Loding ⚠️ With reservations

French brand founded in 2003, retail chain positioned in accessible men's footwear. Loding does not manufacture in-house, production is handled by Carlos Santos in Portugal. You're buying Carlos Santos with French packaging and a retail network. Slightly pricier than buying directly from Carlos Santos, but with the convenience of trying in-store.

Paris, 2003. Loding opens its first stores with a clear positioning: welted shoes at an accessible price for the French market. The brand grows quickly. Well-located boutiques, neat window displays, the image of the Parisian shoemaker.

Except that Loding doesn't manufacture. The shoes are produced by Carlos Santos in Sao Joao da Madeira, Portugal. Carlos Santos is one of the best Portuguese manufacturers, an OEM supplier for half a dozen French brands (and not only French ones). The Goodyear welt is correct, the leathers are honest, the quality-price ratio of Carlos Santos is recognized by the entire community of enthusiasts.

The problem is the markup. A Carlos Santos bought directly costs 200 to 300 euros. The same shoe with the Loding logo and the Parisian boutique around it costs more. One pays for the fitting, the boutique, the packaging, the advice. It's a real service. But it's not manufacturing.

Among enthusiasts, Loding is identified as "one of the many French brands manufactured by Carlos Santos". No mystery, no scandal. It's a classic OEM model with a retail network. The disclaimer is simple: you buy Carlos Santos in a French boutique. If that suits you, it's a good product. If you want to maximize the quality-price ratio, buy Carlos Santos directly.

The network of boutiques is Loding's real asset. In France, trying on a welted shoe in a physical store has become rare. Loding makes that possible. This is the added value, and it is also the limit.