GORAL Reviews 

Great quality shoes and the customer support is very helpful

I ordered the shoes for an event at a specific time in the future and left enough time to have the shoes made, according to their website.

I ordered then heard nothing for 2 weeks. When I did get an email they advised that I'd ordered when their factory was on summer shutdown and they would now start making my shoes. So I would miss the deadline. (nothing about this on their website).

I went back to them and explained my situation and asked if they could do anything. They said they would try to make them quicker. A pair arrived the next week... they had the wrong soles on them!

They said to send them back and they would change the soles over. I would then end up with a pair with replaced soles, rather than a brand-new pair that had been made correctly in the first place. However, I didn't have much choice at this point if I was going to wear them when I wanted them for.

The shoes arrived later that week. They are nice. However, with all the backwards and forwards, and the fact I know these have had soles replaced once. I'm not wowed by the experience of buying £300 handmade British shoes.

I really wanted to be wowed.

I wanted to love this brand, but poor quality control and lackluster support have let this brand down for me. I don't think Americans get this service (as they spend lots of money) so you're good if you're in the US.

Next time I'll see if Crocket & Jones or Crown Northampton give me what I'm after, even if it costs more, as unfortunately, Goral hasn't.

Fantastic quality as advertised! Good service, follow up on order and delivery received as stated. I would definitely recommend this shoe to others.

Fantastic experience with Goral, let me visit the factory a couple of times to try for size and discuss what some unique things I wanted.

I was happily surprised when my Mellor II size 10.5 sneakers arrived within 3 days of my order. I guess they keep some popular options in stock.

The shoes are super nice but still ok to wear very casually. Breaking them in took me 3-4 wears walking about 5 miles total. They are very comfortable now that the foot bed has molded to my feet.

I was a bit unsure of my size because I felt the sizing instructions on Goral's website weren't totally clear. I ended up ordering the same size as I wear in the Crown Northampton sneakers and that was perfect. If you're confused about the sizing try following the instructions on Crown's website. The Gorals might be a smidge narrower in the toe box but the difference is small.

Happy to have chosen Goral. The craftsmanship is impeccable. The made to order wait is worth it. Comfortable straight out of the box. Will not be my last Goral purchase.

I waited a long time for a custom collaboration shoe to be made for me only to find out I ordered the incorrect size. Goral not only took the return, but processed an exchange and made me two new pairs of shoes in the correct size quickly and still gorgeous. Great service, great shoe.

Ordering experience and quality was great.

Absolutely loving my pair of Mellor II's. The wait was long but the estimated time to ship was spot on so Goral are true to their word in that aspect.

I've already pre-ordered a pair of Muggs 👌

UPDATE --------

When I purchased these Mellor II shoes, I measured my feet according to their instructions on the web site. I wasn't quite sure so I reached out for guidance on the shoe size, giving my measurements - they recommended I get a 43.5 wide based on the measurements I took.

I received the shoes in the expected timeframe - at first they seemed to fit alright but after a few months of ownership, going on a holiday and doing a lot of walking, I realised they were much looser than I thought. They started to pull my socks down, rubbing the back of my heel and kept coming untied. They were quite uncomfortable to wear. No matter how I tied my shoes, or put in extra heel padding or insoles, it didn't improve.

So I again reached out to the company and they advised me I could get the shoe resoled and ask to bring the size down to 43. I paid the cost to resole the shoe and put in a request to size it down.

After a few weeks I got the pair back - but it's still not quite right.

I'm a bit stuck now because they won't do anything else for me (I reached out again and they said there's nothing else to do). I don't want to buy another pair when I don't even know if they'll fit me correctly. Spending another few hundred pounds and waiting a month or more to find out is not something I'm willing to do.

So overall I've spent upwards of £400 to warn everyone else - make sure you properly measure your feet and if you think even for a second that they might not fit, do something about it immediately and don't wait around like me.

Sad I won't be able to wear these shoes, I had high expectations and unfortunately I'll have to give them away to charity. :-(

Beautifully made shoes, I bought the mystery box and received a pair of silver leather sneakers. Amazing material quality and clearly seen craftsmanship.

I would advise anyone with a steep instep that they may find the sneakers to be a bit tight around the top of your foot.

Other thing to note is this shoe was not supplied with an inner sole - so factor that in.

Goral review

I wanted to wait to write a review on my shoes, until I had worn them for a while. I’ve had handmade shoes before, and realise that sometimes, they need breaking in, and that can be a painful process, before you get to enjoy them.

With that in mind, this review may as well be about lack of experience with Goral shoes, and my stupidity, rather than of the shoes themselves. More on that later.

I bought three pairs, two The Mellor II - Off-White/Navy, one for me and one for my wife and a pair of The Mellor II - Horween Natural.

All come with the Goral foam insert. The insert is quite high at the heel and when putting on the shoes for the first time, I honestly thought I had got the sizing wrong, as they were a very tight fit.

I wore the Horween Natural on a trip into London, which resulted in skinning my heels badly. Here’s the stupid bit. It didn’t occur to me to remove the insert; I thought that if Goral put them in there, they were meant to be used. Once my heel had healed enough to put them back on again, the sizing issue reared its head again.

At this point, I decided to remove the foam insert. And voila, they fit perfectly. The foot bed of these trainers is a very nice branded leather and I would be happy to wear them without the insert, however, I was slightly put off by the fact that Goral have tacked the stitching tails, to the footbed with glue. I am reluctant to cut them, in case the shoe comes apart.

Having got that out of the way, the shoes are absolutely fantastic. The quality of the leather is amazing and the workmanship is first class. They actually make me feel like I’m stepping onto the steps of a private jet, rather than the bus to work. I love the story of the Goral history, and will always look to supporting British made products, wherever possible.

I love these shoes, but I would appreciate Goral reaching out to me regarding the stitching tails; are they supposed to be like that? Perhaps Goral might think of making a thin leather insert, as an alternative to the foam one?

With all that said, I can’t recommend these shoes enough, my ignorance aside and to anyone who gets these shoes for the first time, and thinks they are too small, take out the foam insert, before running them in.

Really helpful customer services, they answered all my questions. Amazing shoe quality

Amazing shoe. I have the MUGS and now the SMUGS. I am a US size 9 wide, and also UK 9 wide. Fits perfect. Finally a nice casual shoe.

Stunning shoes, beautifully finished, clearly very well built.

One thing to note is that it took about a month for them to be made and I heard nothing during this time. Well worth the wait though.

Truly a high quality, hand made shoe with the best leather. I love the look and the colors. I look forward to many years of wearing them. Thanks

Bought the shoes for a destination wedding and wanted to look and feel special. The shoes met my expectations and then some. They are beautifully crafted, the leather is supple and required no break in at all. If they weren’t so expensive I’d order another pair in brown tomorrow!

Very comfortable out of the box!

I ordered Mellor II sneakers, they arrived with a round stamp (presumably from the leather supplier) imprinted on the front of the shoe. I sent them back for a replacement. 2.5 months later I have received the replacement and one of the insoles has been cut incorrectly and doesn't fit in the shoe.
It would have taken seconds to spot both faults. This is not what is expected from a premium product. They obviously have very poor quality control and customer service.

I experienced a bit of dissatisfaction with shipping (an in-stock item that should have shipped within 3 days took over 3 weeks) but my mellor 2s have arrived and they are an excellent shoe. I used the sizing charts to inform my choice - I usually wear size 10uk, and I know my feet are on the wide side. Charts suggested I order size 11uk based on my foot measurement. The shoes are a half size too big. I have inserted a leather insole from timpson and they feel pretty good. They are a comfortable and well built shoe.

I believe they have updated their website to avoid misleading customers on shipping now.