Comfy, cute shoe alert! Today, I’m reviewing the Wool Sneaker from Giesswein. This shoe was gifted to me from the brand. To be honest, I hadn’t heard of the Giesswein until they reached out to me. They are a family-owned business, three generations deep, from Austria.
The company says they are committed to sustainable production. How? Giesswein uses organic, natural materials, namely wool. They also make Rothy’s-like ballet flats out of recycled ocean plastic. The company says their production process is zero waste and uses up to 90% recycled water. Giesswein sources their Mulesing-free wool from Uruguay, makes the fabrics in Austria, and assembles their shoes in Vietnam and China. They say they visit these factories twice a year, factories that have “exemplary” work conditions.
Giesswein let me pick a product to try, and I quickly gravitated towards the Giesswein Wool Sneakers, which appealed to me with its classic look.
These shoes were gifted to me for review. As always, all opinions are my own and I only write about items I’m interested in. This post contains affiliate links (not to the shoes, but to other items). If you shop through my links, I may earn a commission. Thanks for supporting Welcome Objects!
Giesswein Wool Sneaker – $99.95. Yes to laces that match the shoes.
Sizing & Materials
First Impressions: Upon picking up the package, the light weight surprised me. There are shoes in here? Indeed, this shoe is only 160 grams, or 5.6 ounces. Impressive.
Upon picking up the package, the light weight surprised me. There are shoes in here?
Fit: The Wool Sneaker, like all Giesswein shoes, comes in whole sizes. I am a wide-ish 6.5, so I always round up to a 7 when ordering a shoe that only comes in whole sizes. However the size 7s that arrived felt big, like an entire size too big. Turning the shoe over, I saw that it was marked Euro size 38. Hmmm. Isn’t a 38 the same as a US 7.5?
I went back to look at the website, and that’s when I realized that you can toggle between US, UK, and EU sizing. I wear a Euro 37, which in my experience is equivalent to a US 6.5. But on Giesswein’s site a 37 is labeled a US 6. I was able to exchange the 7/38 for the 6/37, which fit much better. Moral of the story: go with the European sizing as it’s more accurate.
The Giesswein Wool Sneaker comes in 12 colors.
Materials: Giesswein uses what they call Merino Wool 3D stretch for the upper. It’s water-resistant and the wool doesn’t feel itchy at all. The sole is made out of EVA, a shock-aborbing material, and feels super light. The removable insole is also Merino wool. A nice thing about these materials and the design is that that you can machine wash the whole shoe. (But don’t put them in the dryer!)
The lightweight EVA sole
Comfort & Wearibility
Breaking Them In: These shoes felt comfy upon putting them on, so I didn’t think I’d need to break them in. I was wrong. As soon as I got them, I wore them without socks to run an errand in the neighborhood. In that short time I developed 2 blisters at the back of my feet. The shoe even broke skin on my right foot, and I had to lay off of them for more than a week as the area scabbed over and healed. Pro Tip: wear these with socks first to break them in!
These shoes felt comfy upon putting them on, so I didn’t think I’d need to break them in. I was wrong.
I did that for about 2 weeks. And then for good measure, I rubbed an emory board at the inside back of the shoes, just in case there was anything irritating me. That’s probably not great for the fabric, but I wasn’t taking any chances. After that, I was able to wear them out and about without socks.
Comfort: After the initial fiasco, these shoes have been great. Even though I don’t see an arch support, my arches are happy. I’m still not walking all over the place like I did in pre-pandemic days. I only recently took public transit for the first time. But I go on 40-minute walks or run errands in these with no pain or problems.
Merino wool is supposed to be temperature and moisture regulating. As the owner of sweaty feet, I can report that these feel good moisture-wise. However, I do find them warm. On a recent 80-degree day, they felt slightly warm to me.
Vetta Shirt // Uniqlo Skirt [review] // Giesswein Shoes // Lo & Sons Bag
How does Giesswein compare to Allbirds?
Comfort wise, I have a slight preference for that cushy feeling of the Allbirds insoles. But, I have to say, I have no complaints about the comfort of Geisswein.
Price wise, these brands are in a similar range. Allbirds are $95. These Giesswein Wool Sneakers retail for $99.95, though other shoes run up to $139.95.
Style-wise, I have to go with Giesswein. Of course, this is not an apples to apples comparison. I own the Allbirds Wool Loungers, a slip-on shoe, which I reviewed a while back. They have a different look altogether. The material for the Wool Loungers is clearly wool, whereas the textile of the Giesswein Wool Sneakers have a woven look.
There are other Giesswein shoes that look more similar to Allbirds. For example, the Giesswein Merino Runners and the Allbirds Wool Runners resemble each other.
The Allbirds Wool Piper and Tree Piper come closest in terms of looks to the Giesswein Wool Sneakers. But I haven’t tried the Allbirds so I can’t make a direct comparison. From the photos though, the Giesswein sneakers look more refined.
Allbirds have never looked quite right to me, at least on me. Their shoes are too rounded for my taste in the toe box. Plus, I’ve had problems with my toes pushing up against the fabric unattractively. The Giesswein Wool Sneakers, though a casual shoe, are just a bit more graceful in shape. Styling them with shorts or casual pants are a no brainer. But I find I can also style them with more elegant pieces like a paperbag waist skirt.
Vetta Shirt // Uniqlo Skirt // Giesswein Shoes // Lo & Sons Bag
Another consideration is the color choices. Allbirds come in neutrals and earth tones like grays and browns. With Giesswein, I could choose from every day colors like black, navy, and white, but there are also fun, bright colors like a handsome red and neon yellow. I opted for zyklam, a berry pink, to add a pop of color to my outfits.
Overall, I’m happy with the Geisswein Wool Sneakers and recommend them. Given how lightweight they are, they’d make a great travel shoe.
Pact Sweatpants [review] // Giesswein Shoes
