These Sneaky Dress Shoes Feel Like Sneakers

Sneakers are comfortable—but for many industries, they're not exactly work-appropriate (plus, they don't look great with a suit). That's why Florida-based shoe startup Wolf & Shepherd created a line of men's leather oxfords, loafers, and boots designed to feel like your favorite pair of running shoes.

At first glance, Wolf & Shepherd’s shoes look like conventional dress shoes. But according to Business Insider, they contain hidden features that provide maximum cushioning and support, including a memory foam foot bed, a high-density foam heel, rubber outsoles (coated to look like polished wood, naturally), and carbon fiber arch support. Each pair of shoes is reportedly, on average, a pound lighter than regular men’s dress shoes.

Wolf & Shepherd founder Justin Schneider once worked at Adidas and New Balance. He’s also a former competitive decathlete at the University of Notre Dame—meaning function is just as important to him as form. In fact, Schneider is so committed to creating the ultimate comfy dress shoe that he’s having former NCAA Division I runner Juris Silenieks wear the shoes as he runs the "Hotlanta Half-Marathon" in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend. Schneider hopes that Silenieks will win the Guinness World Record for the fastest half-marathon time in dress shoes.

Wolf & Shepherd’s shoes are available at select retailers or for online purchase, and start at $325. They’re not exactly cheap, but they rival the cost of high-end men's dress shoes, and hey—comfort is priceless, right?

[h/t Business Insider]

Banner image courtesy of Wolf & Shepherd.