What brand of shoe for a young man?

[Night Elf]

My ds, who has Aspergers, has been wearing the same pair of shoes since 2016. They are black work shoes for when he got his job as a stock clerk at Kroger. He doesn't see the need to get new shoes. It's the only pair he has. It's driving me nuts. Before he bought those, he wore slip on Vans. He can't tie laces. I'd like to get him a pair of shoes for Christmas. Should I get Vans again or is there another brand of slip on show that doesn't look dorky? All he wears is track pants so it needs to be a sneaker. Very casual or he won't wear it.

[HomeAgain]

Can you hunt down the make/model of the same shoe he's wearing now?

My oldest ds is picky about his feet.  One of the first things he did when he had a steady income was to buy more of the same shoe he liked, even hunting them down on Ebay when the company changed style a few years later.

[Laura Corin]

My son still wears Vans, but I'd start having a look at other young men's shoes in your neighbourhood.

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, Night Elf said:

He can't tie laces.

My ds doesn't tie.

https://www.amazon.com/LACES-Elastic-Shoelace-Fastening-System/dp/B007DLVLDY/ref=sr_1_31?dchild=1&keywords=shoelace+toggle+cord+lock&qid=1635940252&sprefix=shoe+lace+tog%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-31   They're called Lock Laces. You pull the ends through the toggle, then *cut* them to a tidy length and *lock* the ends with the little clamps so they look nice. 

Edited November 3, 2021 by PeterPan

[prairiewindmomma]

Lock laces are amazing! 
 

Vans are still in here, fwiw. 
 

I usually do a pick 3 of shoes. I buy three pairs from a store easy to return to and child will try on all three. If he keeps all 3, we don’t have to shoe shop for a couple of years. If he only finds one he likes, I keep a list of what he doesn’t like in terms of characteristics and we try again in 6-12 months when the primary pair he does keep shows some wear.

 

[Night Elf]

On 11/3/2021 at 7:52 AM, PeterPan said:

My ds doesn't tie.

https://www.amazon.com/LACES-Elastic-Shoelace-Fastening-System/dp/B007DLVLDY/ref=sr_1_31?dchild=1&keywords=shoelace+toggle+cord+lock&qid=1635940252&sprefix=shoe+lace+tog%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-31   They're called Lock Laces. You pull the ends through the toggle, then *cut* them to a tidy length and *lock* the ends with the little clamps so they look nice. 

ok, that is just way cool

[Myra]

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/506764?originalProduct=46112&productId=777781&attrValue_0=Light Brown&sku=0URU104095&pla1=0&mr%3AtrackingCode=922CE465-2809-E911-80FF-00505694403D&mr%3AreferralID=NA&mr%3Adevice=c&mr%3AadType=plaonline&qs=3136912&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqeqpl83_8wIVma_ICh1vxAMnEAQYASABEgLF6fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&SN=flyout_test04&SS=B

 

LLBean boat mocs is what my son wears all day every day all year long .... and this time of year LLBean will be offering 15% coupon days so keep an eye out. 

[Storygirl]

If he liked Vans before, I would go with that brand, because it will be familiar to him. They are still popular with young people here. Maybe get black ones, since he is used to wearing black shoes.

[catz]

Solomon shoes are big with my DH and my 21 year old and the ones they have an elastic lacing system.  They hold up well and work well for movement/standing, etc.   Here's an example but they have other choices ...

https://www.salomon.com/en-us/shop/product/speedcross-5-gtx.html#color=44113

ETA here is a more athletic looking pair, they have lots of choices 

https://www.salomon.com/en-us/shop/product/ultra-glide-lg6156.html#color=59687

 

Edited November 4, 2021 by FuzzyCatz

[mmasc]

Adidas makes a few options of slip-on athletic-looking shoes that I think would look good with his track pants. Like these. Or maybe this pair. I’m not sure if they’re the coolest shoe ever, but I know young men like adidas, so I’m sure these are at least stylish. 

[Shoeless]

Vans are still cool here, too. 

If you have Kohl's near you, peek at their clearance shoes. I found a pair of Vans for DS13 for $20 after "Kohl's Math" (coupon, sale, clearance combined). 

[Soror]

Vans are still popular here as well. Mostly people wear the slip-ons, so there are no laces to worry about.

[catz]

My teen and young adult have vans too, so I am not anti van or anything.  But if he were going to have ONE primary pair of shoes to wear, I would want my young adult with something better for walking with better support than vans personally.   But I would also want to take him somewhere to try them on or order up a couple pairs with super easy return options.  My 21 year old probably spends 80% of his time in his slip on athletic shoes and track pants.  

[Ali in OR]

1 hour ago, FuzzyCatz said:

something better for walking with better support than vans personally.   

Vans actually pass my personal support test. I've had Plantar Fasciitis twice now--Vans were one of the shoes I could where when I had PF and now I can teach all day in them without sore feet. Plus I have a few students who think I'm cool because I wear them...

[Arcadia]

7 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

Vans actually pass my personal support test. I've had Plantar Fasciitis twice now--Vans were one of the shoes I could where when I had PF and now I can teach all day in them without sore feet. Plus I have a few students who think I'm cool because I wear them...

Vans is definitely still trendy. Kids of all ages were clamoring their parents to buy them Vans at my local departmental stores. Young adults regardless of gender are wearing them.

[Night Elf]

I actually found the shoe he's wearing. It's Sketchers and is a work shoe. He bought it because he was a stock clerk at Kroger. In looking at his pair to discover the name, I was only looking on the outside and there were no holes or anything to make them look too worn. Those shoes have held up for 5 years of every day wear! Impressive! Then I looked inside and he's pretty much worn away the inside padding. Poor guy. So I purchased what I think is the exact shoe. If I missed the mark and it's not the same shoe, I'll ask him about the Vans. That's all he wore for years until he got that job at Kroger. But his feet grew and the Vans were too small. He's a size 11. Dh is a size 8. LOL

[catz]

16 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Vans actually pass my personal support test. I've had Plantar Fasciitis twice now--Vans were one of the shoes I could where when I had PF and now I can teach all day in them without sore feet. Plus I have a few students who think I'm cool because I wear them...

Oh well I also have PF on and off and can't wear them long, I had one pair and won't get another.  The ones my kids have aren't the shoes they pick if they're going to be on their feet long.

ETA - my PF greatly improved after getting fit by a podiatrist at an ortho leaning shoe store.  I have a few specific brands.  Vans and converse are 2 brands that are regularly recommended against by podiatrists.  I get this may not be an actual concern for a young person.  My quirky kids and many aspies tend to have sensory issues which may make them pickier about how shoes feel after a few hours or walking a bit so I just thought I'd throw it in there.  As always YMMV, everyone's feet are different.

 

Edited November 5, 2021 by FuzzyCatz

[alisoncooks]

I think lots of brands offer slip on options now (at least they do in women’s: Nike, adidas, NB, etc). That said, slip on Vans seem a perfectly valid option, still worn around here. My teens also can’t/don’t/won’t tie shoes - we use lock laces for sneakers.