed, and burnished by hand by Italian artisans, resulting in a unique finish. You can watch how they do it in the video below:
Thanks to the runaway success of its Kickstarter campaign Ace Marks first production run will offer lucky backers their pick of shoes from 8 different collections; Wing Tip Vincent (my personal favorite), Cap Toe Griffin, Penny Loafer Brody, Combat Boot Logan (also very cool), Monk Strap Kurt, Plain Toe Blucher Louis, Chelsea Boot Troy and Medallion Toe Oxford Thomas, which was just unlocked recently when the campaign funding hit the $400k mark. You can also get a custom died belt to match your new shoes for an extra $70.
Unfortunately a lot of the good deals are already sold out, however you can still get your hands on a pair of the shoes from any one of the 8 collections by pledging just $195, a 45% discount off the proposed retail price.
Best of all, Ace Marks has partnered with a national organization called Career Gear that helps men in need get back on their feet and re-enter the work force. As part of the partnership the company will give you a $60 credit for your old Ace Marks shoes when you’re ready for a change and donate them to Career Gear, meaning you can feel good whilst also looking good. A winning combination to be sure.
The campaign ends on Saturday, March 26th and Ace Marks plans to start delivering the shoes in July this year. If you live in the US you’ll also get the benefit of free shipping. Don’t worry if you live outside the US, they ship worldwide but you just have to pay a bit extra.
So why not do what I did and put your money where your mouth is? Trust me, your watch will thank you for it.
Check out the Ace Marks Kickstarter campaign here.
