Footwear

Before you pick

How to choose footwear that actually hold up

Size is where online footwear goes wrong, so measure your foot in centimetres and compare against the size chart rather than trusting your usual UK number — curated sources differ by up to half a size. For daily walking, look for an EVA or phylon midsole; rubber-only outsoles are durable but transmit shock. Formal shoes should be leather-lined, otherwise they hold moisture and start to smell within a season. Sneakers with a stitched sole outlast glued ones by a wide margin, and you can usually see the stitch line in our close-up photos. If you are between sizes on a closed shoe, go up. MatzHub lists the exact insole length so you can match it against a shoe you already own before ordering.