I want to start by calling myself out and saying these may count as cheating. The Emerica Pillar comes with leather, and Emerica hasn’t put out many of these in leather.
The Emerica Pillar has a vulcanized sole and is available as a mid or high-top shoe. As a fan of the Blazer from Nike, I wanted to see what Emerica made. My pair was a Creature collab, and I bought the transparent sole with these cool skeletons.
Sizing
I went true to size, and I didn’t regret it. The Emerica Pillar shoes were leather and pinched my foot, but they eventually stretched slightly.
Comfort
The shoes came with 2 of my favorite features. Tongue centering straps and removable insoles. Did I swap the insoles? No. They were pretty decent, and if I wanted, I could have thrown some FPs in them. As for shoes with a collar, I expected a bit more support but did not get that. The collar feels a little loose, and you have to tighten them. They may as well be low tops, which bummed me out as I was excited about the heel cut.
Durability
I put these to the ringer. I balded the sole and wore out the sidewall from the toe area to the upper until it came off a little. The sidewalls didn’t feel as durable as I wished, but I don’t have complaints about the grip because these are vulcs. The leather made these long-lasting, but I struggled with the grip once I wore down the sidewalls (this is one of the leather flaws). But leather is durable, and I didn’t get anywhere near the rubber reinforcement for the toe area. As for laces, I witnessed a friend go through a few sets of them from their placement.
Summary
The Pillar is an exciting shoe; it’s a low top disguised as a mid. While being a basic shoe, it packs a bit of a punch. It’s simple, and you’ll be satisfied with what you’ll be getting. Emerica made the Pillar of excellent materials and satisfactory overall. Nothing too remarkable but good.
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I agree on a lot of points but I think the Pillar is a very good shoe.
Personally, for the shape of my feet and my preference on less bulky styles, I think it’s amazing.
They are just as durable if not more than your standard vulc (though the design does seem to leave laces in a vulnerable spot for wearing through).
Having the tongue stay is so good, and now that they are starting to produce the design sans animal skin it’s just gotten even better.
I think these shoes are an 8-9.5/10
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