51 Label: Your Next Classic White Sneaker?

From the shoemaking region of Fermo, Italy, 51 Label brings you dress shoes built for effortless Italian style, sans the price tag. With an ethos on quality, from design to construction, 51 Label ensures beautifully crafted footwear remains accessible. With this in mind, each creation from the house is designed to be long-lasting, comfortable and perfect for everyday wear.

Designed in Singapore and handcrafted by skilled artisans in Italy, over 3 decades of savoir-faire is poured into their footwear. Each creation from 51 Label takes roughly 51 hours to complete – hence the name. 

We recently had the chance of putting 51 Labels ”Tomlin” sneaker to the test, a classic white sneaker that features Italian full-grain leather, French waxed cotton laces and a Margom rubber sole – which is our standout feature. The slight bevel on the outside sole is a lovely touch that separates this shoe from all of the other white sneakers you’ve seen.

Upon first impressions, the packaging was beautifully presented with a solid outer box, with each pair of sneakers coming with a branded shoehorn, personalised card from the founder, spare laces and dustbags for travel. The shoehorn was a nice touch for sneakers – paying homage to their traditional shoemaking roots found in their other collections.

However, once we tried on the shoes, they were too tight. Unfortunately, the size we got sent didn’t match up to our reference of Common Projects. We are generally a 42EU, and were recommended to size 1 down to 41. However, they were too tight. Gary, the founder, immediately sent us another pair in 42, which seemed to be the correct size. So we would say that they are somewhat TTS – but this is always something to be mindful of when buying shoes online.

Once the new pair arrived, this time with a complimentary facemask (what a lovely touch during these strange times), they fit perfectly. We broke them in for a week or so and after putting them to the test, we received plenty of compliments and asking where they were from. Very well made and very comfortable, we can certainly say that these sneakers will be on our rotation this summer.

If you’re after something that is unique, from a brand you’re probably not familiar with, we would recommend this shoe. Affordable, but still well made, they’re a great option for someone looking for new classic sneakers. Interested in trying 51 Label sneakers? You can view them online here.