Common Projects vs Koio vs Oliver Cabell: Who Makes the Best Italian Leather Sneaker? 

I had a terrible experience with Oliver Cabell, to the point that I started to think the company was almost a scam. They basically never accept returns, despite advertising that they do. I wanted to return a pair, which I wore for 1 minute on carpet, and they said it was too worn, pointing to some smudges on the sole. Luckily i had an unboxing pic showing that those smudges were already there, but the costumer service team still wouldnt accept the return. They offered store credit, but wouldnt let me use it with any sales, and the whole business model of OC is that there are always sales, which makes the full price of the shoe kind of BS. If you have any doubt about your size or the shoes, I wouldnt order from Oliver Cabell.

Great rollup. I spent a LONG time a few years back making this decision, pulling from videos by you, The Kavalier (we miss you, John!), and Weston at Rose Anvil. Ultimately I went with Beckett Siminon, and for what they were, they held up fantastically as my entry white minimalist sneaker. Since then I have gotten Ace Marks, (the fiber board midsole failed spectacularly and the color finishes are inconsistent and don't hold up to basic conditioning without discoloring the sole,) Grant Stone (I highly recommend, but there is no triple white offering yet,) and Thursday. The Thursday Premiere was great, and they offer wide sizes, but they were a bit tall and the exposed eyelets had me passing them over when I wore "dressy" chinos and a blazer. They fixed it with the Encores. hidden eyelets, less seams, and a more streamlined last shape. No wide sizes yet, but I went up a half size (Oh yeah. Thursday also does half sizes.) and they fit great. All for $130!

Great video, Nick. I went with Koio’s gen 1 when they still had the Margom outsole. Then scored a crazy deal to get the Perla colorway in them for under $100 when they were heavily discounted from Koio.

Great as ever Nick. Have you thought about a video on VEJA? They're doing some great white minimalist versions and are very interesting re sustainability. Keep up the great content! ☺

I've had a lovely pair of minimalist, white leather sneakers from R.M. Williams for a couple of years now and they are still going strong, with little sign of wear. They differ slightly (not hugely) from the ones currently available on their website, which are just over €200.

Great review!

Waiting for the cobbler video I have the triple white koios for about 4 years now and still going strong :)

After 6 years of running my Greats Royal into the ground I picked up CP's a few weeks back cus Greats changed their styling which I was super bummed about cus they fit like a glove from Day 1...and doing returns for Koio/Oliver Cabell from Canada would be a pain if they didn't fit. They're definitely more narrow and uncomfortable out of the box and the leather squeaks like I'm in wellys. For ref. I'm a brannock 11.5E and picked up 46 in CPs (had 13 in Greats).

I have 5 CP’s and 5 Koio’s,I like the CP’s more for the silhouette and leather softness,the CP’s just feels premium,the reason why I bought koio’s is to have the Cp look when I’m doing errands.

Great video, very interesting comparison! I went to both Koio and OC stores in Manhattan a month ago to try them both. For some reason, the Koio sizing didn't work for me, it was either too big or too small. OC's fit was perfect for me. In terms of quality, they look pretty similar to the non-qualified eye. I like OC design better, not a fan of Koio's double leather thing by the heel, feel it takes some of the minimalist design away. I would say with these three you should choose based on fit - quality is pretty comparable. CP are a non-starter for me. Too expensive for a sneaker and I personally think the golden letters are really ugly.

I only have experience with Cabell (and then only their GATs). I bought them because I liked the price transparency. They are comfortable for me. I don’t have any others, so I can’t compare them. Thanks for doing that!!! 👊👊

Great comparisons, I went with the Koio’s

Iv bought and tried all three and my daily drivers are a swap between black and white Common Projects. Oliver Cabells were too low profile and hurt the top of my toes, Koi were nice but felt stiff and narrow toed and Common Projects have been great to break in and I've grown to really like. Outside of that my Crown North Hamptons are GOAT!!

My nike shoes is 11.5 but oliver cabell sizing chart says 8 for my 27.5cm foot which is a big difference. What size should I get?

Hey, thank you so much for the detailed review! Do you know if Thursday sneakers hold up just as well as the ones in this video? I just found a brand new pair of Thursday's for sale for 70€ and I'm thinking if I should get them or not. Thanks in advance!

Hi Nick, I'm a long-time fan, and I need your advice. I'm 54 years old and I've developed arthritis in my foot, making it hard to wear a lot of my boots. It's sad, but I am considering selling some. Many pairs I've hardly ever worn. And I have some high-end stuff like Trumans that I know people would want. I've never used sites like ebay before. It seems like a hassle to have to deal with shipping and possible complaints. Any tips on sites to use or general thoughts?

I have all 3. The CPs are definitely the most versatile and comfortable. Koio’s are slightly less in both and definitely a better value. The Low1s look way boxier in person than the other 2 but the build quality is comparable for way cheaper. I bought the CPs used on grailed, no way they’re worth $450ish.

Always go for Koio bcoz of the width option which is wide feet friendly for me

Hey @stridewise. I was really thinking about buying a pair from oliver cabell. Could you please tell me how long did it take them to ship your shoes? I’ve seen people say the customer support is horrible and it takes long time to ship. Hope you respond, thanks! Good video btw

Is the Thursday Premiere Low top in Natural Cromexel a Mexican Minimalist Sneaker? or an American Minimalist Sneaker? Same question for my waxed flesh high tops. But If I need a pair of Italian sneakers, I'm going with Koio. That seem in the oliver cabels put me off.

love this review Nick-actually very timely for me! and (on a separate note) i love it when you add a note regarding citizenship after saying “us Americans” haha. I just admire your sensitivity.

Love my white Thursday sneakers for a casual jeans look. It’s already so hot in Austin though, what can be worn with shorts and not leave you looking shabby?

I personally having owned both the Oliver Cabell low 1s and CPs, would pick CPs every time simply cuz they look much better to me

After seeing the video from Rose Anvil I probably wouldn't pick the CP for that fact alone, if they are on sale by quite a bit then of course otherwise it's a hard no. I've owned both Koio and OC and with OC my issue was I couldn't trust their website, I ordered a pair of shoes and looked at the description and when the shoes arrived it was quite different from their own photos for that model (like the material was not even what was listed) and it felt like all they did was just copy/paste the same writing for all the shoes. I tried to reach out and got radio silence. Makes me seriously doubt that the shoes are even made in Italy and most likely made cheaply in China somewhere. I ended up buying from a local store a very cheap pair of the low 1 model from OC afterwards and while that one had better quality I ultimately found them very uncomfortable and just gave them away. Koio to me (I had a nubuck leather pair of lows) looked way too bulky and clunky, they also weren't too comfortable and ultimately I gave those away as well. I guess to sum up, I just don't trust these companies, they might be "assembled" in Italy but it's so hard to tell if the leather is actually what they say it is and even with another pair of high top OC I had I noticed the sole didn't even have the margom logo on it even though the website listing said it was...so I moved on from all of these.

Can you review Magnanni Men's Leve Soft Leather Low-Top Sneakers?

Whatever you decide stay away from Thursday boot. I owned two pairs both pair inner heel collapsed.

for anyone needing help on sizing, i wear 9.5 in nike/nb and got 8 in koio

I love the idea of white sneakers, they really do look great. Very versatile sneakers. But I just can’t make myself buy a pair because they look so tatty and worn out in only a few months. I think I might baby them too much, and turn into that person who is forever wiping his sneakers with a paper towel when out and about. Also, there’s just too many great long lasting boots I could buy for that money.

我很喜歡 但想在香港找到門市可以給我全部試穿一下😂但找不到😱

I have more than one pair of CPs and Koios. I like them both, but the CPs have some slightly better styles and quality. Probably not worth the difference in price. They are both great shoes.

This was great. I'll stick with Thursday Boots shoes

I prefer Koio Congrats on being an American!!

Why does Oliver Cabell say they don't sell 1/2 sizes when they sell UK sizes that are equivalents of 1/2 sizes in The United States?. A UK 8.5 Men's is a US 9.5 Mens.

What about white boots?

Not me with my Target knockoffs 😂

👍

Damn no crown Northampton?

I have only had the Oliver Cabell White Low1 ...I don't like them,...I never wear them after a few tries. They have been sitting in my house for over a year I have a pair almost brand new in size 9 you can have them for $90 bucks less than 1/2 maybe you will like them if you can get them to break-in lmk. I can not figure out whyyyy are these sneakers so popular among RU-vid influencers !?!? ... its not the cost that is the factor forming my opinion, I am fine with paying a premium price for a shoe that I actually enjoy and wear. These just never felt right on me...maybe too fancy idk

I wouldn’t bother with any of them and opt for Goral! Way better quality and cheaper!

Nice pistol squat! Those arent easy

Has anyone met Mr Oliver Cabell in person? I wonder who he is in reality

CP only.

It's less the rolex of white sneakers and more the apple. Overpriced not the best made trading on name.

I’m a little surprised you did this video given that Rose Anvil did a whole series on white sneakers. He concluded that Crown Northampton and Goral provided better value than the sneakers you feature.

Oliver Cabell took a dive with quality or materials and build which is not represented on their site, still showing the old and better versions

Rose anvil confirmed everything we suspected about common projects. After his video dissection, I haven’t seen anyone wear them. And I work at the airport. I see shoes alllllll day.

You seem to pronate on your right side

Buttero

Just got my Oliver cabell low 1s and they forgot to include the dust bag for the shoes. Customer service is almost non existent since they haven’t replied to any of my emails. Heed my advice, don’t buy from this oliver cabell.

So you are seriously promoting koio shoes , in fact you are telling others to buy koio and the pictures you have used the whole time are common projects 😂. How funny the world is these days.

I an expert on Great sneakers for men. The Common Projects being sold today are not as premium as they once were five years ago. I’ll give you an example: I recently (in the past 30 days and returned them)a brand new pair of the Common Projects Retro lows. This is not the great sneaker it once was. No longer fully leather lined. No longer great padding in the tongue. No longer the premium butter soft calf skin on the outside and inside. Common Projects sold out its customers. There prices have risen, but quality is no longer existent .

i'll go to @CrownNorthampton every time