Full disclosure: I’m actually a massive cheapskate. I spent all of my 20s — it’s true, I’m not in my 20s anymore — as a student, intern, volunteer, or broke journalist, and at this point, penny pinching is just in my DNA. I own some expensive boots now, sure. But for a long time I … Read more
Santalum is an Indonesian boot company based in the West Javan capital of Bandung, which is basically Asia’s unofficial boot headquarters. A lot of people find it surprising that Indonesia is mentioned so often as a boot hub, but there are a ton of brands there like Junkard, Winson, Jalan Sriwijaya, Txture, and Sagara which … Read more
Here’s a little fact about me: I am pretty obsessed with Indonesia. I live in New York City but I grew up in Australia, where Indonesia is our largest neighboring country and our relationship with them has always been really fascinating to me. If you’re American, try imagining if Mexico had ten times your population … Read more
Anyone who has spent a lot of time reading about the world’s best boots has no doubt come across one exceptional country over and over again: Indonesia. We know about American, Italian, French, and Dutch bootmakers, but when looking for boot hubs outside of Europe and the U.S., Indonesia consistently appears at the top of … Read more
A lot of people like their formal clothing handmade in Italy or France, but many guys who have swung by Bangkok or Hoi An to pick up a tailor-made suit have trouble telling the difference. The same goes for boots, but finding the right shoemaker can be a little tougher for men with discerning tastes. … Read more