Unpacking a WADE shoe
So Engadget does the whole Unpacking routine for gadgets.
Here’s mine.
I’ve taken a brief hiatus on gadgets for a while and concentrated my efforts to getting myself new clothes for 2006. You see, I rarely shop for clothes but the past month (mid December to now) had me buying shirts and jeans - and now, as icing on the cake, two pairs of shoes from WADE.
WADE shoes are made of Italian leather while the soles come from Singapore and exported to the Philippines. My encounter with WADE was pretty recent. I became the hapless victim of a fashion makeover for the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
This can only happen once, so …
I’d like to thank Ms. Abby Arenas and Edgar of Emphasis in Rockwell for my hair and highlights as well as the golden brown air tanning. I would like to thank Kym de Guzman for my clothes and Alex Vergara of the PDI Lifestyle for making this all possible.
Done? Great!
One of the shoe brands Kym carried in were from this store called WADE, and I gladly bought the pair she made me wear a few days after the shoot. Small world - Kym was my batchmate from school. I was in Dev Ed and she was in Comm.
Now to Unpack a WADE shoe.
WADE shoes come in a black rice sack bags that are big enough to fit one shoe box. You cannot fit two shoe boxes inside a WADE bag because if you could, it would give the impression to other people that you only bought one pair. So the more WADE bags you carry, the more shoes you bought. This statement is not as obvious as it seems, and if you think about it carefully, there is a lot of wisdom to be learned from here.
Upon removing the shoe box, I noticed that the WADE text was in red, instead of the usual silver that lined the bag. After much contemplation, I became enlightened to the fact that WADE as a company, wants to use the color red to generate your appetite to eat food after shopping for shoes (hence the color red to whet your appetite). But what is the reason for this? This is because they want to take care of their customers. So why is the WADE logo printed in the box colored silver? Well, the answer is simple - the ones looking at it are not WADE customers.
*The camera I’m using colored the red into pink.
Unlike other shoe boxes in the shoe industry (although I am sure a number of shoe companies do have this design I’m about to talk about. But who knows, I’m a gadget guru, not a shoe swami.), the WADE shoe box does not have a lid. In its stead, the box has a hole for your index finger and can be pulled out from the side. This makes a WADE shoe box very useful for keeping things in (like shoes) and not to be used for your little brother’s grade school Christmas Belen project.
The first shoe I bought were black leathers which I could wear to the office as well as to some semi-casual events (semi-casual and semi-formal are the same. It’s like the half-full, half-empty thing, depending on your outlook in life). In this case, I say semi-casual because I’m usually a formal person, like the British. But casual at times, like Mr. Bean, who is also British.
I can wear these with socks and without socks. I think. The price is P1,980.00 if I remember right.
The second pair of shoes is something for the more casual me which I can use to go to laid back Friday night gimiks, drinking with friends, watching movies, and even playing football - which will destroy the shoes (But wasn’t that fun??). I also won’t mind stepping on animal crap since the natural color of this pair is .. “natural turd.”
And the price is the same, P1980.00 I think.
I spent less than P4,000.00 for two pairs of great shoes. Yipee!
WADE can be found in the 3rd level of Glorietta 1, Ayala Center, Makati. They also have branches in Greenhills, SM City North, Robinson’s Place Malate and Robinson’s Galleria.
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I’m a gadget guru, not a shoe swami.
–that would be me, the shoe swami
i am graced by your presence o swami.
did i choose good shoes?
Guess who created the branding for that shoe?
sino ser?
btw napagana ko na MULTIPLY! YEHEY
To Owner,
Hi, well I bought sandals in WADE glorietta last July 7 because I love the design even it was expensive for a simple design. I’m happy when I bought that but everything was fade a way, when I used that sandal for the 1st time in my office, the “swelas” was removed and I was really really shock. I know WADE is good for ladies and men shoes.
During our lunch time I went to this store and I ask the manager how you can fix this and she told me, they will just go to QUICKIE to glue the “swelas”. Wow its so cheap.. So I accept it, I waited almost 30 mins and I able to get my sandals. I feel to wear again my sandals last Sunday and unfortunate the sandals accessories was removed again and this time I cannot find it because SM Southmall is so big to look for that tiny stone. Again I return my sandals today 12:30pm, I left that item to Ms. Imee because she’s still going to wait her manager.
Can you please do something? I don’t want to make issue about these things. I spend almost 300 pesos going to glorietta back and forth.
I don’t think WADE shoes are made of genuine leather. my first pair in 2004 got mutilated and the linings inside were “syntethic” leather like at best. it only lasted me less than a year. i just bought my second tonight and just because it was only P1599. hope it lasts longer. also, a friend from singapore has never heard of WADE nor could i find their website online. also, the attendant told me the shoes were made of singaporean leather that’s why it looks and smells “synthetic” like. hmmm…. that’s weird, singapores a small place, i haven’t seen farms there so i doubdt they’ve got cows…
as of late i have 2 pairs of wades. the one i use more often is still okay and i realize that for the price, it is worth it. Kickers are slightly more expensive but are a LOT more durable. so its a quantity versus quality issue. WADE is somewhere in between.
I’m a sucker for cheap shoes. I just bought my first pair of WADE shoes this afternoon. At least it looks better than the ultra-cheap Mario D’boro. I hope WADE lasts longer. I plan to buy another pair.
did you know any wade branch here in singapore?
or even their website?
i cant find it..
I am about to start at my new job in a bank here in manila. I’m planning to buy a new pair of leather shoes. I’m thingking of buying a pair of Wade shoes, but I’m not quite sure if the shoes form Wade are durable. I went to the store in Megamall and I looked at the shoes, and there’s a lot of beautiful design and style and its not very expensive, but i’m not sure if they will last for a long time. Coz I remember, One time that my friend of mine ask me to accompany him in buying a shoes. he bought a pair of Wade shoes but unfortunately it didnt lasted long. He only used the shoes for almost 6 months. So I really thingking it over, If I’ll go for the Wade shoes. I want buy a shoes that is really worth of my money.
@elle:
i have two pairs so far and they are still good. but youre correct to hear of cases where WADE shoes just broke down after 6 months. mine are okay though.
are you a boy? if so i sugest going for hush puppies
they are very comfortable and durable.
wheew… one thing is for sure.. You cant find other shoes better than wade.. Compare to other brand of shoes.. It is really soft, easy to carry… As if you’re not wearing anything…
For sure you will like the quality of this shoes…
im a wade shoes lover…
The best!
wade shoes are diffenetly incomparable. luis manzano is a wade shoes lover also.
i hope wade shoes will open their branch in cebu…
I was really happy getting nice looking shoes for a bargain.I thought it was a gold mine.But lo and behold….after a year of using the pair very sparingly(i treated it as ‘my precious’so its not for everyday use)-the upper slowly teared from the sole.The supposedly genuine leather separated from the lining.
Its a big disappointment!i came looking for their website to complain..but..surprise!no website!for a very sleek-looking product and boutique,its a shock.
wade will be opening in cebu coming october..