Rubber Soled Shoes – Gummisohle

There is a long-standing prejudice against rubber-soled shoes, the belief that any properly made shoe (read, Goodyear welted shoe) must necessarily have a leather sole. This belief is further reinforced by the fact that most rubber-soled shoes are indeed terribly poorly made, glued together or injection molded, sneaker-level rubbish, made somewhere offshore. This poor reputation has been well deserved.  Until now!

We have entered a new era in shoe-making, one in which the best traditional shoemakers in the world, are responding to a very real need for gentlemen much on their feet in their professions, gentlemen who ply the hard pavements of city life, or who must negotiate the unpaved surface of the country.  These shoemakers are fitting (Goodyear Welting) their traditional uppers to nothing less than great all-weather, all terrain rubber soles; durable, comfortable and discrete rubber soles, soles from such English specialists as Danite, Itshide and Ridgeway. In the mean time, American makers such as Allen Edmonds and Alden have followed suit with their own proprietary all-weather soles.

The term “all-weather” may suggest only “bad-weather” but the best all-weather shoes are equally practical and comfortable in, literally, “all-weather”. There is no reason to compromise your appearance in any weather or on difficult terrain or to look like you have just returned from lumber camp in awkward work boots when it is possible to go from town to country and back again in the same fine-looking shoes, shoes equally suitable outdoors and the office.

These classic models from fine shoemakers are correct for every occasion, on pavement, parquet, or mountain peak, with rubber soles to protect you from wet weather, provide traction on uneven surfaces, remain comfortable after many hours of wear and still be perfectly acceptable, indeed strikingly attractive, in refined company.  You will experience less fatigue at the end of the day and your joints will thank you for the courtesy you have shown them with the softer footfall of rubber soles. This does not even consider the added safety of non-slip soles.

In the case of leather soled shoes that you might like to have, my expert shoemaker here has long experience converting any shoe, including golf shoes, to rubber soles –and this is most important- without disturbing the integrity of the original construction.

Personally, I have long favored my rubber-soled shoes especially for my long city walks on hard pavement, the length of Madison Avenue, window shopping, for instance, or in Golden Gate Park or the Fürther Stadt Park, wherever I happen to be at the time. I recommend rubber soles to you without reservation.