Looking for ethically made, fashionable and relatively affordable shoes is a challenge. For the longest time I thought it was impossible, really. Most of the pieces tagged as ethically made looked like they were made to be living in the forest where style goes to die… (Not me acting like the fashion-police.)
However, in recent years, I have paid more attention to the market and was able to find a few quality brands that seemed both reasonably priced and stylish.
During my last trip to Paris, I was able to try the brand Jonak. I must say, the brand is known to create dupes from luxury brands. I am not one to look for dupes, as the things I love the most about shoes are often discret details that makes them unique to me. These details are mostly absent from dupes, and most of them also are made of way cheaper material, let alone the unethical concept of devaluing someone’s work to obtain it (or an ersatz really).
The Mary Jane shoe
When I discovered Jonak though, I was immediately attracted to their Mary-Jane shoes.
It is also true that such shoes are rarely “original”. In their most basic iterations, Mary Jane shoes are commonly associated with old school girl uniforms and are still very present in kids’ fashion. Some brands however, have managed to create recognizable adult versions such as the iconic Carel Kinas and Louboutin, with his Mistiroir, Lilliane and Viennana (I literally dreamt of these shoes as a teenager).
You must know that I am literally obsessed with Mary Jane shoes. I actually tracked down some of these shoes for my personal collection over the years.
Now last year, I realized I needed to calm down with all my heels and maybe get some lower Mary Janes shoes, some I would wear on any occasion, with most outfits, without giving it too many thoughts.
I initially had a crush on Carel Alice shoes but buying them from Canada required a whole LOT of money, and I just couldn’t justify it at that time. Also, they weren’t that low. So when I came across the Jonak store and found these 5cm heel Mary Janes , it was an instant match.
The DELOU shoes (145€)
Jonak doesn’t really name their shoes the way higher end brands do. If you read the description, you’ll find it, but somehow they feature descriptive and generic names on the product pages (a SEO strategy, I suppose).
Aesthetic
As you can see, Delou is definitely reminiscent of the Louboutin Mistiroir with its round buckles and square but rounded toe box. It looks like a mix between Carel Alice and Louboutin Mistiroir, in my opinion. Now, it is common to get inspired by others especially on such vintage-adjacent shoes. At this point, I do not believe Jonak is trying to be original. The brand identity relies on a solid classic French aesthetic. But I can see how some designers might dislike this mainstream brand.
Fit
I went with my usual size FR 39. I believe a 38.5 might have been perfect but Jonak doesn’t do half-sizes. However, now that I know more about shoes and feet, I think the 39 was a good decision regardless of the possibility of a 38.5. I added an insole and they fit very comfortably. I walked everyday in them for two weeks in the streets of Paris after getting them and didn’t get any blisters. I did not need to break them in.
My feet are rather thin so at first they seemed a bit large, but with the insole it means I can wear socks and still be very comfortable dancing and walking in my shoes. I also used to work in a clinical environment and running around all day was not an issue either.
One thing I have noticed though is that the patent leather cracked a little around the part of my feet where the shoe folds when I am on my toes. Folding patent leather with movement often creates some creasing but I wish it didn’t crack because that is something that can’t be fixed. It is very likely to increase with time. I wonder if parts of it is my fault or if it would have always happened. I reckon, the leather is thinner and more flexible than the one of Carel Kina shoes or even my John Fluevog patent Aquila shoes (both of which are at a higher price point and so far have not cracked). I shall report back on that later on as I also haven’t been wearing these shoes on a daily basis, so it is not a totally fair comparison just yet.
Ethical business practices
Jonak shoes do not fall into the fast fashion category and their quality isn’t bad at all. Jonak uses genuine leather and their shoe construction is solid. They also aren’t going too crazy with their colorways or designs. Many of their shoes colours are updated with the season but the styles remain the same, which reduces the cost of designing new things all the time, but also signals that they aim for timeless instead of trendy.
The price point is much lower than a lot of bigger name brands – around 135-185 euros for a pair of leather shoes ( approximately 205-280 CAD). Considering that the 2024 chronically online customer is often trying to emulate their favorite TikTok celebrity at a lower price, the brand can definitely touch a wide audience of young 20 something women while also appealing to a more “grown up” side of the market with their classic boots, slingback pumps and loafers.
Despite this surprisingly affordable price point, the brand promises to commit to ethical and fair business practices for their manufacturing.
I must say, this type of information should always be investigated further considering how fashion works these days, but it is inviting to the slow-fashion customer. I am glad I gave them a try this year. It’s been 7 months since I got my Delou Mary Janes, and I wear them almost every day if I am being honest. They are my go to shoes if I don’t want to think too much about my outfit matching perfectly.
These shoes always make me feel put together even with the simplest outfit. I wish they could make them in a chartreuse or cherry red colorway but it would probably get them into trouble after what happened with Chanel in October.
Nonetheless, I give this purchase a 7.5/10.
Bisous!
Wen