Today, I was once again visiting the Børn site. They’ve just launched the new spring collection and are promising that soon readers will get a “look behind the curtain.” What they’ll see is an office park in Connecticut.
I am a bit naive.
I thought these shoes were made in Sweden. Or Norway. Or Denmark. Turns out they are made in China or Mexico. The “opanka” technique, the crown logo, the look, all completely fake and an ingenious brand for HH Brown, shoe conglomerate. Its most well-known brand: the dowdy Dexter.
Tomorrow, I am boxing up my Born shoes and sending them at my cost to Maryland. Though they are less than three months old, the soles on both shoes split apart while I was walking around in New York. Here’s a picture. Both my feet were soaked. The injected molded soles can’t be mended. Three months, and the shoes are useless.
I try to keep my blog generally positive and generous, so I will say that Born is at least sending me another pair, though not one I am particularly excited about. I had to pick from the limited selection in their lowest price range, basically light loafers and mandels, neither appropriate for Boston or the amount of walking I do.
Two things bug me in this episode of consumerism.
1. That customer service took almost three weeks to reply in any fashion to my emails. It was not until I attempted emailing HH Brown’s CEO Jim Issler directly, using a variety of standard email protocols, that the non-responsive customer service center replied.
2. I just hate being taken for a consumer naif. Nowhere on the box or the site does “Børn” make any claims to being Scandinavian. They just let the consumer makes their own assumptions and build corollary fantasies, and I fell for it. In reality, they sit in Connecticut and order shoes from unrelated factories that are likely in repressive tax exempt multi-national zones, far away from the icy winds of Scandinavia. They in turn are a wholly owned subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, based out of Nebraska. Would he deign to wear Born? I doubt it.
I’m now wearing Blundstones, which as far as I can tell have some authenticity behind them and are holding up well.
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33 Comments
I googled “born shoes fell apart” b/c I am sick and tired of every stinkin’ pair of my Born shoes disintegrating. I no longer buy more, but I had at least 7 pairs and my very last one finally fell apart at the sole. Why on Earth, these shoes cost so much, yet do not last longer than a $5 pair of Walmart sandals, I know not.
My Born shoes fell apart (insole collapsed at the heel) within a few months of new. I’ll be giving my local retailer a few choice comments, as they recommended them as longer-lasting than the other brand I was wearing. Worst pair of leather shoes I’ve ever owned.
I found this because the third pair came unstitched. I love the styles and the width. It makes me sick that in the middle of walking at work I have no shoe on my foot!
Very same thing happened to me. It was my first pair. They looked great before they came unstitched. It’s such a shame.
My shoes split as well. So not convenient I was running my sales route on a very snowy day. Why do these shoes cost so much? I had to get my 5 year old Borneo out again.
Well, the shoe sales lady did think that they were made in the US (not Sweden). I see that neither place is right – outsourced!
The sole bottom of mine fell apart!! Grrr!!! They were expensive!!
Yet another story of Born sandals disintegrating while on feet! I noticed the right one had pulled apart, top to bottom, and when I was tying a knee-high nylon (the only thing I had in my purse while riding a bus) around the sole, I noticed that it, too, was split across, right in the middle. My McGyver move was no longer genius. At the next bus stop, I realized that my left sandal had already split all the way through the sole, and that the only thing holding the sandal together was the leather on top, even though the stitching was pulling apart from the sole. WTF? I loved those sandals! The leather was so nice, and I thought they would last forever. I guess my idea of forever and China’s idea of forever are very different!
Alas, I await the return call from Born customer service. Perhaps I’ll revisit this site and continue the saga…
My like new leather top loafers have both discenergrated in both soles. I’m really disgusted with these expensive shoes and the customer service. The customer satisfaction is not evident in this company. I will not buy another pair.
Unhappy in Alabama!!
My like new leather top loafers have both discenergrated in both soles. I’m really disgusted with these expensive shoes and the customer service. The customer satisfaction is not evident in this company. I will not buy another pair.
Unhappy in Alabama!!
I was shocked to find this thread. …shocked because the first pair of Born leather boots that I bought 20
years ago and have worn heavily are still serviceable. …shocked because I have a dozen pair lining my closet—slingbacks and t-straps, and wedges, oh my!
…shocked because the 2 most recent pair of dressier Borns I purchased split part at the sole, just as described in these sad stories :-/
I have had three pairs of borns break. Two cracked and my clogs basically exploded and the heal crumbled off – all while I was a funeral in the rain. These are not inexpensive shoes and I have bought may pairs of Born. Does anyone know if they will reimburse or do anything for this happening? Please let me know what you have found out.
i will try flex seal on my two or three pair of born clogs… I used shoe goo which helped some before I saw flex seal advertized..they are very comfortable and only $49 each for all leather.. but soles will crumble away eventually after used on hiking trails and lots of gravelly pavement..
My first and last pair of lovely Born loafers just busted apart at seams and soles split wide open on just my second time wearing them!!!! Wish I had found this blog before I bought them.
Well darn, this is the second pair that split on the soles…the first occurred while in an airport-far from home. The manufacturer doesn’t appear to care about the quality of these shoes, they keep raising the price tho.
I remember them being made in Europe somewhere decades ago, but then they were outsourced and were no longer like walking on clouds or remotely comfortable. Mine split today…heeled clogs cracked right in two. I really don’t think Ecco is any better although popular.
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