Review: 2 years of Rhude Rhecess Hi
So I was thinking for a long time about writing or at least sharing some of my experience with my clothing and shoes. Like most people, I imagine I take some time to review online before a purchase.
I scour Reddit, Heddels and whatever other sites come up with people’s actual opinions and thoughts. Sometimes I make a rash purchase that I might regret but let me get into my review today.
Firstly, I didn’t know anything about Rhude as a brand. I learned more with time and quite frankly I don’t care about it, like most high-end streetwear brands it seems to be more based on hype and branding rather than actual quality which is some cause for concern given the extremely high prices some pieces can run. For example, https://rh-ude.com/products/rhecess-hi-26 which is a lot even for a high-end sneaker IMO. That being said I was looking at ssense.com in the sneaker section to see what might be on sale, initially, the site came across as a bit sketchy to me (I mean designer brands at sometimes low prices, what gives?) but the silhouette of a pair of the RHECESS HI caught my eye. I don’t like bulky or chunky sneakers and was looking for something that wasn’t too big or wide. I really liked the low profile of the shoes in the photos and the model reminded me of Nike’s Terminator or maybe a AJ1-type shoe. I was looking at a pair of white leather with a snake/boa/whatever pattern (https://kith.com/products/rhpf23fo024897931667) and didn’t really care too much since I thought the shades of brown would work well with my outfits (I didn’t want a bold colour like an orange or red but something a bit more subtle) the listing mentioned full leather upper and rubber outsole with the shoe being made in Italy. Likely in the same factory as many other high-end sneakers.
I jumped on the purchase and got my pair for about $350~CAD all things included. They arrived pretty quickly and on my unboxing (not in this article since this is a review of owning them for 2 years) I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality over the life of still owning them. Let me break it down into some sections.
Quality
The leather on the pair is amazing. It is literally buttery smooth and soft owing to the fact that it is a full-grain calf leather. The entire upper of the shoe minus the upper tongue is all completely leather. The upper part of the tongue itself is a polyester or nylon material that is likely a throwback to the classic basketball style it is based on. In terms of creasing the leather has but in the most natural and lovely way possible. I know a lot of sneakerheads hate to see creases and prefer mint-condition shoes but I actually wear my shoes and live in them and this pair is no exception. Part of the reason I got these was also to see just how good a high-end sneaker actually was for the price compared to something like an average Nike or Adidas shoe. Because the leather is so soft and smooth with no heavy plastic coating on it my pair has lost some of that topmost layer or coating of leather and you can clearly see the untreated leather exposed underneath near the toe. This to me reflects the quality again as I much rather have a more natural leather than a plastic-coated and cheap-looking/feeling one. I want my shoes to age and patina with wear and time and this pair is perfect.
The laces are long and give plenty of space to tie even if you go to the top hole. The laces themselves are a nice, thick cotton that isn’t waxed but I found them to be of good quality.
There is a lace holder at the back of the shoe like most if not all hi-top shoes. If I had to give a point off for quality this is where it is, the outer piece is leather like the rest of the upper of the shoe but the inner piece much to my surprise after 1.5 years was seemingly not and seemed to be more like a felt or other material that almost seemed to separate from the leather itself. Now for the majority of the life of these shoes, I didn’t tie the laces around the shoe itself and opted to tie in the front and didn’t notice this until only recently. It is far from a deal breaker but something that is interesting to note.
I mentioned that the upper tongue is a nylon or polyester material and that’s not a knock, the inside of the tongue is the same soft, plush leather as the rest of the shoe however.
The outsole of the shoe is a custom margom rubber cupsole with Rhude branding on the bottom. the shoe is side-wall stitched to the upper of the leather all around the shoe, in my 2 years of owning this shoe and wearing it often the outsole has held up probably the best of any sneaker I’ve ever owned despite the amount of walking and activity I regularly put into the shoes.
I’m not a leather expert but I would say the overall thickness of pieces of the leather is about 0.8–1mm in thickness along with being well sewn. I didn’t see any loose edges, frays or other elements with my pair.
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The leather itself is likely chrome-tanned but well done, there isn’t much blue or anything of that sort around the leather. I wish I had more info on the tannery and where the leather itself is sourced from but I’ll say given the price (I hope) that it is all Italian sourced.
Branding
I’m not a fan of huge, in-your-face branding and while these obviously have RHUDE written right on the back of the shoe itself I’ve made my peace with it. Would it be perfect if that wasn’t there? 100% but I guess the argument would be made that it wouldn’t be known it was a pair of Rhude’s (if anyone actually cares or knows)
To this effect I would say Collegium is a much better sneaker on this side of it given it’s near non-existent branding save for a small emboss on the corner side.
Comfort
This is objective and tricky I know, how and what you find comfortable might not be for someone else, so with that said my opinion of course will be subjective. For reference, though I have played on the playground with my nephews, ran, walked and done all manner of activity save for a steep hike in these so make of it what you will. I’ve worn these on windy, rainy and even some mild snowy days and put them through their paces.
The aforementioned leather is indeed soft meaning that this shoe is pretty comfortable overall, the toe box to me seems average while the overall width isn’t too large/wide nor too narrow.
The outsole being a fairly thick rubber also does a nice job of cushioning.
The insole is lined with leather as well but is ultimately a standard foam/material type of insole that offers no arch support whatsoever. I have narrow and flat feet so almost right away I put in an additional insole on top of the one that comes with the shoe and found it to be perfect, both for comfort and better fit as my foot wouldn’t slide around nearly as much.
Sizing
Another tricky element! I found these pretty much TTS (true-to-size) and someone with slightly wider feet or a higher arch would probably fit into these like a glove.
In my footwear sizing and in most brands I usually tend to go off of European sizing and in those I tend to be a 44 or around 28cm which is what I purchased with the Rhude’s. North American sizing is tricky based on the brand and model since I own and owned shoes that range from 10.5US to 11.5US so if anyone is unsure do a good measurement and then consider if you want to put in an insole or not.
Verdict and closing thoughts
So after walking, running, playing and owning these shoes for the period that I have and still having life in them for at least another season what is my verdict?
I think you can tell that for a minimal sneaker they are absolutely amazing but the biggest and most direct competition they have is clearly Collegium (https://ourcollegium.com/collections/high-tops) given they are about half the price of Rhude’s.
So it begs to ask, if you were to pay retail for both shoes which one makes sense? clearly, we have an answer in that Collegium is not only cheaper but has more options in colours (to an extent) plus more models and thus makes the most practical sense.
I would say unless you are indeed a huge Rhude fan or absolutely want a colourway that only Rhude has it will be worth it for you. Otherwise, I would say be on the lookout on reseller sites like ssense.com or farfetch and snag a pair in your size/colour when they go on sale (and they do quite often) because if we compare both models at around the $350 price point I would give the advantage to the Rhude’s given the slightly softer leather and some of the slightly more unique prints/patterns/colours. Lastly also comes down to the fact if you mind the giant and obnoxious branding on the back of Rhude’s.
