I discovered Renegade Folk on Instagram a long time ago, completely head-over-heels over their limited edition Feeling Good sandals in Marsala. They’re simple, sexy, and exactly the kind of sandals I’d wear everyday.
The brand itself is admirable as they’ve grown into one of the most popular local fashion brands in the country. Launched in 2007, Renegade Folk relies on the skills, talents, and creativity of their team of Marikina-based artisans to produce comfortable and stylish footwear. Every pair is made by hand and competitive in the market.
Unfortunately, I had a couple of pairs on my shelf at that time and wasn’t open to the idea of buying shoes online, so I didn’t look into the brand further. This year, I decided it was time to put my white rubber Native shoes aside and make way for a new pair that’s locally made, well-designed, and that fit the new look I’m trying to shape for myself. Out of all the possible brands to consider, Renegade Folk came to mind instantly.
Customer support is superb, btw!
I searched for their Instagram feed, Facebook page, and eventually their website, hoping to find the same Feeling Good sandals I saw way back.
You can imagine how crestfallen I was when there was only a size 9 available for the Marsala color. It didn’t help that they weren’t going to restock in this color, that there were no size 10s for the other Feeling Good colors, and the rest of the available designs didn’t appeal to me as much.
Luckily their customer rep was kind enough to add me to their mailing list so that I’d get notified once they had the size 10s available again. I asked her to keep me on the list for the tan-colored sandals.
A couple of weeks later, I got an email from Renegade Folk that the Feeling Good in tan is back in stock! I bought a pair right away, and it arrived at my door step on a cloudy Monday afternoon the week after.
Renegade Folk
My feet are a size 8 in length but a size 10 in width, so RF suggested I get my sandals in a size 10 just to be sure. Sure enough, my feet slipped in right away and fit quite well. The left sandal’s a bit loose, so I pulled as far as the third hole when securing it in.
I wore the sandals for a week to see how it would fare when used everyday. While breaking into them and getting used to wearing sandals again, I found no problems or issues with the shoes, and enjoy using them when I need to leave the house. My large feet looks much more elegant and it always goes well with my daily outfits. There are signs of wear already, but my guess is this is normal for leather sandals.
Price-wise, I find Renegade Folk’s shoes a great deal considering you’re getting good-quality leather footwear that’s sustainable, handcrafted, and embodies the hard work of our talented sapateros. My pair cost me P1780 + P100 for shipping, racking up a mere P1880.
The Feeling Good in Tan with my 7-year old’s sandals.
Time will tell when I’ll need to replace these sandals again, but I’m ?it won’t be too soon. Even my daughter’s looking forward to owning her own Renegade Folk sandals when she grows up.
If you’re around Manila, you can check out Renegade Folk in person at Level 2, Phase 2, Urban Turf, U.P. Town Center, Katipunan Ave. Bgy. Loyola Heights Diliman, Quezon City. They also have branches in Cebu, Tacloban, and Davao.
Resources:
- Renegade Folk website
- Check out their Instagram and Facebook for photos and reviews
- Browse through hundreds of other locally made brands on the TryLocalPH IG feed. This is where I discovered RF.
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