I am a creature of habit. As far back as I can remember my everyday sneakers have been the Nike Air Force 1 and the Converse Chuck 70. Of course I wear other pairs but I take them when I don’t really want to think about the sneakers I I should wear – they’re comfortable, easy to wear with a bunch of different sock heights and just as good broken in as they are new.
Other people have their versions of this too. Some people swear by the Adidas Gazelle. Others love the Reebok Club-C. Or they rarely change their Vans. A true menswear fan might live in a pair of GAT (German Army Trainer) sneakers – but probably not a new pair, like the Maison Margiela replicas.
Elsewhere, obscure brand allegiances probably exist, but you don’t hear about them. I for one never thought a Gola sneaker could replace, let alone compete with, my now iconic white Nike Air Force 1s, but here I am, two weeks after wearing a pair, wondering where they are. have been all this time.
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The pair I tested – a green, white and tan version of the Dropshot – resemble GATs from above (look at the suede toebox) but have a heavier profile. It looks more like an Air Force 1 than an Adidas Gazelle, to those who have worn or at least held both styles. They are just as comfortable. As anyone with flat feet knows, both of these models, along with the Chuck 70s, are perfect for flat feet. There’s very little arch support, they’re not too narrow, and they have room in the front for your toes to spread out.
But can they withstand constant wear and tear like the big fronts? So far so good, I would say. However, you may be able to make out almost identical spots on both of my toes. I don’t know when I picked them up, but they don’t bother me – and they don’t detract from the overall look of the shoe.
They’re a bit European (it’s a British brand, after all), but they fit in pretty well with the new wave of prep. I would say we are two years away from a Gola x JJJJound collaboration. For JJJJound fans, you know what I mean; for those who’ve never heard of him, that means some Gola sneakers are good (like these), but there are still better colorways in the tank (like an all-white pair, maybe).