I thought about starting this article by saying that spring is on the horizon, which means we can finally put our boots away and start reaching for sneakers. But the weather in San Francisco has been so strange lately that I honestly have no idea what season is coming up. My own wardrobe has tilted a bit toward the casual in recent years so I’ve found myself thinking about sneakers more, regardless of what the weather chooses to do. The newest pair in my stable is the “Morgen” by Beckett Simonon, a young brand that some of you are likely familiar with.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while then you’ll probably remember my review of the Beckett Simonon boots from about two years ago. The company has grown substantially since then and their line of products has expanded as well. They reached out to me recently asking if I’d like to review one of their newer releases, so I decided to take a closer look at something from their sneaker range. While I do like “luxe” sneakers in concept, it’s difficult for me to justify spending hundreds of dollars on something that won’t last as long as a welted shoe; for this reason, Beckett Simonon’s aggressive pricing sounded like it could be a good option. So with that said, here’s a quick background on the company for those that aren’t familiar.
About Beckett Simonon
The idea behind Beckett Simonon is one that I’m quite familiar with – products are not available for purchase from stock, but are rather pre-ordered during various campaigns. By doing this, little to no inventory is needed and the end cost of the product can be reduced. This is a concept I worked with all the time when I ran the apparel part of Massdrop, so I’m quite familiar with the idea. Beyond that, though, it’s something we see fairly regularly wherever style nerds hang out – for instance, a half dozen styleforum members will group together to order a “GMTO” (group made-to-order) product from a popular vendor, and in doing so won’t have to pay the upcharge that an individual custom order might face. Similar concept here, basically.
Of course, the biggest disadvantage with this process is that the customer must pay upfront for a sight-unseen product and then wait a while (weeks to months, depending on the product). This can be especially dicey with sized products, since it can be near impossible to confirm sizing beforehand (it’s worth noting that Beckett Simonon has a solid return policy, so most of this risk is alleviated). Because of this significant downside of the made-to-order model, it’s generally only worth it for one of two reasons – either it’s a product you can’t get anywhere else (like a custom suit or a special pair of Crockett & Jones boots) or the price is very aggressive. With Beckett Simonon, the company is all about the latter.
The Popularity of the German Army Trainer
The style of these sneakers is essentially the popular “German Army Trainer” or GAT, a design that was created for the German military in the 1970s. It has been popular for decades, but has seen a resurgence in recent years as an alternative to the hyper-minimalist sneaker. GATs are still subdued and sleek, but a bit less sterile than the now ubiquitous minimalist leather sneaker. Like most high-end GAT styles on the market, the Beckett Simonon “Morgen” sneakers have a white leather upper with suede accents, leather lining, and a rubber sole (there’s a black version as well). They’re made in Portugal, a country with a long history of producing good footwear.
For reference, there are a few other popular GATs on the market. Maison Margiela makes the “gold standard” GAT, which clocks in at a pricey $470. Epaulet makes a popular model as well, though it hasn’t been available in a while. Oliver Campbell offers a similar style that’s a bit cheaper. Svensson makes a chunkier mid-priced version. Adidas – the originator of the GAT – has a style as well, though it’s not of the same quality as the others listed here. There are many others too, but my point is that the $149 list price of the Morgen sneakers is already pretty competitive.
Design, Construction, and Fit
In general, the Beckett Simonon GAT stays fairly true to the original style – slim, low profile, suede detailing, and a gum sole. The only aesthetic change I’d ask for is tweaking the suede color – the gray suede is fairly low-contrast compared to the white leather and has a bit of a blueish tint. If I were picking suede for these, I would go with a slightly darker gray that is either more of a true neutral (like Epaulet) or a warmer gray (like Margiela). I’ve owned the Epaulet GATs and while I’d give them a slight edge in quality, the two pairs are very similar (and about twice the price). And while I’ve never owned the Margielas, I’ve handled them in person a few times and the design of the Beckett Simonon Morgens is quite close (they also have a similar elastic tongue on the inside). Like with my previous pair of Beckett Simonon shoes, I didn’t see any QC issues, loose threads, or stray marks on these.
As far as fit goes, I went with my normal Brannock size of 8.5US and they fit well. I sometimes size up to a 9 in sneakers but that wasn’t necessary here. The shoes were a bit stiff at first but broke in fairly quickly. I’ve been wearing them regularly for the past couple of weeks and they’re starting to look a bit less optic white, which I find easier to wear. I don’t care enough about sneakers to try and keep them pristine, so the sooner they look lived-in the better.
The Beckett Simonon sneakers come in at $149, which is definitely on the low end for made-in-Europe leather sneakers. On top of that, there are frequently sale codes that bring the price down a bit more. The code FSTB20 can get you 20% off, which brings the price down to $119. This is about half the price of the (seemingly discontinued but highly popular) Epaulet GATs and a quarter of the price of the Margielas. So if you’re looking for upgraded sneakers without spending wild amounts of money, Beckett Simonon seems to be a great option.
