I happened upon A Serious Boot and started drooling.... well, almost. My husband wanted to get me something special for my birthday and this was it! So... I have kind of wide, high arch feet and live very far from Berlin, (Portland, Oregon), so I wanted to get this right. After many email exchanges... and thank you for your patience and great assistance, Nana and David, I took the chance and ordered. They are beautiful and the leather is incredibly soft and gorgeous. The fit is spot on and they can handle weather! I have now started wearing them the entire day and they feel good. I'm an educator, so I'm on my feet a good part of the day. These will be great for work and for simply looking good.
Thank you, thank you, team, you sent the perfect size and such a beautiful pair of boots. I absolutely love them! Thank you for all your help and asking the right questions!
I bought a pair of wonderfully-comfortable Atheist Shoes a few years ago. Yesterday I wore them to the VA Medical Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. As I was taking my shoes off, the podiatrist saw they're engraved on the bottom "Loves Darwin" and said that's really cool. I told her they're very comfortable shoes and where she can get them, and some of the other products sold by Atheist Shoes. I found a secret ally yesterday.
I stumbled upon Atheist strolling around Berlin. A typical tourist walking by stores. Had no clue about them or about the brand. Just walked in and heard the brand story first hand from Katrin. Decided to try on a couple of pairs and I was sold with the comfort. Such a fantabulous experience. I am surely visiting them again when in Berlin and probably ordering more pairs when I am back home in India. Thanks Katrin for a superlative experience and you have a loyal customer for life.
Just received my new boots and have them on with the insoles. Beautiful boots and very comfortable. I am glad to have the ankle support but it will take a bit to break them in there because if my skinny legs. So happy to have them. Plan to wear them just about every day.
So happy you have them already! And you wear them so well. Best of luck with the breaking in process, please keep us posted! x
Already 6 months with them and still getting better. Munich now looks more atheist than never🤣🤣
Aaah, I forgot to mention, not only the shoes are amazing, but the care and kindness from the Berlin’s team is out of scale. We enter the shop for having a look on the shoes and we enjoy a very funny conversation, a great shoe size testing and an astonishing pair of shoes. Looking forward for the next visit to Berlin!!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Diego! Thanks for being our ambassador to Munich. We're delighted you're still loving them and looking forward to seeing you again in Berlin!
I bought a pair of Ateist Shoes (Das Petrol) a few years ago but I only wore them out for best and special occasions as I did not want to get them scuffed or dirty. When I wore them recently I forgot how comfortable they were and bought another pair for everyday (Gentleman's Stepper) which I love. I have arthritis in my feet and I can safely say that these are the most comfortable shoes I think they use some type of alchemy and magic in the crafting of these shoes. They are well worth the price and I love the fact that I am able to but from a small business which helps to preserve and develop the art of good tailoring and shoe-making. Thank you Atheist... my feet thank you and my pinkies too....
A belated thank you for such lovely feedback, Robin! Our best wishes to you and your pinkies x
Between my wife and me we probably own 9 or 10 pairs. By far the most comfortable shoes we have. They literally fit like a glove (and are made of leather that actually reminds me of a baseball glove, but softer). And people notice. Not that we care! 🤓👩🏾
We're so super grateful to you and your wife, Patrick - thank you for coming back again and again! I love your baseball glove analogy, btw... come the autumn, we're gonna have a couple of new models made by a US tannery that actually makes baseball gloves, and the leather will be quite similar. Watch this space! x
I have had four pairs of Atheist shoes, and have never yet had a pair wear out (the Unfortunate Incident of the Puking Cat being the only blemish on their perfect record). My oldest surviving pair are five years old, and other than a bit of personality and slight wear on the soles, they do not show their age at all. All of my shoes have been online purchases, and I have nothing but praise for the service I have received over the years. Shoes are true to size, so if you're thinking about making a long distance purchase, you can do so with confidence. Now, apart from the satisfaction you get marching up and down outside churches when it has snowed, what else is so great about these shoes? Everything! I have never had so many compliments on my footwear; they are made by people working in decent conditions, using materials made using decent methods; and (take it from someone who has both arthritis and chronic bursitis in one ankle) they are the most comfortable shoes in the world! I do have the odd pair of non-Atheist shoes, and I have to tell you, I don't wear 'em. My Kitten Testicle greys and my Fudges are the saviours my grumpy joints choose (my other babies, the Das Matt are no longer available - ooooh, I have VINTAGE). Seriously good shoes. The best shoes. Fluffy clouds of sumptuous wonder
Now having 7pairs of atheists shoes I find I like the boots best. In fact the emerald boot is absolutely terrific, the color is great and it is the softest to touch of all my shoes. Just let me know of any other color boot mayed from the same leather.
Ran into the shop in Berlin, and saw some thing I fell in love with, did not make up my mind because I kept seeing things that also caught my eye. The shoes feel comfortable. The customer service was excellent upon my return to Berlin . I will be back. I will consider one pair to purchase online . I became a true believer!
I‘ve just received my second pair of shoes. So my only problem is to decide which one to wear. Do I have to say more?
Btw, I’ll wear them with the green laces not only on St.Patrick‘s Day
Thank you Simone! And hear hear re. green laces on more than one day a year!
I love my new das cognac shoes and I’ve tried to follow the new-shoes advice of not wearing them every day at first, but that’s tough! -- They’re really pretty and they go with all of my clothes.
Great customer service, David was very helpful and kind, he answered my questions and even sent photos of the in-stock shoes.
I was between sizes and they’re a little roomy on my narrow feet, but fit comfortably with thick socks or my arch support inserts (thank you for making shoes with swappable insoles, they are hard to find!). The lining inside is very soft and smooth, and the leather is sturdy but comfortable; you can tell they are high-quality.
I love how the look of the cognac leather changes slightly with wear. The details like the stitching on the heel and the metal aglets are very nice too. One thing is I wish they came with the little black hole logo on the right side lace. I’ll be back for boots someday, and will watch for the brown shoes from Instagram too!
A belated thank you very much, Jordan, for taking the time to write all this! It's super good to see them on your feet and I'm glad the sizing works (probably safer we went for the roomier option given the inserts). The little black hole logo on the right side lace takes me waaaaay back - I don't think we've had it in our shoes for 6 or 7 years. But it's nice to know someone out there misses it :) Thanks again and not long now to wait for those brown shoes from instagram. / David
I love my new Whiskey the Wonder Boots. They are perfect.
I've had a pair of Das Sneakers for a while, and they have been great. I've worn them everywhere for the past 3 years. I wanted to take my athiesm to the next level, so I bought a pair of Whiskey the Wonder Boots two weeks ago. I can't say enough about them. I love a good pair of shoes, but these boots are the best I've ever had.
First, they look great. I love the style, the look of the leather, the stitching, the laces. Unique and timeless.
The comfort, however, is even better. I've read several reviews on this site saying "the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn." Well, these are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn.
I love them.
Also, great service from David, Nana, and the Athiest team.
Thank you, Athiest!
Dear Robert, thank you for your lovely feedback! It's heartening to be reminded that our shoes really are 'the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned', for some people; we have it written on a sign in our shop entrance, as a quote attributed to '- lots of people', and if a while goes by without us actually hearing it from someone's mouth, the we begin to feel a bit bashful about the claim, but then someone says it again and we feel less so :) We're very glad you came back for more and we hope the Whiskeys will give you as long and happy an experience as your Das Sneakers did.
A friend from Seattle showed me his Atheist shoes over the holidays. I've been a working craftsman my entire adult life and I responded immediately not just to the quality and feel of the leather, but the straightforward design and impeccable craftmanship. I went to the website, followed the simple directions to determine my size, and ordered a pair. To my surprise, what ensued was one of the most pleasant exchanges of emails that I've ever had with a company. David went out of his way to make sure I got exactly the pair of shoes I'd been wanting--and he did it with humor and kindness. The shoes arrived this morning. I put them on immediately and, honestly, I've never been more pleased with a purchase. They fit like a glove and are so soft that it almost feels like I don't have shoes on. And the color! All that is left for me to do at this point is decide which pair I'm going to get next. I can't recommend this company more highly. If you're on the fence--do it! You'll love them.
Thank you, Robert! Your kind words mean so much to us. Especially coming from a craftsperson. And thanks, too, for the photo. They look lovely in their new home (the colours!).
I love my new Das!? Don’t care what people think of the color, they feel and look great with jeans! Smooth leather and delivery to the US was fast!
Comfy!
Thanks David, Nana and Katrin!
They look lovely, Daryl! Thanks so much for the feedback.
I’m extremely passionate about discovering and investing in unique, well-crafted items…these boots are at the top of my list of favorite finds. The quality and comfort are beyond what words can describe.
The rest of the world can play their silly Jordan/Yeezy games…I’ll proudly sport my mismatched boots everywhere I go! My daily drivers for 8 years now with thousands of miles and hundreds of compliments ;) I’ve finally replaced them and it brings a big smile to my face knowing how much great use I will get out of this next batch!
Thanks David, Nana, Katrin, and the rest of the crew!
A very belated thank you, Scott, for your kind words AND for your advocacy of mismatched shoes. It was lovely to meet you again, an event recorded forever in this insta post: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl89QXBszWT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
I have purchased 4 pairs (3 boots and 1 sneaker) of these Atheist shoes over the past 7 years. They are stylish and so comfy! I have worn one of them almost daily since 2016. Needless to say, these shoes have taken a beating. They have maintained their form remarkably well. I've had the oldest two pairs resoled and polished, though I'll be replacing one of them soon...all good things must end. My cream sneakers were the only pair that didn't survive beyond a couple years, though their premature end was entirely my fault. (Lesson learned: 'Magic eraser' is a great sneaker cleaner; whitening stain remover is too strong and ends in a color-leaching disaster.)
Customer service has always been excellent with Atheist. I had an issue with an order once, but it was resolved promptly and fairly.
Atheist laces look quite nice in my opinion, and earlier issues with them breaking rather quickly seem to have been resolved in recent years through a combination of a stronger design/material and including extra laces with new shoes.
I can't speak highly enough of this company and their shoes!
2016! Incredible! Thanks, Brady! And for sure, those stain removers can be brutal. Sorry to hear your creams didn't survive it.
Thanks again, and until next time!
New Berliners: you will be walking a lot, so you need sturdy, well-made shoes. I stopped by the Atheist Shoes shop in Mitte. While I tried on different pairs for quite a long time, I greatly enjoyed talking with the people working there — the actual craftsmen and craftswomen who create these shoes and have fussed over every detail. Everyone I met in the shop was so kind and personable. They answered my many questions and made me feel secure about a pricier purchase than I normally spend on shoes. I’m glad I did — my leather boots (with two different laces, pink and cream) are breaking in beautifully around my weird wide feet and fitting better every day.
Atheist Shoes reminds me that shopping small means interacting with real people who care about their customers. Buying hand-made, artisanal quality products should be expensive — it’s worth it — and that’s what Atheist Shoes offers. But shoes aside, the people in the shop really sold me. I would have lingered longer just to talk if I hadn’t had places to go.
10 out 10 in both product quality and customer experience. Thanks for being so nice, particularly to this newcomer still working on my German. Danke!
Hey Alexander, it was our pleasure - very lovely to meet you and we're grateful for your kind words! What a generous thing, to take the time to write such a fulsome review - thank you, it means a lot. I hope Berlin is treating you well and we hope to see you again.
Got my first pair in 2018, second in 2019 and I wear them at every chance I get. When I first got a pair I would clean them every couple of weeks, now I think they age well either way and tbh now It looks like they've lived which in itself is kinda beautiful.
Sweet of you to leave feedback, Ali, thank you! Here's hoping they continue to age well.
I live in Southern California, and recently bought a pair of black leather shoes online from Atheist. This is my second pair - I bought my first when Atheist set up a pop up shop in Venice Beach many years ago.
Unfortunately, the United States Postal Service made a mistake and returned my order. When I contacted Atheist via email, I received great customer support from Katrin and David, both of whom made me feel great about the company.
I know their shoes are great - I always receive compliments when wearing them. Now I know the company also has employees who put their customers first!
I received my replacement order and I’ll buy again from Atheist!
Thank you Chen!
I'm really glad you got your shoes in the end, after that USPS kerfuffle. We never get to review our customers, but if we did I'd share that you were an absolute joy to write with from beginning to end. Thank you for your patience along the way - we're very glad you're one of our customers and we hope you'll be happy with your Holly Go Blacklies for a long time to come.
After admiring a pair worn by a colleague in Berlin, I brought my first pair (squashed frog) home to Canada 7 years ago. After years of happy hopping, comfortably and stylishly, I invested in pair of Holly GoBlackly. These solidly-made shoes span a wider range of occasions. Last year I dressed them up with ribbons for laces. These comfortable, stylish, and sturdy shoes still look fabulous, have lasted longer, and fit better than any other leather shoes that I have worn. Thank you for your commitment to quality, comfort, and style! (PS try them without socks!)
Dear Sidney, we're touched and grateful to read your words - thank you for taking the time to share! I can only heartily echo the call to wear our shoes without socks!! And I'm especially happy to hear they lasted so well relative to your other leather shoes; I think we'd choose softness of leather over ruggedness every time, so it's nice to learn that you're getting durability our of them as well as comfort. Ribbons for laces we have yet to try, but surely will. Thank you again.
I received my first order two months after placing the order, the box was soaked through and one of the pairs of shoes was wet, stinking and ruined. I later ordered a different pair of shoes in a different order, the payment went through and then I got an email from Atheist saying that those shoes were not available after all despite being listed as available on the website. Unbelievable. I hope you don't expect more than one star for this.
Hi Leonie,
It’s true, you had a double whammy of things going wrong, for which we’re sorry, and we have tried our best to fix things quickly.
Here’s a fuller account of what happened:
The shipping issue was pure misfortune - dare we say it, 'an act of god'. Somewhere, on its long journey to New Zealand, your package got soaking wet (which obviously shouldn’t happen) and was nearly destroyed. Water damage like that is exceedingly rare - we’ve seen it maybe 7 or 8 times in our 10 years of being in business and sending 10,000+ shipments worldwide. It may have happened in New Zealand, as there was an unusually long delay of a couple of weeks once your package arrived in the country. We would have loved to figure out exactly what happened but we would have needed your help and we did write asking if you could take closer photos of the labels on the damaged package. That would have allowed us to investigate properly and to make an insurance claim, but we never got a reply to that request.
Damage aside, lengthy shipping delays for intercontinental shipping have unfortunately been more common since the pandemic. And New Zealand Post recently gave out a warning that international packages inbound would be moving slower due to capacity issues at their end, something we only became aware of after your package was sent.
Once we heard about your wet package, we offered to refund you straight away or send replacement shoes - you chose the latter and we sent them immediately. I'm glad to see you received them much more quickly than the first time, with them only spending one day in NZ before being delivered to you.
What was totally inside our control and a mess-up on our part was that you were able to order a pair of shoes that were no longer available, having been bought by another customer in our shop, a couple of days before you ordered. We should have been quicker to update the stock levels once they were sold, especially as this was a model where we only had 3 pairs left. We did let you know about the error within a few hours of you ordering and we offered you another pair with a discount by way of apology. I'm glad to see this morning that you've accepted that.
Things can go wrong. And it particularly sucks that two bad things happened to you in such a short space of time. But I hope, despite all this, that you'll be able to enjoy your shoes.
Best,
Nana, Katrin & David
That's it. I've worn them one day, and they're the best boots I've ever owned. Worth every penny and then some.
Truly excellent quality, comfort, style- you name it, they've got it!
Ben, we're delighted to read this!
Thank you for taking the time. And we hope you'll continue to love the shoes!
Cheers,
Nana, David & Katrin
Hallo,
ich war vergangenen Donnerstag in eurem Shop in Berlin. Wir sprachen über meine knirschenden Schuhe von euch. Ihr habt mir ein Paar neue Einlagen, das Problem ist wohl behoben. Vielen Dank
Danke, Wolfgang aus Köln
Thanks so much for your feedback, Wolfgang! Happy to hear it worked out.
